Divination is the practice of trying to predict the future or uncover hidden knowledge through occult means, and the Bible consistently and clearly forbids it. From fortune-telling to omens to consulting the dead, scripture treats these practices as a serious departure from trusting God alone. Here is what the Bible actually says.
What Is Divination in the Bible?
Divination covers a range of practices aimed at learning secret or future information through means other than God, things like reading omens, casting spells, consulting spirits, or interpreting signs to predict outcomes. The ancient world Israel lived in was full of these practices, from Egyptian magicians to Babylonian astrologers. Scripture draws a sharp line between seeking guidance from God, through prayer, prophets, and His revealed word, and seeking it through divination.
Why the Law Forbids It
Deuteronomy 18 lists divination among a group of practices explicitly forbidden to Israel: “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, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer” (Deuteronomy 18:10-11). The reason given is direct: “For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD” (Deuteronomy 18:12). Leviticus 19:26 adds a similar prohibition: “Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.” Rather than leaving Israel to guess at the future through omens, God set apart prophets to reveal what the nation needed to know.
Divination in the New Testament
The New Testament shows the same practice still active in the first century. In Acts 16, Paul and his companions encounter “a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination” who made money for her owners through soothsaying (Acts 16:16). Paul does not negotiate with the spirit or try to use its predictive power for good. He commands it out of her in the name of Jesus Christ, and it leaves immediately (Acts 16:18). The episode reinforces the same Old Testament principle in a New Testament setting: divination is treated as a spiritual problem to be confronted, not a neutral tool to make use of.
Key Bible Verses
Deuteronomy 18:10-11
“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, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.”
Deuteronomy 18:12
“For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD.”
Acts 16:16
“And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is astrology the same thing as divination in the Bible?
Astrology, using the position of stars to predict the future or guide decisions, falls under the same category of forbidden practices, since it seeks hidden knowledge apart from God rather than through Him. Isaiah 47:13-14 specifically mocks Babylon’s astrologers for being unable to save themselves.
Why does the Bible take divination so seriously?
At its core, divination represents an attempt to gain control or certainty apart from trusting God, and scripture consistently treats that pursuit as spiritually dangerous rather than harmless curiosity. The consistent alternative offered throughout scripture is prayer and trust in God’s revealed word.
Related Bible Topics
What Does “Abomination” Mean in the Bible? | Does the Bible Say Not to Question God? | What Are the Fruits of the Spirit?
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