Lexical Summary pharmakeia: Sorcery, witchcraft Original Word: φαρμακεία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance sorcery, witchcraft. From pharmakeus; medication ("pharmacy"), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively) -- sorcery, witchcraft. see GREEK pharmakeus HELPS Word-studies 5331 pharmakeía (from pharmakeuō, "administer drugs") – properly, drug-related sorcery, like the practice of magical-arts, etc. (A. T. Robertson). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom pharmakeuó (to administer drugs) Definition the use of medicine, drugs or spells NASB Translation sorceries (1), sorcery (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5331: φαρμακείαφαρμακεία (WH κια, so T (except in Galatians 5:20; cf. the Proleg., p. 88); see Iota), φαρμακείας, ἡ (φαρμακεύω); a. the use or the administering of drugs (Xenophon, mem. 4, 2, 17). b. poisoning (Plato, Polybius, others): Revelation 9:21 (here WH text Tr marginal reading φαρμακῶν; many interpretations refer the passage to the next entry). c. sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it: Galatians 5:20 (where see Lightfoot) (Wis. 12:4 Wis. 18:13; for כְּשָׁפִים, Isaiah 47:9; for לָטִים, Exodus 7:22; Exodus 8:18; for לְהָטִים, Exodus 7:11); tropically, of the deceptions and seductions of idolatry, Revelation 18:23. STRONGS NT 5331: φάρμακον [φάρμακον, φαρμάκου, τό, from Homer down, a drug; an enchantment: Tr marginal reading WH text in Revelation 9:21 (R. V. sorceries), for φαρμακεία, which see (in b.). Strong’s Greek 5331 denotes the practice of manipulating human life or circumstances through potions, drugs, or magical arts that invoke supernatural influence apart from the living God. In Scripture it is consistently grouped with sins that fracture covenant fidelity, whether toward God (idolatry) or neighbor (hatred, jealousy, murder). While the modern term “pharmacy” descends from the same root, the biblical concern is not legitimate medicine but the use of substances or rituals to gain illicit spiritual power or to deceive. Occurrences in the New Testament 1. Galatians 5:20 lists the term among “the works of the flesh,” immediately after “idolatry.” By placing sorcery in the heart-catalogue of sins alongside sexual immorality and envy, Paul shows that its essence is rebellion against God’s rule. : “idolatry and sorcery, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, rivalries, divisions, factions.” Old Testament and Intertestamental Background Sorcery was forbidden in Israel. Exodus 22:18, Deuteronomy 18:9-14, and Isaiah 47:9-13 condemn those who attempt to manipulate spiritual forces. The Septuagint often employs cognate terms (φαρμακός, φαρμακευτής) for practitioners of occult medicine, tying the New Testament usage to a longstanding biblical proscription. Greco-Roman Context First-century paganism normalized the blending of medicine, magic, and religion. Traveling enchanters sold potions for love, revenge, or protection; mystery cults employed hallucinogens to induce visions. By using a term familiar in that culture, New Testament writers exposed such practices as spiritually destructive, contrasting them with the gospel’s call to life in the Holy Spirit. Theological Themes • Rebellion: Sorcery represents autonomous attempts to control destiny rather than submit to the Creator (Genesis 3 echo). Pastoral and Ministry Implications 1. Discernment: Leaders must help believers recognize modern equivalents—occult games, New Age rituals, psychedelic “spirituality,” or drug-fueled mysticism. Practical Application for Believers Today • Reject all spiritual shortcuts—horoscopes, charms, psychoactive experimentation used for mystical insight. Eschatological Significance Revelation portrays sorcery as a hallmark of the end-time world system. Its ultimate defeat assures believers that every deceptive power will yield to the Lamb’s reign. Faithful endurance requires continual allegiance to God’s truth, trusting His sovereign control rather than any human-engineered remedy for sin or suffering. Englishman's Concordance Galatians 5:20 N-NFSGRK: εἰδωλολατρία φαρμακεία ἔχθραι ἔρις NAS: idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, KJV: Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, INT: idolatry sorcery enmities strife Revelation 18:23 N-DFS |
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