Deuteronomy 18:10

Translation
King James Version
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,
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KJV (with Strong's)
There shall not be found H4672 among you any one that maketh his son H1121 or his daughter H1323 to pass H5674 through the fire H784, or that useth H7080 divination H7081, or an observer of times H6049, or an enchanter H5172, or a witch H3784,
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Complete Jewish Bible
There must not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through fire, a diviner, a soothsayer, an enchanter, a sorcerer,
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Berean Standard Bible
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
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American Standard Version
There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
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World English Bible Messianic
There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Let none be founde among you that maketh his sonne or his daughter to goe thorough the fire, or that vseth witchcraft, or a regarder of times, or a marker of the flying of foules, or a sorcerer,
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Young's Literal Translation
there is not found in thee one causing his son and his daughter to pass over into fire, a user of divinations, an observer of clouds, and an enchanter, and a sorcerer,
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See also
Leviticus 19:31Leviticus 19:26Exodus 22:18Acts 19:19Deuteronomy 12:312 Chronicles 33:6Isaiah 47:13
In the KJVVerse 5,395 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Deuteronomy 18:10 serves as a pivotal prohibition within the Mosaic Law, unequivocally condemning a spectrum of occult and pagan practices deemed detestable by Yahweh. Delivered by Moses to the Israelites on the precipice of entering Canaan, this verse powerfully articulates God's demand for exclusive devotion, spiritual purity, and absolute reliance on Him as the singular source of truth and guidance, thereby establishing His covenant people as distinct from the abominable customs of the surrounding nations.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Deuteronomy 18:10 is strategically positioned within Moses' final, extensive discourse to Israel, specifically addressing their future conduct and spiritual integrity in the Promised Land. It directly follows the overarching injunction in Deuteronomy 18:9 not to "learn to follow the abominations of those nations." This verse then meticulously enumerates specific, egregious examples of such forbidden practices, serving as a concrete and urgent application of the broader principle. The stark prohibitions presented here are deliberately contrasted with the divine provision of a legitimate and true prophet, promised in Deuteronomy 18:15, who would function as God's authentic channel of revelation. This contrast underscores that God's people have no need or justification for resorting to illicit spiritual sources, establishing a clear theological dichotomy between the spiritual darkness of paganism and the illuminating light of God's direct, pure communication.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: As the Israelites prepared to dispossess the Canaanite nations and inherit their land, they were on the verge of encountering cultures deeply entrenched in religious practices utterly anathema to Yahweh. The ancient Near East, particularly the Canaanite societies, was rife with diverse forms of divination, sorcery, necromancy, and, most horrifyingly, child sacrifice. The worship of deities such as Molech frequently involved the ritual of "passing children through the fire," which primarily signified the horrific immolation or dedication of infants and young children. Other practices, including augury, enchantment, and consulting the dead, were common attempts to manipulate divine forces, acquire secret knowledge, or control future events apart from the true God. These comprehensive prohibitions were existentially crucial for Israel's survival as a distinct, holy nation, acting as a bulwark against the spiritual syncretism and moral corruption that would inevitably result from adopting the "abominations" of the vanquished peoples. God was establishing a unique covenant relationship, demanding exclusive allegiance and a radical departure from the prevailing pagan worldview.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes pervasive throughout Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch. Foremost is the theme of Exclusive Worship and Rejection of Idolatry. The enumerated practices are direct affronts to Yahweh's sole sovereignty and His absolute claim to exclusive worship, demanding that Israel seek guidance and power from Him alone. Any attempt to consult other spiritual sources or manipulate spiritual forces is viewed as an act of spiritual rebellion and idolatry. Another critical theme is the Sanctity of Human Life, particularly emphasized by the abhorrent practice of "making his son or his daughter to pass through the fire," which primarily refers to child sacrifice. This act, explicitly condemned elsewhere (e.g., Leviticus 18:21), highlights God's profound value for human life, especially the innocent and vulnerable. Furthermore, the theme of Reliance on God's Revelation is central; the various forms of divination are condemned because they represent attempts to bypass God's ordained means of communication (His Law, His prophets) and seek knowledge or control through illicit, often demonic, channels. Finally, the verse reinforces the imperative of Holiness and Purity for the covenant community, emphasizing that engaging in such practices would defile the land and the people, jeopardizing their sacred relationship with God and inviting divine judgment, as seen in the consequences for the Canaanites in Deuteronomy 18:12.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • found (Hebrew, mâtsâʼ', H4672): Meaning "to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present." In this context, it signifies an absolute prohibition: these practices must not even exist or be present among the Israelites. It speaks to a thorough purging and vigilance within the community.
  • pass (Hebrew, ʻâbar', H5674): Meaning "to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in copulation)." Here, it refers to the act of moving a child through or into fire, a euphemism for child sacrifice. The word itself denotes a transition, which in this context is a horrific passage from life to death as an offering.
  • witch (Hebrew, kâshaph', H3784): A primitive root meaning "properly, to whisper a spell, i.e. to inchant or practise magic." This term denotes a sorcerer or magician who uses incantations, spells, or even drugs to manipulate events or individuals, often with malevolent intent or for illicit gain. It represents a direct challenge to God's sovereign control and a reliance on dark spiritual powers.

