825. ashshaph

Lexical Summary

ashshaph: Enchanter, conjurer, magician

Original Word: אַשָּׁף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ashshaph
Pronunciation: ash-shawf'
Phonetic Spelling: (ash-shawf')
KJV: astrologer
NASB: conjurers
Word Origin: [from an unused root (probably meaning to lisp, i.e. practice enchantment)]

1. a conjurer

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

astrologer

From an unused root (probably meaning to lisp, i.e. Practice enchantment); a conjurer -- astrologer.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
a conjurer, necromancer
NASB Translation
conjurers (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[אַשָּׁף] noun masculine conjurer, necromancer (probably Babylonian loan-word, Assyrian ašipu COT^Gloss compare Dl^{Pr 141}, Aramaic אָשַׁף, ; see also Assyrian šiptu, conjuration) only plural אַשָּׁפִים Daniel 1:20 ("" חַרְטֻמִּים), Daniel 2:2 ("" ׳ח, מְבַשְּׁפִים, כַּשְׂדִּים).

אשׁף (√ of dubious meaning, whence following)

Topical Lexicon

Occurrences in Scripture

אַשָּׁף appears only in Daniel 1:20 and Daniel 2:2, identifying a specialized group within the broader circle of Babylonian “wise men.” The Berean Standard Bible renders the term “enchanters” (Daniel 1:20) and “conjurers” (Daniel 2:2).

Historical Background

The Babylonian Empire (seventh–sixth centuries BC) was renowned for its elaborate systems of divination, astrology, and dream interpretation. Cuneiform tablets from the period list professional titles such as āšipu (exorcist-priest) and āšappu (magician). The Hebrew writers, observing these roles through an exilic lens, grouped them under categories like magicians, sorcerers, and Chaldeans. אַשָּׁף most naturally aligns with the āšippu/āšappu class—ritual specialists who combined incantations, medical texts, and celestial omens to manipulate spiritual powers or diagnose supernatural causes of illness and misfortune.

Role within the Babylonian Court

1. Consultancy for kings. When Nebuchadnezzar sought counsel on state matters (Daniel 1:20) or the content of his troubling dream (Daniel 2:2), the אַשָּׁפִים were summoned alongside astrologers and sorcerers. They were expected to provide insight that human reasoning alone could not supply.
2. Religious authority. Their rites merged religion and science as understood in Mesopotamia: ritual purity, chants, and sacrifices were believed to coerce or appease deities and spirits.
3. Political influence. Access to the throne offered opportunity for shaping imperial policy, advising on omens, and legitimizing royal decrees.

Contrast with Prophetic Revelation

Daniel’s narrative positions the God of Israel in direct competition with Babylon’s occult experts:
• Daniel 1:20—“[The king] found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.” Daniel and his companions exhibit superior wisdom grounded in divine revelation, not incantation.
• Daniel 2:27-28—“Daniel answered before the king, ‘No wise man, enchanter, magician, or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he asks about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.’” The impotence of the אַשָּׁפִים underscores the exclusivity of God’s omniscience.

Theological Themes

1. Supremacy of divine wisdom. Human-devised occult arts fail where God speaks (cf. Isaiah 44:24-25; 1 Corinthians 1:19-25).
2. Holiness versus manipulation. Biblical revelation proceeds from covenant relationship; Babylonian magic attempts to coerce supernatural forces.
3. Providence in exile. Though God’s people live amid pervasive paganism, He remains sovereign, granting insight and influence to faithful servants (Daniel 2:48-49).

Related Terms and Classes

• חַרְטֻמִּים (chartummim) – “magicians,” referenced in Egypt (Genesis 41:8; Exodus 7:11) and Babylon (Daniel 1:20).
• כַּשְּׂדִּים (Kasdim) – “Chaldeans,” astrologer-priests particularly versed in celestial omen literature.
• מְכַשְּׁפִים (mekhashshefim) – “sorcerers,” practitioners of witchcraft (Exodus 22:18; Malachi 3:5).

The grouping of these specialists highlights a broader biblical condemnation of occult reliance (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

Ministerial Insights and Application

1. Discernment. Believers must recognize contemporary analogues of the אַשָּׁפִים—occult practices, New Age ritual, or any attempt to manipulate hidden powers—and reject them.
2. Engagement. Like Daniel, Christians can serve within pluralistic settings without compromise, demonstrating excellence that points beyond human wisdom.
3. Dependence on Revelation. The book of Daniel invites confident prayer for insight, assured that “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Daniel 2:28).

In sum, אַשָּׁף represents a powerful but ultimately impotent class of occult practitioners, whose appearance in Scripture magnifies the unrivaled wisdom and sovereignty of the LORD.

Forms and Transliterations

הָֽאַשָּׁפִ֔ים האשפים וְלָֽאַשָּׁפִ֗ים ולאשפים hā’aššāp̄îm hā·’aš·šā·p̄îm haashshaFim velaashshaFim wə·lā·’aš·šā·p̄îm wəlā’aššāp̄îm

Englishman's Concordance

Daniel 1:20
HEB: כָּל־ הַֽחַרְטֻמִּים֙ הָֽאַשָּׁפִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּכָל־
NAS: the magicians [and] conjurers who
KJV: than all the magicians [and] astrologers that [were] in all his realm.
INT: all the magicians conjurers who all

Daniel 2:2
HEB: לִקְרֹ֨א לַֽחַרְטֻמִּ֜ים וְלָֽאַשָּׁפִ֗ים וְלַֽמְכַשְּׁפִים֙ וְלַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים
NAS: in the magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers
KJV: the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers,
INT: to call the magicians the conjurers the sorcerers and the Chaldeans

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 825
2 Occurrences

hā·’aš·šā·p̄îm — 1 Occ.
wə·lā·’aš·šā·p̄îm — 1 Occ.