אוֹב H0178
A spirit of the dead consulted through necromancy; also a leather bottle or wineskin used for storing wine.
In nearly every occurrence, this word refers to a medium or necromantic spirit -- the kind of conjuring practice sternly forbidden throughout the Torah (Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut 18:11). It regularly appears paired with yiddeoni ('wizard'), forming a stock phrase for illicit contact with the dead. Saul's desperate visit to the medium at Endor (1 Sam 28:3-9) illustrates the gravity of transgressing this prohibition. In a single, striking use, Job 32:19 employs the same word to mean 'wineskin' -- Elihu likens his pent-up words to new wine about to burst its leather container. Spanish renders the necromantic sense as 'espiritu de muertos' while using 'odres' for the wineskin, revealing how sharply the two senses diverge.
Senses
1. medium or necromantic spirit — A person who conjures or channels the spirits of the dead, or the spirit itself invoked through divination. Consistently paired with yiddeoni in legal prohibitions (Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut 18:11) and narrative contexts (1 Sam 28:3, 7-9; 2 Kgs 21:6; 23:24). English translations render it 'medium' or 'familiar spirit'; Spanish uses 'espiritu de muertos,' emphasizing the ghostly entity rather than the human practitioner. 16×
AR["أصحابَ-الأرواحِ", "أَرْوَاحَ-الْأَمْوَاتِ", "أَصحَابِ-التَّوَابِعِ", "أَصْحَابِ-التَّوَابِعِ", "ال-أَرْوَاحِ", "بِالروحِ", "بِالعَرَّافَة", "جَانًّا", "روحٍ", "رُوحَ", "رُوحُ", "كَـ-عَرَّافٍ", "وَسِيطًا"]·ben["-প্রেতাত্মাদের", "ওঝার-কাছে", "প্রেতচর্চাকারী", "প্রেতচর্চাকারীদের", "ভূত", "ভূতদের", "ভূতের", "ভূতের-আহ্বানকারী", "ভূতের-মত", "মৃতদের-সাথে-যোগাযোগকারী", "মৃতদের-সাথে-যোগাযোগকারীদের", "মৃতদের-সাথে-যোগাযোগে"]·DE["[אוב]", "[באוב]", "[האבות]", "[כאוב]", "bei-medium", "der-mediums", "medium"]·EN["by-medium", "like-a-ghost", "medium", "of-medium", "the-mediums"]·FR["[אוב]", "[באוב]", "[האבות]", "[כאוב]", "le-mediums", "medium", "médium", "par-medium"]·heb["אוב", "ב-אוב", "ה-אבת", "ה-אובות", "ה-באוב", "כ-אוב"]·HI["ओब", "जैसे-भूत", "भूत", "भूत-साधकों-से", "भूत-से", "भूतों", "भोओत-से", "भोओतनि", "भोओतियोन", "वलि", "ह-ओबोत-को"]·ID["arwah", "arwah-arwah", "arwah-orang-mati", "kepada-arwah", "melalui-arwah", "para-pemanggil-arwah", "pemanggil-arwah", "pemanggil-pemanggil-arwah", "seperti-arwah"]·IT["[אוב]", "[באוב]", "[האבות]", "[כאוב]", "da-medium", "il-medium", "il-mediums", "medium"]·jav["dhanyang", "dhateng-dhukun", "dhayoh", "dhukun", "dukun", "dukun-dukun", "kados-roh-lelembut", "lan-tukang-tenung", "mawi-roh-setanan", "para-dukun", "roh-lelembut", "roh-pangundang", "roh-setanan", "tiyang-setanan", "tiyang-tiyang-setanan"]·KO["같이-신접한-자", "그-신접한자들을", "그-영매들", "신접하는-자들을", "신접하는-자를", "신접한", "신접한-것과", "신접한-자들을", "에-신접으로", "에-영매", "영매", "영매들과", "영매에게"]·PT["como-fantasma", "espírito", "espírito-familiar", "medíium", "necromante", "os-espíritos", "os-médiuns", "pelo-espírito"]·RU["вызывателей-духов", "вызывателей-мёртвых", "вызывателя-духов", "вызывателя-мёртвых", "вызывателям-мёртвых", "вызывающим-мёртвых", "дух-мёртвых", "духа", "духом", "как-дух", "медиума"]·ES["como-de-médium", "espíritu", "espíritu-de-muertos", "los-espíritus", "los-evocadores-de-muertos", "los-médiums", "médium", "por-el-médium", "por-médium"]·SW["kama-mzimu", "kwa-mwanamke-mwenye-pepo", "kwa-pepo", "mizimu", "mzimu", "pepo", "waaguzi", "wob"]·TR["-ruhla", "cıncıyı", "hortlak-gibi", "medyumlara", "olulere", "ruh", "ruha", "ruhcu", "ruhçuları", "ölü-çağıran", "ölü-çağıranları-", "ölü-çağırıcı-ruh", "ölü-çağırıcılara"]·urd["بھوت", "بھوتوں", "جن-بھوت", "جن-سے", "جن-کی-طرح", "جنات-سے", "جناتوں-کے", "جنوں", "جنّات-سے", "جنّات-والوں", "جنّوں", "جنّوں-کی", "جِنّ", "روح"]
Lev 19:31, Lev 20:6, Lev 20:27, Deut 18:11, 1 Sam 28:3, 1 Sam 28:7, 1 Sam 28:7, 1 Sam 28:8, 1 Sam 28:9, 2 Kgs 21:6, 2 Kgs 23:24, 1 Chr 10:13 (+4 more)
2. wineskin or leather bottle — A leather bottle or wineskin, attested only in Job 32:19 where Elihu compares the pressure of unspoken words to new wine about to burst fresh wineskins. Spanish 'como odres' and English 'like wineskins' confirm this concrete, everyday sense, which shares an etymological link to the hollow, swollen shape that also suggested the ghostly 'hollow voice' of the necromancer. 1×
AR["كَ-زِقاقٍ"]·ben["নতুন-মদের-থলির-মতো"]·DE["[כאבות]"]·EN["like-wineskins"]·FR["comme-כאבות"]·heb["כ-אובות"]·HI["मशकों-की-तरह"]·ID["seperti-kantong"]·IT["come-like-wineskins"]·jav["kadosdene-gendul"]·KO["-같은"]·PT["como-odres"]·RU["как-мехи"]·ES["como-odres"]·SW["kama-viriba"]·TR["tulumlar-gibi"]·urd["جیسے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אוֹב n.m. Jb 32:19 skin-bottle, necromancer, etc.—abs. א׳ Lv 20:27 + 8 times; pl. אֹבוֹת Lv 19:31 + 7 times— 1. skin-bottle, only pl. אֹבוֹת חֲדָשִׁים new (wine-) skins Jb 32:19. 2. necromancer, in phr. אוֹב אוֹיִדְּעֹנִי necrom. or wizard Lv 20:27 (H; usually tr. ‘a man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit or that is a wizard’ RV; but better a man or a woman, if there should be among them,…