Divination in the Bible
Divination in the Bible refers to the attempt to discover hidden knowledge or foretell the future by occult means—omens, spells, mediums, fortune-telling, and consulting the dead—rather than by seeking the living God. Scripture treats it not as a harmless curiosity but as a serious spiritual offense, because it bypasses the Lord and seeks guidance from forbidden powers. The Mosaic law is emphatic: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft" (Deuteronomy 18:10). Such practices are called "detestable" to the Lord. The prohibition is repeated and grounded in Israel's calling to be distinct from the surrounding nations. "Do not practice divination or seek omens" (Leviticus 19:26). Whereas "the nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination" (Deuteronomy 18:14), Israel was to listen to God's word through his prophets. To turn to mediums and spiritists was to defile oneself and provoke God: "I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people" (Leviticus 20:6). Divination is also a matter of the heart. When King Saul rejected God's command, Samuel rebuked him: "For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry" (1 Samuel 15:23). Here divination becomes a picture of self-willed rebellion against God. Isaiah likewise mocks the folly of consulting the dead on behalf of the living: "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists... should not a people inquire of their God?" (Isaiah 8:19). The New Testament confirms the verdict. In Acts 16:16 Paul encounters a slave girl "who had a spirit by which she predicted the future," and he casts the spirit out, exposing divination as bondage rather than gift. The consistent biblical teaching is that God alone holds the future, that he reveals what we need through his Word and Spirit, and that his people should seek him in trust rather than chase counterfeit knowledge through the occult.
Key verse snapshot
“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,”
Bible Verses about Divination
7 Scripture passages on this theme
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,”
Leviticus 19:26
“Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.”
Acts 16:16
“And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:”
1 Samuel 15:23
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”
Isaiah 8:19
“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?”
Deuteronomy 18:14
“For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.”
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.”
Frequently Asked Questions
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Apply These Verses to Your Life
Scripture comes alive when we meditate on it and apply it daily. Read these verses in full context, pray for understanding, and ask God how they speak to your situation with divination.
- Author:
- The Lord Will Editorial Team
- Reviewed by:
- Ugo Candido
- Last updated:
- Category:
- Scripture Guidance