Verse Breakdown

  • "There shall not be found among you": This powerful opening clause establishes an absolute and comprehensive prohibition. It is not merely a passive avoidance but an active command for the community to ensure that no one within its midst engages in or harbors these practices. It underscores the collective responsibility of Israel to maintain its spiritual purity and distinctiveness.
  • "any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire": This refers to the most heinous of the forbidden practices: child sacrifice. This horrific ritual, often associated with the worship of Molech, involved the immolation or dedication of children, representing the ultimate perversion of parental love and a profound violation of God's covenant, which values life above all. It immediately sets a high bar for the severity of the abominations.
  • "[or] that useth divination": This broad category encompasses various methods of seeking secret knowledge or predicting the future through illicit means, rather than through God's revealed will. It highlights the human desire to control or know the future, which, when pursued outside of God's ordained channels, leads to spiritual danger and idolatry.
  • "[or] an observer of times": This refers to someone who practices augury, interpreting omens, signs, or celestial/atmospheric phenomena (such as cloud formations, star patterns, or the flight of birds) to predict events or determine auspicious moments for actions. It signifies a reliance on external, naturalistic signs rather than direct divine guidance.
  • "or an enchanter": This term describes someone who practices magic, often through interpreting omens, particularly those related to serpents (the root word can relate to hissing or whispering), or one who uses spells, charms, or incantations to influence events. It points to attempts to manipulate spiritual forces through ritualistic means, seeking to bend reality to one's will.
  • "or a witch": This refers to a sorcerer or magician who employs spells, drugs, or incantations to achieve supernatural effects, often with harmful intent. It represents the active manipulation of spiritual powers for personal gain or malevolent purposes, directly challenging God's authority and moral order.

