Leviticus 20:27

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

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(27) A man also or woman.—Better, And a man or a woman. The departure from the literal translation of the conjunction in the Authorised version is both unnecessary and obscures the meaning of the sentence. It ought rather to be translated “but;” that is, but because the Israelites are God’s holy ones, therefore every man or woman who pretends to disclose future events by means of necromancy, thus usurping the functions of God, is to be stoned to death. The case of these necromancers is here repeated, because in Leviticus 19:31 the consulting them only is forbidden, and in the sixth verse of this chapter the penalty for consulting them is set forth, whilst in the passage before us the penalty is enacted which the persons themselves who are convicted of practising these secret arts are to suffer. The woman is here expressly added, both because this art seems to have been principally followed by women (Exodus 22:28; 1Samuel 28:7; Acts 16:16), and because men would naturally be inclined to treat women more mercifully.

Their blood shall be upon them.—That is, they have brought it upon themselves to be killed. (See Leviticus 20:9.)

Benson Commentary

Leviticus 20:27. A man or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, shall surely be put to death — They that are in league with the devil have in effect made a covenant with death; and so shall their doom be.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The distinction between clean and unclean for the whole people, and not for any mere section of it, was one great typical mark of "the kingdom of priests, the holy nation." See the Leviticus 11:42 note.

Leviticus 20:25

Any manner of living thing that creepeth - Rather, any creeping thing; that is, any vermin. See Leviticus 11:20-23. The reference in this verse is to dead animals, not to the creatures when alive.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

24. I … have separated you from other people—Their selection from the rest of the nations was for the all-important end of preserving the knowledge and worship of the true God amid the universal apostasy; and as the distinction of meats was one great means of completing that separation, the law about making a difference between clean and unclean beasts is here repeated with emphatic solemnity.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit,.... Or the spirit of Python or divination, see Leviticus 19:31; such as the damsel had in Acts 16:16; a woman is here particularly mentioned, though before included in the above law; because, as Aben Ezra says, such sort of practices were more frequently committed by women; to which Maimonides (l) adds another reason, because men have a natural clemency towards the female sex, and are not easily prevailed upon to put them to death; therefore the law says, "thou shall not suffer a witch to live", Exodus 22:18,

or that is a wizard; a knowing one, who pretends to a great deal of knowledge of things; as of lost or stolen goods, and even knowledge of things future, and imposes upon persons, and cheats them of their money they give for information: such

shall surely be put to death: and not spared through favour and affection: the death they are to be put to follows:

they shall stone them with stones; until they are dead; of the manner of stoning; see Gill on Acts 7:58,

their blood shall be upon them: they are worthy of death, and they shall suffer it: this phrase following upon the former, the Jews (m) gather from hence, that, wherever it is used, it is to be understood of stoning; See Gill on Leviticus 20:9.

(l) Moreh Nevochim, par. 3. c. 37. (m) Torat Cohanim in Yalcut in loc.

Geneva Study Bible

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.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27. See on Leviticus 19:31. This supplementary precept is not identical with the earlier one. Here the subject is the person within whom the discarnate spirit is supposed to be working (lit. ‘when there is in them an’ ôb or a familiar spirit’), while in Leviticus 20:6 it is the person who makes application to such for assistance.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 27. - Those that deal in witchcraft are to be stoned.

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

No civil punishment, on the other hand, to be inflicted by the magistrate or by the community generally, was ordered to follow marriage with an aunt, the sister of father or mother (Leviticus 20:19, cf. Leviticus 18:12-13), with an uncle's wife (Leviticus 20:20, cf. Leviticus 18:4), or with a sister-in-law, a brother's wife (Leviticus 20:21, cf. Leviticus 18:16). In all these cases the threat is simply held out, "they shall bear their iniquity," and (according to Leviticus 20:20, Leviticus 20:21) "die childless;" that is to say, God would reserve the punishment to Himself (see at Leviticus 18:14). In the list of punishments no reference is made to intercourse with a mother (Leviticus 18:7) or a granddaughter (Leviticus 18:10), as it was taken for granted that the punishment of death would be inflicted in such cases as these; just as marriage with a daughter or a full sister is passed over in the prohibitions in ch. 18.