Lexical Summary
chartom: magicians, magician
Original Word:חַרְטֹם
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:chartom
Pronunciation:khar-TOME
Phonetic Spelling:(khar-tome')
NASB:magicians, magician
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) the same asH2748 (חַרטּוֹם - magicians)]
1. magician
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
magician
(Aramaic) the same aschartom -- magician.
see HEBREWchartom
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
chartomDefinitionmagician
NASB Translationmagician (1), magicians (4).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewחַרְטֹם designates the class of court magicians and diviner–priests who served in royal administrations, especially in Babylon during the sixth century BC. While outwardly grouped with “wise men,” their craft depended on occult practices, dream-books, astrological charts, and ritual lore. Throughout the Book of Daniel they function as a foil to true prophetic revelation, highlighting the supremacy of the Lord’s wisdom over human or demonic artifice.
Ancient Near Eastern Setting
In Mesopotamia the king’s security rested on his ability to read the gods’ will. Specialist guilds—lu.maš-šá-ilu (“magicians”), ṭupšarru (“scribe-diviners”), and ašipu (“exorcists”)—compiled omen tablets and formulated apotropaic rites. The term חַרְטֹם comfortably fits this milieu. Proficiency in cuneiform, mathematics, and celestial observation made these men indispensable politically; yet their counsel was viewed as emanating from the deities of the nations, not from the covenant God of Israel.
Occurrences in Daniel
1.Daniel 2:10–11: The חַרְטֹמֵיָּא concede total inability before Nebuchadnezzar’s demand. Their confession, “There is no one on earth who can accomplish the king’s request,” prepares the stage for divine intervention through Daniel.
2.Daniel 2:27: Daniel openly differentiates his source of knowledge—“the God in heaven who reveals mysteries”—from that of the magicians.
3.Daniel 4:7: Summoned first, the חַרְטֹמִין fail to interpret the great tree dream, exposing the futility of their arts.
4.Daniel 4:9: Nebuchadnezzar, convinced by past experience, still calls Daniel “chief of the magicians,” acknowledging functional authority without endorsing their methods.
5.Daniel 5:11: A generation later the queen recalls Daniel’s promotion, testifying that “insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him.” The contrast between Spirit-endowed insight and occult expertise again comes to the fore.
Spiritual Contrast with Prophetic Revelation
“Daniel answered the king, ‘The mystery about which the king has inquired—the wise men, astrologers, magicians, and diviners cannot explain to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries’” (Daniel 2:27-28a). Scripture thus establishes a permanent antithesis between revelation granted by the Holy Spirit and knowledge obtained through forbidden channels (compareDeuteronomy 18:10-12;Isaiah 47:12-15). The חַרְטֹמִין represent human dependence on autonomous or demonic wisdom; Daniel embodies dependence on God.
Historical Significance in the Babylonian Court
Nebuchadnezzar’s systematic enlistment of exiles (Daniel 1:4) aimed to strengthen his intellectual elite. By elevating Daniel, God positioned His servant at the pinnacle of an otherwise pagan institution, ensuring witness to kings and nations (Daniel 4:1, 37). Even when the magicians were disgraced, the office itself remained; Daniel assumed its leadership, sanctifying an existing structure without adopting its corrupt practices.
Theological Themes
1. Sovereignty of God: Only the Lord can disclose hidden things (Daniel 2:22).
2. Judgment on Occultism: Repeated failure of the magicians anticipates both Babylon’s downfall (Daniel 5) and the eschatological overthrow of all counterfeit wisdom (Isaiah 44:25;1 Corinthians 1:19).
3. Mission among the Nations: God places His people in strategic cultural centers so that “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17).
Ministry Lessons
• Discernment: Believers must recognize the alluring but empty promises of occult knowledge prevalent in modern culture.
• Confidence: As with Daniel, Spirit-given insight is sufficient for every challenge, whether intellectual or spiritual (James 1:5).
• Engagement without Compromise: Faithful presence in secular institutions can magnify God’s glory when coupled with personal holiness and prayerful dependence (Philippians 2:15-16).
Relation to the Wider Canon
Earlier confrontations between Moses and Egypt’s chartummim (Exodus 7:11) and later showdowns such as Paul versus Elymas (Acts 13:8-12) echo the Daniel narratives. In each case the Lord vindicates His messengers over occult practitioners, culminating in Christ’s definitive triumph over the “powers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15).
Concluding Overview
חַרְטֹם serves as a literary and theological counterpoint in Daniel, exposing the bankruptcy of occult wisdom and underscoring the majesty of divine revelation. The pattern established—human impotence, prophetic disclosure, royal acknowledgment—continues to instruct the Church as it proclaims the gospel in a world still fascinated by alternative spiritualities.
Forms and Transliterations
חַרְטֹּ֖ם חַרְטֻמִּ֣ין חַרְטֻמִּין֙ חַרְטֻמַיָּא֒ חַרְטֻמַיָּא֙ חרטם חרטמיא חרטמין chartTom chartumaiYa chartumMin ḥar·ṭu·may·yā ḥar·ṭum·mîn ḥarṭ·ṭōm ḥarṭṭōm ḥarṭumayyā ḥarṭummîn
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
