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Selected Verse: Leviticus 19:31 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Le 19:31	Strong Concordance	Regard [06437] not them that have familiar spirits [0178], neither seek [01245] after wizards [03049], to be defiled [02930] by them: I am the LORD [03068] your God [0430].
	King James	Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Regard not them that have familiar spirits--The Hebrew word, rendered "familiar spirit," signifies the belly, and sometimes a leathern bottle, from its similarity to the belly. It was applied in the sense of this passage to ventriloquists, who pretended to have communication with the invisible world. The Hebrews were strictly forbidden to consult them as the vain but high pretensions of those impostors were derogatory to the honor of God and subversive of their covenant relations with Him as His people. neither seek after wizards--fortunetellers, who pretended, as the Hebrew word indicates, to prognosticate by palmistry (or an inspection of the lines of the hand) the future fate of those who applied to them.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Regard not them that have familiar spirits--The Hebrew word, rendered "familiar spirit," signifies the belly, and sometimes a leathern bottle, from its similarity to the belly. It was applied in the sense of this passage to ventriloquists, who pretended to have communication with the invisible world. The Hebrews were strictly forbidden to consult them as the vain but high pretensions of those impostors were derogatory to the honor of God and subversive of their covenant relations with Him as His people.

neither seek after wizards--fortunetellers, who pretended, as the Hebrew word indicates, to prognosticate by palmistry (or an inspection of the lines of the hand) the future fate of those who applied to them.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
The devotion of faith, which would manifest itself in obedience to the commandment to keep God's Sabbaths and to reverence His sanctuary Lev 19:30, is the true preservative against the superstition which is forbidden in this verse. The people whose God was Yahweh were not to indulge those wayward feelings of their human nature which are gratified in magical arts and pretensions. Compare Isa 8:19. Familiar spirits - literally, "bottles". This application of the word is supposed to have been suggested by the tricks of ventriloquists, within whose bodies (as vessels or bottles) it was fancied that spirits used to speak. In other cases, the word is used for the familiar spirit which a man pretended to employ in order to consult, or to raise, the spirits of the dead. See Sa1 28:7-8. Wizard - A word equivalent to "a knowing man", or, "a cunning man".

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Wizards - Them that have entered into covenant with the devil, by whose help they foretel many things to come, and acquaint men with secret things. See Lev 20:27; Deu 18:11; Sa1 28:3, Sa1 28:7, Sa1 28:9; Kg2 21:6.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Regard not them that have familiar spirits - The Hebrew word אבות oboth probably signifies a kind of engastromuthoi or ventriloquists, or such as the Pythoness mentioned Act 16:16, Act 16:18; persons who, while under the influence of their demon, became greatly inflated, as the Hebrew word implies, and gave answers in a sort of frenzy. See a case of this kind in Virgil, Aeneid, l. vi., ver. 46, etc.: - " - Deus ecce, Deus! cui talla fanti Ante fores, subito non vultus, non color unus, Non comptae mansere comae; sed pectus anhelum, Et rabie fera corda tument; majorque videri, Nec mortale sonans, afflata est numine quando Jam propiore Dei." - Invoke the skies, I feel the god, the rushing god, she cries. While yet she spoke, enlarged her features grew, Her color changed, her locks dishevelled flew. The heavenly tumult reigns in every part, Pants in her breast, and swells her rising heart: Still swelling to the sight, the priestess glowed, And heaved impatient of the incumbent god. Pitt. Neither seek after wizards - ידענים yiddeonim, the wise or knowing ones, from ידע yada, to know or understand; called wizard in Scotland, wise or cunning man in England; and hence also the wise woman, the white witch. Not only all real dealers with familiar spirits, or necromantic or magical superstitions, are here forbidden, but also all pretenders to the knowledge of futurity, fortune-tellers, astrologers, etc., etc. To attempt to know what God has not thought proper to reveal, is a sin against his wisdom, providence, and goodness. In mercy, great mercy, God has hidden the knowledge of futurity from man, and given him hope - the expectation of future good, in its place. See Clarke's note on Exo 22:18.

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⁷ Then said [0559] Saul [07586] unto his servants [05650], Seek [01245] me a woman [0802] that hath [01172] a familiar spirit [0178], that I may go [03212] to her, and enquire [01875] of her. And his servants [05650] said [0559] to him, Behold, there is a woman [0802] that hath [01172] a familiar spirit [0178] at Endor [05874].
⁸ And Saul [07586] disguised [02664] himself, and put on [03847] other [0312] raiment [0899], and he went [03212], and two [08147] men [0582] with him, and they came [0935] to the woman [0802] by night [03915]: and he said [0559], I pray thee, divine [07080] unto me by the familiar spirit [0178], and bring me him up [05927], whom I shall name [0559] unto thee.

¹⁹ And when they shall say [0559] unto you, Seek [01875] unto them that have familiar spirits [0178], and unto wizards [03049] that peep [06850], and that mutter [01897]: should not a people [05971] seek [01875] unto their God [0430]? for the living [02416] to the dead [04191]?

³⁰ Ye shall keep [08104] my sabbaths [07676], and reverence [03372] my sanctuary [04720]: I am the LORD [03068].

⁶ And he made his son [01121] pass [05674] through the fire [0784], and observed times [06049], and used enchantments [05172], and dealt [06213] with familiar spirits [0178] and wizards [03049]: he wrought [06213] much [07235] wickedness [07451] in the sight [05869] of the LORD [03068], to provoke him to anger [03707].

⁹ And the woman [0802] said [0559] unto him, Behold, thou knowest [03045] what Saul [07586] hath done [06213], how he hath cut off [03772] those that have familiar spirits [0178], and the wizards [03049], out of the land [0776]: wherefore then layest thou a snare [05367] for my life [05315], to cause me to die [04191]?

³ Now Samuel [08050] was dead [04191], and all Israel [03478] had lamented [05594] him, and buried [06912] him in Ramah [07414], even in his own city [05892]. And Saul [07586] had put away [05493] those that had familiar spirits [0178], and the wizards [03049], out of the land [0776].

¹¹ Or a charmer [02266] [02267], or a consulter [07592] with familiar spirits [0178], or a wizard [03049], or a necromancer [01875] [04191].

²⁷ A man [0376] also or woman [0802] that hath [03588] a familiar spirit [0178], or that is a wizard [03049], shall surely [04191] be put to death [04191]: they shall stone [07275] them with stones [068]: their blood [01818] shall be upon them.

¹⁸ Thou shalt not suffer a witch [03784] to live [02421].

¹⁸ And [1161] this [5124] did she [4160] [1909] many [4183] days [2250]. But [1161] Paul [3972], being grieved [1278], turned [1994] and [2532] said [2036] to the spirit [4151], I command [3853] thee [4671] in [1722] the name [3686] of Jesus [2424] Christ [5547] to come [1831] out of [575] her [846]. And [2532] he came out [1831] the same [846] hour [5610].

¹⁶ And [1161] it came to pass [1096], as we [2257] went [4198] to [1519] prayer [4335], a certain [5100] damsel [3814] possessed [2192] with a spirit [4151] of divination [4436] met [528] us [2254], which [3748] brought [3930] her [846] masters [2962] much [4183] gain [2039] by soothsaying [3132]: