Deuteronomy 18:10

There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire,.... To Moloch, which was a sort of lustration by fire, two fires being made, and the child led

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, That useth

To pass through the fire; either by a superstitious lustration or purgation, or by a cruel sacrificing of them. See 23:10 19:5 ,21 Eze 23:37-39. That useth divination, i.e. foretelleth things secret or to come, , by unlawful arts and practices. An observer of times; superstitiously pronouncing some days good and lucky, and others unlucky, for such or such actions. Or, an observer of the clouds or heavens, i.e. one that divineth by the motions of the clouds, by the stars, or by the flying or chattering of birds, all which heathens used to observe. An enchanter, or, a conjecturer, that discovers hidden things by a superstitious use of words or ceremonies, by observation of water or smoke, or any contingencies, as the meeting of a hare, &c. See Poole "". A witch; one that is in covenant with the devil, and by his help deludes their senses, or hurts their persons. See 22:18.

Deuteronomy 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,Ver. 10. That maketh his son.]

(10) To pass through the fire.—See Leviticus 18:21. Useth divination—(Numbers 22:7), possibly by sacrifices. Observer of times.—This is the Rabbinical explanation of the word. In Hebrew the idea of “time” is not so clear. It seems to mean practising hidden arts. (See Leviticus 19:26.) Enchanter.—Whisperer, or serpent charmer. (See Genesis 44:5.) Witch.—One who uses charms or spells (Exodus 7:11).

Verse 10. To pass through the fire] Probably in the way of consecration to Molech, or some other deity. It is not likely that their being burnt to death is here intended. See Clarke on Leviticus 18:21. Divination] קסם קסמים kosem kesamim, one who endeavours to find out futurity by auguries, using lots, c. Observer of times] מעונן meonen, one who pretends to foretell future events by present occurrences, and who predicts great political or physical changes from the aspects of the planets, eclipses, motion of the clouds, &c., &c. See Clarke on Genesis 41:8. Enchanter] מנחש menachesh, from נחש nichesh, to view attentively one who inspected the entrails of beasts, observed the flight of birds, &c., &c., and drew auguries thence. Some think divination by serpents is meant, which was common among the heathen. A witch] מחשף mechashsheph, probably those who by means of drugs, herbs, perfumes, &c., pretended to bring certain celestial influences to their aid. See the note on "Leviticus 19:26".

10. There shall not be found with thee] Deuteronomy 17:2. that maketh his son … to pass through the fire] See on Deuteronomy 12:31 : the want of a conjunction following this clause (so also Sam. and LXX except in some codd.) is remarkable, and raises a doubt as to the originality of the clause. On the following terms see W. R. Smith, Journal of Philology, xiii. 273 ff., xiv. 113 ff.: ‘The Forms of Divination and Magic in Dt. xviii. 10, 11’; Wellhausen, Reste des arab. Heidentums2, 135–153; Driver, Deut. 223–226; T. W. Davies ‘Divination’ and ‘Magic,’ in E.B.; F. B. Jevons ‘Divination,’ Hastings’ D.B., to all of which the references below are directed. one that useth divination] Heb. kτsem kesamξm. From its root and certain Ar. forms which = ‘to divide’ or ‘allot,’ the vb appears to have meant originally to divine by the lot (disputed by Davies, E.B. 2900), e.g. by arrows as described in Ezekiel 21:21 ff. (Ezekiel 21:26 ff.); practised by the Babylonians (Lenormant, Chald. Magic, 238 n. 2), and Arabs (Korβn, Deuteronomy 5:4, where it is forbidden; Sale, Prelimin. Discourse, Sec. v.). Elsewhere in O.T. it has a wider sense, e.g. 1 Samuel 28:8. LXX here μαντευόμενοςμαντείαν. one that practiseth augury] Better, soothsayer. LXX κληδονιζόμενος. Heb. me‘τnen, which used to be derived from ‘anan, ‘cloud,’ as if cloud-gazer, and is by Wellh. supposed to spring from the root-meaning of ‘anan, ‘to appear’ or ‘intervene’ (cp. Ar. ‘ann), as if dealing in phenomena. But the word is probably onomatopoetic, humming or crooning (W. R. Smith); cp. Ar. ghanna, and Judges 9:37, the oak of the me‘τnenξm, a whispering, oracular tree. Condemned also in Isaiah 2:6, as Philistine, Micah 5:12, Jeremiah 27:9. or an enchanter] Better, augur or observer of omens. LXX οἰωνιζόμενος. That this is the meaning of the Heb. menaḥ ?esh appears from the story of Balaam, Numbers 24:1 (where for enchantments read omens), from Genesis 44:15, of Joseph’s divination With his cup (hydromancy; cp. for Babylonia Zimmern in KAT3[141], 533 f., and for the Arabs, Doughty ii. 188), the use of the vb in Genesis 30:27, 1 Kings 20:33, to observe, and its meaning in Syriac, ‘divination from natural signs.’ Others take it as onomatopoetic, ‘to hiss,’ or connect it with naḥ ?ash, serpent. On divination on the sand, see Doughty i. 162. [141] Die Keilinschriften und das AIte Testament, 3rd edition (1903), by H. Zimmern and H. Winckler.or a sorcerer] Heb. mekashsheph. For this and keshaphξm, see Exodus 7:11; Exodus 22:18 (17) (E’s law against the sorceress, see Dri.’s note), Micah 5:11, Nahum 3:4, Jeremiah 27:9, Malachi 3:5, 2 Chronicles 33:6 (of Manasseh) and Isaiah 47:9; Isaiah 47:12, Daniel 2:2 (both of Babylon). W. R. Smith, comparing the Ar. form, suggests that keshaphξm were ‘herbs or other drugs shredded into a magic brew’ (in Micah 5:12, they are held in the hand); cp. the LXX φάρμακα, ‘magical potions.’ But the original meaning of the Ar.

To pass through the fire - i. e., to Moloch; compare the Leviticus 20:2 note. That useth divination - Compare Numbers 23:23 note. Observer of times ... enchanter - Compare Leviticus 19:26 note.

10. There shall not be found among you — That is, shall not exist among you, shall not be tolerated.