Wizards that Peep and Mutter
Isaiah 8:19-20
And when they shall say to you, Seek to them that have familiar spirits, and to wizards that peep, and that mutter…


"Peep" (i.e., chirp) and "mutter" refer to the faint voice, like that of a little bird, which antiquity ascribed to the shades of the departed: "The sheeted dead did squeak and gibber in the streets of Rome" (see Isaiah 29:4). The LXX suggests that the voice of the ghost was imitated by ventriloquism, which is not unlikely.

(Prof. J. Skinner, D. D.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: 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?

WEB: When they tell you, "Consult with those who have familiar spirits and with the wizards, who chirp and who mutter:" shouldn't a people consult with their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?




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