H2749 H2749
magician, diviner-priest; member of the professional class of occult practitioners at royal courts
Chartom designates the professional magicians and diviner-priests who served at ancient Near Eastern royal courts. In Daniel, they appear as one of several expert classes summoned by Babylonian kings to interpret dreams and mysteries, yet they consistently fail where Daniel, empowered by God, succeeds. The word is Aramaic in Daniel's usage and has a Hebrew cognate used of Egyptian magicians in the Joseph and Exodus narratives. Spanish 'magos,' English 'magicians,' and the consistent multilingual pattern all converge on the notion of court-based occult specialists rather than folk practitioners.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Magician, diviner-priest attached to a royal court. In Daniel, chartom designates professional practitioners of the occult arts summoned to interpret dreams and signs alongside enchanters and sorcerers (Dan 2:10, 27; 4:7, 9; 5:11). They consistently fail to interpret divine mysteries, serving as a literary foil to Daniel's God-given wisdom. Spanish 'magos' and English 'magicians' reflect the institutional, courtly register. The related Hebrew form appears for Pharaoh's magicians in Genesis 41 and Exodus 7-9, linking Babylonian and Egyptian court magic traditions. 5×
AR["السَّحَرَةُ", "السَّحَرَةِ", "الْسَحَرَةُ", "سَاحِرٍ"]·ben["মন্ত্রবিদ", "মন্ত্রবিদদের", "মন্ত্রবিদরা"]·DE["[חרטם]", "[חרטמיא]", "[חרטמין]"]·EN["magician", "magicians", "the-magicians"]·FR["[חרטם]", "[חרטמיא]", "[חרטמין]"]·heb["ה-חרטומים", "חרטום", "חרטומים"]·HI["ज्योतिषियों-के", "ज्योतिषी"]·ID["-ahli-ahli-tenung", "ahli-jampi"]·IT["[חרטם]", "[חרטמיא]", "[חרטמין]"]·jav["ahli-sihir", "para-ahli-sihir", "para-juru-sihir", "para-juru-tenung"]·KO["박수들", "박수들-의", "술사들이", "술사에게도"]·PT["mago", "magos", "os-magos"]·RU["-чародеев", "магов", "чародеи", "чародея"]·ES["los-magos", "mago", "magos"]·SW["mchawi", "wachawi", "waganga"]·TR["büyücüden", "büyücüler", "büyücülerin"]·urd["جادوگر", "جادوگروں", "جادوگروں-کے"]
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
‡ † חַרְטֹם n.m. magician (BH id., √ I. חרט);—abs. Dn 2:10; pl. abs. חַרְטֻמִּין 2:27; 5:11; emph. -מַּיָּא 4:4, 6.