Literary Devices

Deuteronomy 18:10 primarily employs Enumeration and Prohibition as its core literary devices. The verse presents a clear, detailed list of forbidden practices, beginning with the most egregious (child sacrifice) and proceeding to various forms of divination and sorcery. This Enumeration serves to leave no ambiguity regarding the types of activities God condemns, ensuring that the Israelites fully grasp the comprehensive breadth of the prohibition. The use of strong, absolute negative commands ("There shall not be found") exemplifies Prohibition, underscoring the non-negotiable nature of God's demands for holiness and exclusive devotion. The repeated conjunction "or" further emphasizes the exhaustive nature of the ban, indicating that any of these practices, individually or collectively, are utterly unacceptable. Implicitly, there is also a profound Contrast at play, setting these pagan abominations against the pure, legitimate means of divine revelation that God would provide through His prophets, as explicitly elaborated later in the chapter.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Deuteronomy 18:10 is a profound theological declaration concerning God's immutable character and His desired relationship with humanity. It reveals a God who is utterly sovereign, perfectly holy, and the exclusive source of all true wisdom, knowledge, and guidance. The absolute prohibition of child sacrifice underscores His absolute abhorrence of human cruelty and His infinite valuing of human life, contrasting sharply with the bloodthirsty and capricious deities of the surrounding nations. The condemnation of various forms of divination highlights God's unique role as the revealer of truth and the ultimate controller of destiny; attempts to bypass Him through occult means are not merely superstitious acts but are fundamentally acts of spiritual rebellion and idolatry, seeking knowledge or power from demonic sources rather than from the divine Creator. This verse ultimately calls Israel to radical trust and complete dependence on Yahweh alone, rejecting any spiritual syncretism that would dilute or corrupt their sacred covenant relationship.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Deuteronomy 18:10, while rooted in the specific historical and cultural contexts of the ancient Near East, conveys timeless spiritual principles profoundly relevant for believers in every generation. It calls us to an absolute, undivided loyalty to God, recognizing Him as the sole authority and the exclusive source of all truth, wisdom, and guidance. In a world increasingly saturated with diverse spiritualities, self-help philosophies, and a pervasive human desire for control over the future, this verse serves as a powerful and urgent reminder to guard vigilantly against any practice, belief system, or philosophy that seeks knowledge, power, or direction outside of God's revealed Word and the sovereign leading of His Holy Spirit. This includes not only overt occult practices but also more subtle forms of seeking guidance from horoscopes, fortune-tellers, New Age practices, or even placing ultimate, unquestioning trust in human wisdom, technology, or scientific predictions over divine providence. Our reliance must be solely and unequivocally on God, trusting His sovereign plan and diligently seeking His will through prayer, diligent study of Scripture, and active participation in the community of faith. Furthermore, the condemnation of child sacrifice serves as a stark reminder of the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, urging us to protect the vulnerable, advocate for justice, and uphold the inherent dignity of all human beings. As God's covenant people, we are called to live distinctly, demonstrating a transformed mind and life that authentically reflects His holiness and truth to a world often lost in spiritual darkness and moral confusion.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what subtle ways might I be tempted to seek guidance, knowledge, or control outside of God's revealed will today?
  • How does my daily reliance on God's Word and prayer practically demonstrate my trust in Him as the sole source of wisdom and truth?
  • What modern practices or prevailing cultural beliefs, though seemingly innocuous, might subtly contradict the principle of exclusive devotion to God articulated in this verse?
  • How can I actively uphold and advocate for the sanctity of human life in my community and globally, reflecting God's profound abhorrence of practices like child sacrifice?

FAQ

Why are these practices so strictly forbidden by God?

Answer: These practices are strictly forbidden by God for several profound and interconnected reasons, all deeply rooted in His holy character and His desire for an exclusive, pure, and life-giving relationship with His people. First, they represent a direct and audacious violation of God's sovereignty and His exclusive claim to be the only true God, as powerfully articulated in the First Commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. Engaging in divination, sorcery, or any form of occult practice is fundamentally an act of spiritual idolatry, seeking knowledge, power, or control from demonic entities or false spiritual forces rather than from the omniscient and omnipotent Creator. Second, these practices inherently involve deception, manipulation, and often malevolent intent, directly opposing God's very nature as truth, light, and love. Third, they inevitably lead to spiritual defilement, bondage, and ultimately, destruction, drawing individuals and communities away from God's life-giving presence and into spiritual darkness. As 1 Samuel 15:23 powerfully states, "rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry," highlighting the profound spiritual offense involved. Finally, practices like child sacrifice are the ultimate affront to the sanctity of human life, which God values immensely, and represent the epitome of human depravity and cruelty. God forbids these practices to protect His people from spiritual harm, maintain their purity, ensure their exclusive loyalty to Him, and preserve their covenant relationship with the only true source of life, blessing, and genuine guidance.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Deuteronomy 18:10, with its stern prohibitions against false spiritual guides and abominable practices, finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound resolution in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The entire Old Testament law, including these severe warnings, continually pointed to humanity's desperate need for a perfect mediator and a true, untainted source of divine revelation. Moses himself prophesied of a "prophet like me" whom God would raise up from among Israel (Deuteronomy 18:15), and the New Testament unequivocally identifies Jesus as this promised, ultimate prophet (John 1:45, Acts 3:22). Where ancient peoples desperately sought guidance from dark arts and illicit spiritual sources, Christ is the Light of the world, who has come to expose the futility, danger, and spiritual emptiness of all spiritual darkness (John 1:5). He is the complete and final revelation of God, the very Word made flesh, offering direct, unhindered access to the Father through His Spirit. Furthermore, the abhorrent practice of child sacrifice, which utterly defiled the land and people, is utterly transcended by Christ's perfect, once-for-all sacrifice. He, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, offered Himself not to appease a cruel deity, but to atone for the sins of all humanity, including the very spiritual rebellion and idolatry that undergirded the forbidden practices of Deuteronomy 18:10 (Hebrews 9:14). Through His triumphant death and glorious resurrection, Christ has decisively triumphed over all spiritual powers and principalities, disarming them and making a public spectacle of them (Colossians 2:15), thereby freeing believers from the bondage of sin and the need to seek guidance from any source other than Him. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, providing all the wisdom, protection, and divine direction we could ever need, rendering all other forms of seeking knowledge or power utterly obsolete, spiritually dangerous, and ultimately futile.

