In the context of the Bible, the term "spell" is often associated with practices that are forbidden and contrary to the worship of the one true God. The Bible consistently warns against engaging in any form of sorcery, witchcraft, or divination, which includes the casting of spells. These practices are seen as attempts to manipulate spiritual forces and are condemned as idolatrous and rebellious against God's authority.

Old Testament References

The Old Testament contains several prohibitions against the use of spells and related practices. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 , the Israelites are explicitly instructed: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD." This passage underscores the seriousness with which God views these practices, categorizing them alongside other abominable acts.

In Exodus 22:18 , the law is clear: "You must not allow a sorceress to live." This severe command reflects the danger and spiritual corruption associated with sorcery and spell-casting in the Israelite community.

New Testament References

The New Testament continues to affirm the rejection of sorcery and spells. In Galatians 5:19-21 , Paul lists "sorcery" among the "acts of the flesh" and warns that "those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." This passage highlights the incompatibility of such practices with the life of a believer.

In Acts 19:19 , we see a powerful example of repentance from sorcery: "And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand drachmas." This public renunciation of magic and spells by new believers in Ephesus demonstrates the transformative power of the Gospel and the rejection of former pagan practices.

Theological Implications

From a theological perspective, the casting of spells is seen as an attempt to exert control over the spiritual realm, which is reserved for God alone. It reflects a lack of trust in God's sovereignty and a desire to achieve one's own ends through forbidden means. The Bible's consistent condemnation of spells and related practices serves as a reminder of the importance of relying on God's power and guidance rather than seeking to manipulate spiritual forces.

Cultural Context

In the ancient Near Eastern context, spells and magic were common practices among surrounding pagan nations. These practices often involved invoking the names of various deities or spirits to achieve desired outcomes. The Israelites were called to be distinct from these nations, serving the LORD alone and rejecting all forms of idolatry and occult practices.

Practical Application

For contemporary believers, the biblical teaching on spells serves as a warning against engaging in any form of occultism or seeking power apart from God. Christians are encouraged to seek wisdom and guidance through prayer, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit, rather than turning to forbidden practices that are contrary to the faith.1. (n.) A spelk, or splinter.

2. (v. t.) To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.

3. (n.) The relief of one person by another in any piece of work or watching; also, a turn at work which is carried on by one person or gang relieving another; as, a spell at the pumps; a spell at the masthead.

4. (n.) The time during which one person or gang works until relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time, whether a few hours, days, or weeks.

5. (n.) One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.

6. (n.) A gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a logging spell.

7. (n.) A story; a tale.

8. (n.) A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.

9. (v. t.) To tell; to relate; to teach.

10. (v. t.) To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

11. (v. t.) To constitute; to measure.

12. (v. t.) To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or print in order the letters of, esp. the proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography.

13. (v. t.) To discover by characters or marks; to read with difficulty; -- usually with out; as, to spell out the sense of an author; to spell out a verse in the Bible.

14. (v. i.) To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing.

15. (v. i.) To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study.

940. baskaino -- to slander, hence by ext. to bewitch
... 940 (from , "to cast an evil spell, wishing injury upon someone; to bewitch") --
properly, to exercise evil power over someone, like putting them under a spell ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/940.htm - 7k

5332. pharmakeus -- sorcerer.
... sorcerer. From pharmakon (a drug, ie Spell-giving potion); a druggist ("pharmacist")
or poisoner, ie (by extension) a magician -- sorcerer. 5331, 5332. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5332.htm - 6k

1845. exorkistes -- an exorcist
... exorcist. From exorkizo; one that binds by an oath (or spell), ie (by implication)
an "exorcist" (conjurer) -- exorcist. see GREEK exorkizo. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1845.htm - 6k

2267. cheber -- company, association, spell
... 2266, 2267. cheber. 2268 . company, association, spell. Transliteration:
cheber Phonetic Spelling: (kheh'-ber) Short Definition: spells. ...
/hebrew/2267.htm - 6k

2266. chabar -- to unite, be joined, to tie a magic knot or spell ...
... chabar. 2267 . to unite, be joined, to tie a magic knot or spell, to charm.
Transliteration: chabar Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-bar') Short Definition: joined. ...
/hebrew/2266.htm - 6k

5172. nachash -- to practice divination, observe signs
... A primitive root; properly, to hiss, ie Whisper a (magic) spell; generally, to
prognosticate -- X certainly, divine, enchanter, (use) X enchantment, learn by ...
/hebrew/5172.htm - 6k

