📖 Biblical Definition
The practice of seeking hidden knowledge — especially the future, the will of supernatural powers, or guidance for decisions — by occult means: signs, omens, entrails, stars, tarot cards, palm reading, Ouija, casting lots (apart from the priestly Urim and Thummim), interpreting natural phenomena as messages. Scripture's prohibition is comprehensive and absolute: Deuteronomy 18:10-12 lists divination first in the abomination-list and pairs it with sorcery, enchantment, witchcraft, charms, mediums, and necromancy. Leviticus 19:26 forbids enchantment and observing times. The Christian receives guidance through the Word, prayer, the counsel of the saints, and providence — not through divinatory practices.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Seeking hidden knowledge / the future / supernatural guidance by occult means; Deut 18:10 abomination, first in the list.
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DIVINATION, n. Latin divinatio. The practice of foretelling the future, discerning the will of supernatural powers, or seeking guidance through occult means: signs, omens, entrails, stars (astrology), tarot, palmistry, Ouija, lots, interpretation of natural phenomena as supernatural communication. Hebrew qesem (Deut 18:10). Listed first in the comprehensive Deuteronomy 18:10-12 abomination-prohibition, paired with sorcery, enchantment, witchcraft, charms, mediums, and necromancy. Distinguished from the priestly Urim and Thummim and from prophetic Word-of-the-LORD revelation, which are God's authorized channels of guidance.
📖 Key Scripture
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 — "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... For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD."
Leviticus 19:26 — "Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times."
Acts 16:16-18 — "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us... But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour."
Isaiah 8:19-20 — "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
An entire family of forbidden practices — tarot, horoscopes, palm-reading, Ouija, Magic-8-balls, fortune-cookies-taken-seriously — treated as entertainment or self-discovery rather than as the Deut 18:10-12 abomination they are.
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The cultural normalization of divination is one of the great category-laundering operations of modern Western life. Tarot decks are sold at Barnes & Noble. Newspapers print horoscopes. Astrology compatibility is normal first-date conversation. Apps offer daily readings. None of this is described in our culture as occult; it is described as fun, self-discovery, personality insight. The biblical text refuses the laundering. Deut 18:10-12 names these exact practices as abomination with no exemption for entertainment use.
The Christian's guidance comes from God Himself: through His Word (2 Tim 3:16-17), through prayer (James 1:5), through the counsel of the godly (Prov 11:14), through providence read in retrospect (Rom 8:28). Isaiah 8:19-20 names the principle directly: should not a people seek unto their God? to the law and to the testimony. If the source of guidance is anything other than these, it is the wrong source — full stop, no exceptions for harmless-seeming forms.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Latin divinatio; Hebrew qesem (Deut 18:10); first in the Deut 18 abomination-list.
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['Hebrew', 'H7081', 'qesem', 'divination, oracular decision (Deut 18:10)']
['Hebrew', 'H6049', 'anan', 'to observe times, soothsay']
['Greek', 'G4436', 'puthon', 'python-spirit, spirit of divination (Acts 16:16)']
Usage
"Tarot, horoscopes, Ouija, palm-reading: same category as Deut 18:10-12."
"Guidance comes through Word, prayer, godly counsel, providence — not through occult tools."
"Isaiah 8:19-20: to the law and to the testimony."