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Commentary on Deuteronomy 18 verses 9–14

One would not think there had been so much need as it seems there was to arm the people of Israel against the infection of the idolatrous customs of the Canaanites. Was it possible that a people so blessed with divine institutions should ever admit the brutish and barbarous inventions of men and devils? Were they in any danger of making those their tutors and directors in religion whom God had made their captives and tributaries? It seems they were in danger, and therefore, after many similar cautions, they are here charged not to do after the abominations of those nations, Deu 18:9.

I. Some particulars are specified; as, 1. The consecrating of their children to Moloch, an idol that represented the sun, by making them to pass through the fire, and sometimes consuming them as sacrifices in the fire, Deu 18:10. See the law against this before, Lev 18:21. 2. Using arts of divination, to get the unnecessary knowledge of things to come, enchantments, witchcrafts, charms, etc., by which the power and knowledge peculiar to God were attributed to the devil, to the great reproach both of God's counsels and of his providence, Deu 18:10, Deu 18:11. one would wonder that such arts and works of darkness, so senseless and absurd, so impious and profane, could be found in a country where divine revelation shone so clearly; yet we find remains of them even where Christ's holy religion is known and professed; such are the powers and policies of the rulers of the darkness of this world. But let those give heed to fortune-tellers, or go to wizards for the discovery of things secret, that use spells for the cure of diseases, are in any league or acquaintance with familiar spirits, or form a confederacy with those that are - let them know that they can have no fellowship with God while thus they have fellowship with devils. It is amazing to think that there should by any pretenders of this kind in such a land and day of light as we live in.

II. Some reasons are given against their conformity to the customs of the Gentiles. 1. Because it would make them abominable to God. The things themselves being hateful to him, those that do them are an abomination; and miserable is that creature that has become odious to its Creator, Deu 18:12. See the malignity and mischievousness of sin; that must needs be an evil thing indeed which provokes the God of mercy to detest the work of his own hands. 2. Because these abominable practices had been the ruin of the Canaanites, of which ruin they were not only the witnesses but the instruments. It would be the most inexcusable folly, as well as the most unpardonable impiety, for them to practise themselves those very things for which they had been employed so severely to chastise others. Did the land spue out the abominations of the Canaanites, and shall Israel lick up the vomit? 3. Because they were better taught, Deu 18:13, Deu 18:14. It is an argument like that of the apostle against Christians walking as the Gentiles walked (Eph 4:17, Eph 4:18, Eph 4:20): You have not so learned Christ. "It is true these nations, whom God gave up to their own hearts' lusts, and suffered to walk in their own ways (Act 14:16), did thus corrupt themselves; but thou art not thus abandoned by the grace of God: the Lord thy God had not suffered thee to do so; thou art instructed in divine things, and hast fair warning given thee of the evil of those practices; and therefore, whatever others do, it is expected that thou shouldest be perfect with the Lord thy God," that is, "that thou shouldest give divine honours to him, to him only, and to no other, and not mix any of the superstitious customs of the heathen with his institutions." One of the Chaldee paraphrasts here takes notice of God's furnishing them with the oracle of urim and thummim, as a preservative from all unlawful arts of divination. Those were fools indeed who would go to consult the father of lies when they had such a ready way of consulting the God of truth.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 9–14. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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