3907. lachash -- to whisper, charm
... charmer, whisper together. A primitive root; to whisper; by implication, to mumble
a spell (as a magician) -- charmer, whisper (together). 3906, 3907. ...
/hebrew/3907.htm - 6k

3784. kashaph -- to practice sorcery
... sorcerer, use witchcraft. A primitive root; properly, to whisper a spell, ie To
inchant or practise magic -- sorcerer, (use) witch(-craft). 3783, 3784. ...
/hebrew/3784.htm - 6k

Whether a Spell Can be an Impediment to Marriage?
... OF THE IMPEDIMENTS OF IMPOTENCE, SPELL, FRENZY OR MADNESS, INCEST AND DEFECTIVE
AGE (FIVE ARTICLES) Whether a spell can be an impediment to marriage? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether a spell can be.htm

Of the Impediments of Impotence, Spell, Frenzy or Madness, Incest ...
... OF THE IMPEDIMENTS OF IMPOTENCE, SPELL, FRENZY OR MADNESS, INCEST AND DEFECTIVE
AGE (FIVE ARTICLES). ... (2) Whether a spell is? (3) Whether frenzy or madness is? ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/of the impediments of impotence.htm

Simplified Spelling.
... We can spell believe in the common way with seven letters. We must learn
to spell it with four letters"love. We need to learn ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/simplified spelling.htm

Home Influence.
... quiet hour when hearts unite In the parting prayer and the kind 'Good night;' By
the smiling eye and the loving tone, Over thy life has the spell been thrown ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/philips/the christian home/chapter v home influence.htm

Valentine Weigel and Nature Mysticism
... of style and thought and its predilection for magic unfortunately proved contagious,
and played havoc with the productions of those who came under its spell. ...
/.../chapter viii valentine weigel and.htm

His First School. The School-House. The Teacher. The Order of ...
... Beginning at the head, one of each class would stand up and spell, till one was
"turned down;" then another took his place, and so on until all on one side ...
/.../chapter ii his first school.htm

Spelling God.
... These are the pages in God's primer. So we all may learn to spell out God. ... When we
know Him it takes more to spell out and to tell out God's love. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/spelling god.htm

The Fragrance of the Life in the Gift.
... Another young woman, in the East, came under the warm spell of her personality and
speech. And her life was blessedly revolutionized by that spell. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on service/the fragrance of the life.htm

The Master's Touch.
... violin. By and by he stopped. And as they were released from the spell of
the music the people began clamoring for the violin. "Fifty ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/the masters touch.htm

Whether Impotence is an Impediment to Marriage?
... OF THE IMPEDIMENTS OF IMPOTENCE, SPELL, FRENZY OR MADNESS, INCEST AND DEFECTIVE
AGE (FIVE ARTICLES) Whether impotence is an impediment to marriage? ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether impotence is an impediment.htm

Spell (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A spelk, or splinter. 2. (vt) To supply the place of for a time; to take
the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman. ...
/s/spell.htm - 8k

Witchcraft (8 Occurrences)
... 2. If a man has put a spell upon (another) man and it is not justified, he upon
whom the spell is laid shall go to the holy river; into the holy river shall he ...
/w/witchcraft.htm - 23k

Witch (2 Occurrences)
... 2. If a man has put a spell upon (another) man and it is not justified, he upon
whom the spell is laid shall go to the holy river; into the holy river shall he ...
/w/witch.htm - 24k

Gospel (108 Occurrences)
... A word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning "God's spell", ie, word of God,
or rather, according to others, "good spell", ie, good news. ...
/g/gospel.htm - 101k

Curse (211 Occurrences)
... Before moral distinctions played any part in molding theological conceptions it
was not necessary, before a spell could be effectual, that the individual ...
/c/curse.htm - 46k

Speedy (5 Occurrences)

/s/speedy.htm - 8k

Kenezite (3 Occurrences)
... ke'-nez-it (qenizzi; Kenezaios): the King James Version in Genesis 15:19 and the
Revised Version (British and American) uniformly, spell "Kenizzite." The ...
/k/kenezite.htm - 8k

Glad (421 Occurrences)
... tidings." The verb is also very frequently translated in the King James Version
"to preach the gospel," the original meaning of which word (god-spell) is "good ...
/g/glad.htm - 37k

Tidings (169 Occurrences)
... tidings." The verb is also very frequently translated in the King James Version
"to preach the gospel," the original meaning of which word (god-spell) is "good ...
/t/tidings.htm - 38k

Tending (11 Occurrences)
... One may count among his most prized experiences the days and nights spent under
the spell of Syrian shepherd life. James A. Patch. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/t/tending.htm - 11k

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