Deuteronomy 18:10

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the whole congregation of Israel on the plains of Moab, immediately after commanding them not to imitate the detestable ways of the nations they are about to displace (Deut 18:9).

The words — מַעֲבִ֥יר (ma'āvir), literally "one who causes to pass," is the technical term for passing a child through fire; the verb carries the full weight of the act without naming it directly.

The thread — The same cluster of prohibitions appears in the Priestly code: divination and sorcery in Leviticus 19:26, mediums and spiritists in Leviticus 19:31, and the death penalty for a sorceress in Exodus 22:18.

Why it lands — The verse is framed as a negative search ("let no one be found"), placing the obligation on the community to police its own boundaries rather than on any individual's private conviction.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

לֹֽא־lo'-not יִמָּצֵ֣אyi.ma.Tze'he will be foundבְךָ֔ve./Khaamong <the>/ youמַעֲבִ֥ירma.'a.Vir[one who] makes pass בְּנֽוֹ־be.no/v-son/ his וּבִתּ֖וֹu./vi.T/oand/ daughter/ his בָּאֵ֑שׁba./'Eshin the/ fire קֹסֵ֣םko.Sem[one who] divines קְסָמִ֔יםke.sa.Mimdivinations מְעוֹנֵ֥ןme.'o.Nena soothsayer וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁu./me.na.Cheshand/ an augurer וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃u./me.kha.Shefand/ a sorcerer

King James Version

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

Cross-references

Leviticus 19:31 You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Exodus 22:18 You must not allow a sorceress to live.
Leviticus 19:26 You must not eat anything with blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery.
Deuteronomy 12:31 You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
2 Chronicles 33:6 He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
Acts 19:19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
Leviticus 20:2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Any Israelite or foreigner living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the land are to stone him.
1 Samuel 28:9 But the woman replied, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has killed the mediums and spiritists in the land. Why have you set a trap to get me killed?”
2 Kings 16:3 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
2 Kings 17:17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.