3132. manteuomai

Lexicon

manteuomai: to practice divination, to prophesy falsely

Original Word: μαντεύομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: manteuomai
Pronunciation: man-tyoo'-om-ahee
Phonetic Spelling: (mant-yoo'-om-ahee)
Definition: to practice divination, to prophesy falsely
Meaning: I divine, practice soothsaying, suggesting the fraud involved in the practice.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

soothsaying.

From a derivative of mainomai (meaning a prophet, as supposed to rave through inspiration); to divine, i.e. Utter spells (under pretense of foretelling -- by soothsaying.

see GREEK mainomai

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from mantis (a seer)
Definition
to divine
NASB Translation
fortune-telling (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3132: μαντεύομαι

μαντεύομαι; (μάντις (a seer; allied to μανία, μαίνομαι; cf. Curtius, § 429)); from Homer down; to act as seer; deliver an oracle, prophesy, divine: Acts 16:16 μαντευομένη, of a false prophetess (A. V. by soothsaying). The Sept. for קָסַם, to practise divination; said of false prophets. (On the heathen character of the suggestions and associations of the word, as distinguished from προφητεύω, see Trench, N. T. Synonyms, § vi.)

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the root word μάντις (mantis), meaning "a seer" or "a prophet."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • H7080 קָסַם (qacam): To practice divination or soothsaying.
• H6049 עָנַן (anan): To practice soothsaying or to observe times.
• H7081 קֶסֶם (qesem): Divination, an oracle, or a lot.

These Hebrew terms similarly denote practices of seeking knowledge or guidance through means not sanctioned by God, often associated with pagan rituals and condemned in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Usage: The term μαντεύομαι is used in the New Testament to describe the act of divination, particularly in contexts where individuals attempt to gain insight or knowledge through occult or non-divine sources.

Context: The Greek term μαντεύομαι appears in the New Testament in the context of divination, a practice condemned in both the Old and New Testaments. In Acts 16:16, the term is used to describe a slave girl who had a spirit of divination, enabling her to predict the future. This spirit is identified as a "python spirit," linking it to the ancient Greek oracle at Delphi, where the priestess, known as the Pythia, would deliver prophecies. The practice of μαντεύομαι is portrayed negatively in the Scriptures, as it is associated with deception and exploitation. The apostle Paul, upon encountering the slave girl, commands the spirit to leave her in the name of Jesus Christ, demonstrating the power of God over such practices. This act not only liberates the girl but also disrupts the economic gain of her owners, who profited from her fortune-telling abilities. The biblical narrative underscores the incompatibility of divination with the Christian faith, emphasizing reliance on God for guidance and truth rather than on occult practices.

Forms and Transliterations

εμαντεύοντο μάντεις μαντεύεσθαί μαντευομενη μαντευομένη μαντευόμενοι μαντεύομενοι μαντευόμενος μαντευομένων μαντεύσασθαι μαντεύσησθε μάντευσον μάντιν manteuomene manteuomenē manteuoméne manteuoménē

Englishman's Concordance

Acts 16:16 V-PPM/P-NFS
GRK: κυρίοις αὐτῆς μαντευομένη
NAS: much profit by fortune-telling.
KJV: much gain by soothsaying:
INT: masters of her by fortune-telling

Strong's Greek 3132
1 Occurrence

μαντευομένη — 1 Occ.