Magic and omens in the Bible

32 passages of the Berean Standard Bible, line by line, from Nave’s Topical Bible.

In the Law

Divination, omens, spells, mediums, and consulting the dead are forbiddenLev 19:26, Lev 19:31, Deut 18:10–11
The verses
Lev 19:26You must not eat anything with blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery.
Lev 19:31You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Deut 18:10–11Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead.
A sorceress must not be allowed to liveExod 22:18
The verses
Exod 22:18You must not allow a sorceress to live.
A medium or spiritist was to be stonedLev 20:27
The verses
Lev 20:27A 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.’”

Practiced

Laban: 'I have learned by divination'Gen 30:27
The verses
Gen 30:27But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”
Joseph's silver cup, said to be used for divinationGen 44:5
The verses
Gen 44:5Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’”
Pharaoh's magicians copied signs by their magic arts, but not the gnatsExod 7:11, Exod 7:22, Exod 8:7, Exod 8:18
The verses
Exod 7:11But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts.
Exod 7:22But the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
Exod 8:7But the magicians did the same thing by their magic arts, and they also brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.
Exod 8:18The magicians tried to produce gnats using their magic arts, but they could not. And the gnats remained on man and beast.
Moabite elders brought Balaam fees for divinationNum 22:7
The verses
Num 22:7The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.
Saul removed the mediums, then consulted one at Endor in disguise1 Sam 28:3, 1 Sam 28:7–8
The verses
1 Sam 28:3Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.
1 Sam 28:7–8Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.” “There is a medium at Endor,” his servants replied. So Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and he set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I name.”
The medium sees Samuel and recognizes Saul1 Sam 28:11–14
The verses
1 Sam 28:11–14“Whom shall I bring up for you?” the woman asked. “Bring up Samuel,” he replied. But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out in a loud voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” “Do not be afraid,” the king replied. “What do you see?” “I see a god coming up out of the earth,” the woman answered. “What does he look like?” asked Saul. “An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown in reverence.
Chronicles: Saul died for, among other things, consulting a medium1 Chr 10:13
The verses
1 Chr 10:13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
Jehu speaks of Jezebel's many witchcrafts2 Kgs 9:22
The verses
2 Kgs 9:22When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”
King Manasseh practiced sorcery and consulted mediums2 Kgs 21:6, 2 Chr 33:6
The verses
2 Kgs 21:6He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
2 Chr 33:6He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
King Josiah removed the mediums and spiritists2 Kgs 23:24
The verses
2 Kgs 23:24Furthermore, Josiah removed the mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to carry out the words of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the LORD.
Babylon's king seeks an omen: arrows, idols, the liverEzek 21:21
The verses
Ezek 21:21For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver.
Babylon's astrologers observe the stars and predict monthlyIsa 47:13
The verses
Isa 47:13You are wearied by your many counselors; let them come forward now and save you— your astrologers who observe the stars, who monthly predict your fate.
Nebuchadnezzar's magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers fail to explain his dreamDan 2:2, Dan 2:10, Dan 4:7
The verses
Dan 2:2So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to explain his dreams. When they came and stood before the king,
Dan 2:10The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer.
Dan 4:7When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, and they could not interpret it for me.
Belshazzar's wise men cannot read the writing on the wallDan 5:7–8, Dan 5:15
The verses
Dan 5:7–8The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” So all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or interpret it for him.
Dan 5:15Now the wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this inscription and interpret it for me, but they could not give its interpretation.
Simon of Samaria amazed people with his sorceryActs 8:9–11
The verses
Acts 8:9–11Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.” They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.
Elymas, or Bar-Jesus, a sorcerer at PaphosActs 13:6–8
The verses
Acts 13:6–8They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
A slave girl in Philippi earned her owners money by fortune-tellingActs 16:16–19
The verses
Acts 16:16–19One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!” She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment. When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.
The seven sons of Sceva try to drive out spiritsActs 19:13–16
The verses
Acts 19:13–16Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I bind you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. Eventually, one of the evil spirits answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.
In Ephesus magic books worth fifty thousand drachmas were burnedActs 19:19
The verses
Acts 19:19And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.

Sources

From Nave’s Topical Bible (Orville J. Nave, 1896; public domain): subjects chosen, lines shortened and put into modern words, lines of interpretation left out; each verse checked.

Berean Standard Bible · Public domain