What Does the Bible Say About Witchcraft?

The Bible forbids witchcraft, divination, and consulting familiar spirits. Deuteronomy 18:12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.Deuteronomy 18:12 · King James Version says all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD. The Pagan Federation says divination and magic are accepted parts of life. Christians confess one God, and that Jesus is the way to the Father.

Key points

• Deuteronomy 18:10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.Deuteronomy 18:10 · King James Version names divination, an observer of times, an enchanter, and a witch.
• Deuteronomy 18:11Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.Deuteronomy 18:11 · King James Version names a charmer, a consulter with familiar spirits, a wizard, and a necromancer.
• Deuteronomy 18:12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.Deuteronomy 18:12 · King James Version says these things “are an abomination unto the LORD.”
• Exodus 22:18Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.Exodus 22:18 · King James Version says, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
• The Pagan Federation says divination and magic “are accepted parts of life.”
• Are angel numbers biblical? uses the same Deuteronomy passage. What is Wicca? quotes the Rede.

What the Bible says

Deuteronomy 18:10–12^18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. ^18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. ^18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.Deuteronomy 18:10–12 · King James Version (King James Version) says:

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Deuteronomy 18:10–12 · King James Version

Exodus 22:18Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.Exodus 22:18 · King James Version (King James Version) says:

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Exodus 22:18 · King James Version

Isaiah 8:19And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?Isaiah 8:19 · King James Version (King James Version) says:

And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Isaiah 8:19 · King James Version

Leviticus 19:31Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.Leviticus 19:31 · King James Version says, “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”

What pagans say about magic

The Pagan Federation says divination and magic “are accepted parts of life.” What is paganism? quotes the Federation’s definition of pagan religion. What is Wicca? quotes the short Rede, “An it harm none, do what ye will.”

The Christian claim

The two standards are different. The Rede’s short form, as Wikisource states it, turns on harming none. Deuteronomy 18:12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.Deuteronomy 18:12 · King James Version calls the listed practices an abomination to the LORD whether or not a neighbor is harmed. John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.John 14:6 · King James Version records Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Christians confess that Jesus is God. That is the deity of Christ. Isaiah 8:19And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?Isaiah 8:19 · King James Version points a people to their God rather than to familiar spirits.

Frequently asked questions

Does “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” still tell Christians to kill people?

Exodus 22:18Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.Exodus 22:18 · King James Version is a sentence of the Law given to Israel. The New Testament passage this page pairs with it is John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.John 14:6 · King James Version: Jesus is the way. Galatians 3:13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:Galatians 3:13 · King James Version says Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. This page does not turn Exodus 22:18 into a command for a private person today.

Is every herb or holiday witchcraft?

Deuteronomy 18:10–11^18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. ^18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.Deuteronomy 18:10–11 · King James Version names divination, observing times, enchantment, and consulting familiar spirits. What is the New Age movement? is the related shelf. A claim that a Christian holiday is pagan is not this page.

Where does the Bible send a person who has practiced these things?

Isaiah 8:19And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?Isaiah 8:19 · King James Version asks whether a people should seek their God. John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16 · King James Version says whoever believes in the Son should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is God.