One who practices divination through occult arts; a class of Babylonian wise man distinct from magicians and sorcerers. Used in Daniel to describe the pagan court advisers whose wisdom is contrasted with Daniel's God-given understanding.
The ashshaph represents the Babylonian system of wisdom — vast, institutionalized, and ultimately powerless before the God of Israel. In Daniel 1–5, these diviners repeatedly fail to interpret dreams and signs that God's servant reads with ease. Their failure is not incidental but theological: true wisdom comes not from the stars but from the God who made them. The biblical polemic against divination (Deuteronomy 18:10–12) reflects God's exclusive claim on hidden knowledge.