What the Bible says about Wicca/Witchcraft Hebrew origins of these words The original wording of these verses condemned individuals who followed practices defined by these 8 Hebrew words: 1. yid'oni: knowers; wizards; persons who make contact with spirits who are not of God. (Some Wiccans have engaged in spiritism and have attempted to contact the dead. However, this is not necessarily an integral part of the Wiccan religion) 2. sho'el 'ov: making forbidden contact with the dead. (Same as above) 3. qosem q'samim: predicting the future by using lots or a similar system. (Many Wiccans as well as Christians sometimes use tarot cards, runes, scrying etc. to foretell the future, but this is not an integral part of the Wiccan religion) 4. m'onen: predicting the future by interpreting signs in nature. (Same as above) 5. m'nachesh an enchanter (perhaps a snake charmer, because "nachash" means snake. We have never heard of Wiccan snake charmers) 6. chover chavar: use of knot-tying to perform magic. (Wiccans sometimes engage in knot tying, but only for positive healing magic. Again, it is a practice that some engage in and is not an integral part of their religion) 7. m'khaseph: an evil sorcerer (as in Exodus 22:18); a person using spoken spells to harm others. (Wiccans do not engage in this activity; they are specifically prohibited from doing so by their Wiccan Rede.) 8. doresh 'el hametim: a person who makes contact with the dead - probably by another method than sho'el 'ov. (Again, there are some Wiccans who engage in spiritism, but it is not necessarily an integral part of their religion). These verses would seem to prohibit a number of modern day activities: Wiccans are prohibited from harming people by any means. Some use various methods of foretelling the future; so do some Christians. Some engage in spiritism, so do some Christians. The latter two practices are not necessarily an integral part of their religion. In our opinion, none of the 8 Hebrew words should be translated as Witch or Witchcraft. Precise terms that accurately describe the activity should be used. We suggest: 1. yid'oni: acting as a medium 2. sho'el 'ov: communicating with the dead 3. qosem q'samim: predicting of the future using lots 4. m'onen: predicting the future by interpreting signs in nature. 5. m'nachesh snake charming 6. chover chavar: using knot-tying to perform magic. 7. m'khaseph: evil sorcery 8. doresh 'el hametim: channelling. |