Lexical Summary
ob: Medium, necromancer, spiritist, ghost, familiar spirit
Original Word:אוֹב
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:owb
Pronunciation:ohb
Phonetic Spelling:(obe)
KJV: bottle, familiar spirit
NASB:mediums, medium, spirit, wineskins
Word Origin:[from the same asH1 (אָב - father) (apparently through the idea of prattling a father's name)]
1. (properly) a mumble, i.e. a water skin (from its hollow sound)
2. a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bottle, familiar spirit
From the same as'ab (apparently through the idea of prattling a father's name); properly, a mumble, i.e. A water skin (from its hollow sound); hence a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar) -- bottle, familiar spirit.
see HEBREW'ab
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitiona bottle (made from animal skin), a necromancer
NASB Translationmedium (2), medium* (3), mediums (9), spirit (1), wineskins (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Job 32:19 skin-bottle, necromancer, etc. — absolute
Leviticus 20:27 8t.; plural
Leviticus 19:31 7t. —
skin-bottle, only pluralnew (wine-)skinsJob 32:19.
necromancer, in phrasenecromancer or wizardLeviticus 20:27 (H; usually translated 'a man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit or that is a wizard' RV; but bettera man or a woman, if there should be among them, a necromancer or wizard; no sufficient reason for exceptional use of phrase here);Deuteronomy 18:11; 2Chronicles 33:6 =2 Kings 21:6 (where );Leviticus 19:31;Leviticus 20:6 (H)1 Samuel 28:3,9;2 Kings 23:24;Isaiah 8:19 (where repres. as chirping & muttering, in practice of their art of seeking dead for instruction, probably ventriloquism, & so )Isaiah 19:3.
,Isaiah 29:4and thy voice shall be as a ghost from the ground and from the dust thy speech shall chirp (so Ge MV Ew De Che and others, but chirping might be of necromancer, asIsaiah 8:19).
necromancya woman who was mistress of necromancy1 Samuel 28:7 (twice in verse); (> RSJPh xiv, 127 f makes primarily a subterranean spirit, and significant. only an abbreviation of etc.);divine by necromancy1 Samuel 28:8, which seems to be interpretation of1 Chronicles 10:13inquire by necromancy. (In these three examples is usually interpreted as ghost or familiar spirit conceived as dwelling in necromancer; but this apparently not the ancient conception.)
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and ConceptStrong’s Hebrew 178 (ʾôḇ) denotes the practice or practitioner of summoning the dead or consulting a “familiar spirit.” The root carries the image of a hollow object—like a skin-bottle—suggesting the echoing, muttering sound of spiritistic incantations and the emptiness of the source being consulted (Isaiah 8:19).
Old Testament Prohibition
The Torah treats ʾôḇ as a direct affront to covenant loyalty, ranking it with idolatry and sexual perversion.
•Leviticus 19:31 warns, “You must not turn to mediums or spiritists… I am the LORD your God.”
•Leviticus 20:6 adds personal judgment: “I will set My face against that person.”
•Leviticus 20:27 prescribes capital punishment, underscoring the gravity of the offense.
Deuteronomy 18:11 places ʾôḇ alongside child sacrifice and witchcraft—practices common in Canaan—which Israel must drive out lest she forfeit the land (Deuteronomy 18:12).
Historical Instances
1 Samuel 28 provides the classic narrative. Saul, having expelled mediums (1 Samuel 28:3), tragically seeks one at Endor when “the LORD did not answer him” (1 Samuel 28:6). His consultation precipitates divine judgment (1 Chronicles 10:13). Kingship thereafter is evaluated by its stance toward ʾôḇ:
• Manasseh “consulted mediums and spiritists” (2 Kings 21:6), hastening Judah’s ruin.
• Josiah purged them (2 Kings 23:24), marking the high point of reform.
Yet post-exilic prophets still confront the temptation (Isaiah 8:19; 19:3; 29:4), proving that the lure of hidden knowledge endures even among a chastened remnant.
Prophetic Condemnation and Theological Implications
The prophets expose ʾôḇ as the counterfeit of true revelation. Isaiah contrasts the murmuring of mediums with “the law and testimony” (Isaiah 8:20). Seeking an ʾôḇ replaces humble dependence on the living God with manipulation of unseen powers, effectively enthroning darkness. Scripture portrays such powers as demonic (compareDeuteronomy 32:17;1 Corinthians 10:20), so the practice is not merely superstition but spiritual treason.
Metaphorical Usage
Job 32:19 employs ʾôḇ in its literal sense of a leather wineskin: “my belly is like unvented wine.” The metaphor underscores the word’s base meaning—an empty container—highlighting how a medium becomes a vessel for voices other than God’s.
Lessons for Contemporary Ministry
1. Sufficiency of Scripture:Isaiah 8:19–20 directs the faithful to the prophetic word instead of illicit counsel. Modern equivalents—occultism, séances, channeling—remain incompatible with reliance on the completed canon.
2. Spiritual warfare:Ephesians 6:12 affirms that behind ʾôḇ-type phenomena stand “the spiritual forces of evil.” Pastoral care must combine gospel proclamation with prayerful resistance.
3. Discernment and deliverance: Like Josiah, churches are called to remove occult artifacts (Acts 19:19) and guide repentant practitioners into freedom.
4. Pastoral caution: Saul’s path began with disobedience and ended in desperation. Leaders today guard against similar drift by maintaining obedient intimacy with God.
Christological Perspective
Jesus Christ alone mediates between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). His resurrection assures believers of direct access to the Father, rendering necromancy both unnecessary and sinful. By triumphing over “the rulers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15), He exposes ʾôḇ as defeated deception.
Eschatological Warning and Hope
Revelation lists “sorcerers” among those outside the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:15), while promising that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). The final victory of divine revelation over occult counterfeit completes the trajectory begun in Leviticus.
Key References
Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27
Deuteronomy 18:11
1 Samuel 28:3–9
2 Kings 21:6; 23:24
1 Chronicles 10:13
Job 32:19
Isaiah 8:19; 19:3; 29:4
The biblical witness, consistent from Moses to Isaiah to the Apostles, calls God’s people to reject ʾôḇ in all its forms and to cling to the living Word who speaks life, guidance and truth.
Forms and Transliterations
א֔וֹב א֖וֹב א֛וֹב אוֹב֙ אוב בָּא֔וֹב בָּא֖וֹב באוב הָֽאֹבֹת֙ הָאֹב֖וֹת הָאֹב֣וֹת הָאֹב֥וֹת הָאֹבֹת֙ הָאֹבוֹת֙ האבות האבת כְּא֤וֹב כְּאֹב֥וֹת כאבות כאוב ’ō·wḇ ’ōwḇ bā’ōwḇ bā·’ō·wḇ baov hā’ōḇōṯ hā’ōḇōwṯ hā·’ō·ḇō·wṯ hā·’ō·ḇōṯ haOt haoVot kə’ōḇōwṯ kə’ōwḇ kə·’ō·ḇō·wṯ kə·’ō·wḇ keov keoVot ov
Links
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Englishman's Greek Concordance •
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