Exodus 22:18
New International Version
“Do not allow a sorceress to live.

New Living Translation
“You must not allow a sorceress to live.

English Standard Version
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

Berean Standard Bible
You must not allow a sorceress to live.

King James Bible
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

New King James Version
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

New American Standard Bible
“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

NASB 1995
“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

NASB 1977
“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

Legacy Standard Bible
“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

Amplified Bible
“You shall not allow a woman who practices sorcery to live.

Christian Standard Bible
“Do not allow a sorceress to live.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You must not allow a sorceress to live.”

American Standard Version
Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live.

Contemporary English Version
Death is the punishment for witchcraft.

English Revised Version
Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Never let a witch live.

Good News Translation
"Put to death any woman who practices magic.

International Standard Version
"You are not to allow a sorceress to live.

Majority Standard Bible
You must not allow a sorceress to live.

NET Bible
"You must not allow a sorceress to live.

New Heart English Bible
"You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

World English Bible
“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You do not keep a witch alive.

Young's Literal Translation
'A witch thou dost not keep alive.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou shalt not preserve alive a sorceress.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Wizards thou shalt not suffer to live.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You shall not permit practitioners of the black arts to live.

New American Bible
You shall not let a woman who practices sorcery live.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
You shall not suffer a witch to live.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You shall not let a sorcerer live.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Ye shall not save the lives of sorcerers.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Laws of Social Responsibility
17If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, the man still must pay an amount comparable to the bridal price of a virgin. 18You must not allow a sorceress to live. 19Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.…

Cross References
Leviticus 20:27
A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’”

Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, / casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. / For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.

1 Samuel 28:3-9
Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land. / The Philistines gathered together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa. / When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid and trembled violently. ...

2 Kings 21:6
He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

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.

Micah 5:12
I will cut the sorceries from your hand, and you will have no fortune-tellers.

Nahum 3:4
because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft.

Isaiah 8:19
When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

Isaiah 47:12-13
So take your stand with your spells and with your many sorceries, with which you have wearied yourself from your youth. Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror! / You are wearied by your many counselors; let them come forward now and save you—your astrologers who observe the stars, who monthly predict your fate.

Jeremiah 27:9-10
But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ / For they prophesy to you a lie that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you and you will perish.

Acts 8:9-24
Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great, / and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.” / They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery. ...

Acts 13:6-11
They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, / an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. / But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ...

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15
But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.


Treasury of Scripture

You shall not suffer a witch to live.

Leviticus 19:26,31
Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times…

Leviticus 20:6,27
And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people…

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, …

Jump to Previous
Alive Allow Arts Death Live Permit Powers Secret Sorceress Suffer Unnatural Using Witch
Jump to Next
Alive Allow Arts Death Live Permit Powers Secret Sorceress Suffer Unnatural Using Witch
Exodus 22
1. Of Theft
5. Of damage
7. Of trespasses
14. Of borrowing
16. Of fornication
18. Of witchcraft
19. Of bestiality
20. Of idolatry
21. Of strangers, widows, and fatherless
25. Of usury
26. Of pledges
28. Of reverence to magistrates
29. Of the first fruits
31. Of torn flesh














You must not allow
This phrase indicates a direct command, reflecting the seriousness with which the Israelites were to treat the issue at hand. In the context of the Mosaic Law, commands were given to maintain the holiness and purity of the community. The imperative nature of this command underscores the importance of obedience to God's laws as a means of preserving the covenant relationship between God and His people.

a sorceress
The term "sorceress" refers to a woman who practices witchcraft or engages in occult activities. In the ancient Near Eastern context, sorcery was often associated with attempts to manipulate spiritual forces for personal gain or to harm others. Such practices were common among the surrounding pagan nations and were seen as a direct challenge to the sovereignty of God. The prohibition against sorcery is consistent with other biblical passages that condemn occult practices (e.g., Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Leviticus 19:31). The focus on a "sorceress" specifically may reflect the prevalence of women in these roles in ancient cultures.

to live
The command to not allow a sorceress to live highlights the severity of the offense in the eyes of God. In the theocratic society of ancient Israel, certain sins were considered capital offenses because they threatened the spiritual and communal integrity of the nation. The death penalty for sorcery underscores the belief that such practices were not merely personal sins but acts that could lead the community away from God. This reflects the broader biblical theme of the necessity of purging evil from among God's people to maintain holiness (see Deuteronomy 13:5). While the New Testament does not prescribe the same civil penalties, it continues to warn against engaging in occult practices (e.g., Galatians 5:19-21, Acts 19:19).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites who received the Law from God, including the commandment in Exodus 22:18.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, to whom the laws in Exodus were given as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land.

3. Sorceress
A woman who practices sorcery or witchcraft, which was strictly forbidden in Israelite society as it was seen as a rebellion against God.

4. Mount Sinai
The place where Moses received the Law from God, including the commandments found in Exodus 22.

5. Canaan
The land promised to the Israelites, where they were to establish a society based on God's laws, free from pagan practices like sorcery.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Context
The command in Exodus 22:18 must be understood within the context of ancient Israel, where sorcery was associated with idolatry and rebellion against God.

God's Holiness and Purity
The prohibition against sorcery underscores God's desire for His people to be holy and set apart, avoiding practices that lead them away from Him.

The Danger of Sorcery
Sorcery is seen as a direct challenge to God's authority and a reliance on powers other than God, which is why it was so severely punished.

Modern-Day Applications
While the cultural context has changed, the principle remains: Christians are called to avoid practices that draw them away from God and to rely solely on Him for guidance and power.

Spiritual Warfare
Believers are reminded that there is a spiritual battle, and they must be vigilant against influences that oppose God's will, using the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6.(18) Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.--The word translated "witch" in this passage is the feminine singular of that rendered by "sorcerers" in Exodus 7:11, and means "a mutterer of charms." The use of the feminine form can only be accounted for by supposing that, practically, witchcraft was at the time mainly professed by females. Whether "witches" had actual help from evil spirits, or only professed to work magical effects by their aid, the sin against God was the same. Jehovah was renounced, and a power other than His invoked and upheld. Witchcraft was as much rebellion against God as idolatry or blasphemy, and deserved the same punishment.

Verse 18. - Law against witchcraft. Witchcraft was professedly a league with powers in rebellion against God. How far it was delusion, how far imposture, how far a real conspiracy with the powers of evil, cannot now be known. Let the most rationalistic view be taken, and still there was in the practice an absolute renunciation of religion, and of the authority of Jehovah. Wizards (Leviticus 19:31) and witches were, therefore, under the Jewish theocracy, like idolaters and blasphemers, to be put to death.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You must not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

allow a sorceress
מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖ה (mə·ḵaš·šê·p̄āh)
Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3784: To whisper a, spell, to inchant, practise magic

to live.
תְחַיֶּֽה׃ (ṯə·ḥay·yeh)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive


Links
Exodus 22:18 NIV
Exodus 22:18 NLT
Exodus 22:18 ESV
Exodus 22:18 NASB
Exodus 22:18 KJV

Exodus 22:18 BibleApps.com
Exodus 22:18 Biblia Paralela
Exodus 22:18 Chinese Bible
Exodus 22:18 French Bible
Exodus 22:18 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Exodus 22:18 You shall not allow a sorceress (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 22:17
Top of Page
Top of Page