Leviticus 20 · Verse 27

Leviticus 20:27

A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
Leviticus 20:27, King James Version

Leviticus 20:27 in other translations

BSBA man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’”
WEB“‘A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their blood shall be upon themselves.’”
ASVA man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them.
YLT‘And a man or woman--when there is in them a familiar spirit, or who are wizards--are certainly put to death; with stones they stone them; their blood is on them.'
DARBYAnd if there be a man or a woman in whom is a spirit of Python or of divination, they shall certainly be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood is upon them.
BBEAny man or woman who makes use of spirits, or who is a wonder-worker, is to be put to death: they are to be stoned with stones: their blood will be on them.
WebsterA man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

What does Leviticus 20:27 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 27 A familiar spirit - A spirit or demon, which, by magical rites, is supposed to be bound to appear at the call of his employer. See the notes on Gen 41:8; Exo 7:11 (note), Exo 7:22 (note), Exo 7:25 (note); and Lev 19:31 (note). From the accounts we have of the abominations both of Egypt and Canaan, we may blush for human nature; for wherever it is without cultivation, and without the revelation of God, it is every thing that is vile in principle and detestable in practice. Nor would any part of the habitable globe materially differ from Egypt and Canaan, had they not that rule of righteousness, the revealed Law of God, and had not life and immortality been brought to light by the Gospel among them. From these accounts, for which we could easily find parallels in ancient Greece and Italy, we may see the absolute need of a Divine revelation, without which man, even in his best estate, differs little from the brute.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Leviticus 20:10-27

These verses repeat what had been said before, but it was needful there should be line upon line. What praises we owe to God that he has taught the evil of sin, and the sure way of deliverance from it! May we have grace to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; may we have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them.

Read the full comment on Leviticus 20:10-27 →

Leviticus 20:27 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאִ֣ישׁve.'Ishand a manH376
אֽוֹ\־'ov-orH176
אִשָּׁ֗ה'i.Shaha womanH802
כִּֽי\־ki-thatH3588
יִהְיֶ֨הyih.Yehhe will beH1961
בָהֶ֥םva.Hemamong <the> them
א֛וֹב'ova necromancerH178
א֥וֹ'oorH176
יִדְּעֹנִ֖יyi.de.'o.Nia soothsayerH3049
מ֣וֹתMotcertainly <to die>H4191
יוּמָ֑תוּyu.Ma.tuthey will be put to deathH4191
בָּאֶ֛בֶןba.'E.venwith <the> stone[s]H68
יִרְגְּמ֥וּyir.ge.Mupeople will stoneH7275
אֹתָ֖ם'o.Tam<obj.> themH853
דְּמֵיהֶ֥םde.mei.Hemblood<s> theirH1818
בָּֽם\׃\ \פBam[are] on <the> them

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 20:27

  • Leviticus 19:31

    Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

  • Leviticus 20:6

    And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

  • 1 Samuel 28:7-9

    Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En–dor. And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

  • Deuteronomy 18:10-12

    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.

  • Exodus 22:18

    Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a familiar.
6; 19:31; Ex 22:18; De 18:10-12; 1Sa 28:7-9
their blood.
9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Leviticus 20:26

    And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.

  • Leviticus 20:27

    A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

Read all of Leviticus 20

Leviticus 20:27 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y el hombre ó la mujer en quienes hubiere espíritu pithónico ó de adivinación, han de ser muertos: los apedrearán con piedras; su sangre sobre ellos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et si un homme ou une femme sont évocateurs d’esprits, ou diseurs de bonne aventure, ils seront certainement mis à mort; on les lapidera avec des pierres: leur sang sera sur eux.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und wenn in einem Manne oder einem Weibe ein Totenbeschwörer- oder Wahrsagergeist ist, so sollen sie gewißlich getötet werden; man soll sie steinigen, ihr Blut ist auf ihnen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Vir, sive mulier, in quibus pythonicus, vel divinationis fuerit spiritus, morte moriantur: lapidibus obruent eos: sanguis eorum sit super illos.