H7080 H7080
To practice divination, seek omens; as participle, a diviner or soothsayer; the act and agents of non-Yahwistic oracle-seeking.
Qasam is the Hebrew Bible's primary term for divination — the attempt to obtain hidden knowledge or predict the future through ritual techniques outside the prophetic word of Yahweh. The word appears almost exclusively in negative or cautionary contexts: Deuteronomy 18:10 names the qosem ('diviner') first in its catalogue of forbidden practitioners, and every subsequent occurrence carries that Deuteronomic shadow. Balaam is identified as a qosem in Joshua 13:22, and the false prophets of Micah 3:11 'divine for money.' The multilingual evidence is remarkably consistent — Spanish adivino, French devin, German Wahrsager, and Swahili mpiga ramli all select culturally specific 'fortune-teller' vocabulary, confirming that this root was understood as a technical term for a particular social role rather than a generic word for inquiry. The root covers both the agent (diviner), the act (to divine), and occasionally the product (the divination itself).
Senses
1. diviner (agent noun) — The Qal active participle used as a substantive agent noun: a diviner, soothsayer, or practitioner of divination. This is the most frequent use at 11 occurrences, appearing in lists of forbidden practitioners (Deut 18:10, 14), as a professional title (Josh 13:22 identifies Balaam as haqqosem), and alongside priests and prophets as rival sources of knowledge (1 Sam 6:2; Isa 3:2; 44:25). Spanish adivino, German Wahrsager, and Korean 점쟁이 all select lexicalized 'fortune-teller' terms rather than generic descriptive phrases, confirming this is a recognized social role noun, not merely a verbal participle. 11×
AR["الْ-عَرّافَ","الْعَرَّافُونَ","الْعَرَّافِينَ","عَرَّافِيكُمْ","وَ-العَرَّافَ","وَ-الـ-عَرَّافِينَ","وَالعَرَّافِينَ","وَالْعَرَّافُونَ","وَالْعَرَّافِينَ","وَعَارِفِينَ","وَعَرَّافُوكُمْ"]·ben["আর-গণকরা","আর-মন্ত্রকারী","এবং-গণকদের-কাছে","এবং-গণকেরা","এবং-ভাগ্যগণনাকারীদের","এবং-ভাগ্যবিচারকারীরা","ও-মন্ত্রবিদ","মন্ত্রবিদ","মন্ত্রবিদরা","মন্ত্রীদের-তোমাদের","শকুন-বিচারকদের"]·DE["[הקסמים]","[והקוסמים]","[והקסמים]","[וקסם]","[וקסמיכם]","[וקסמים]","[קסמיכם]","der-diviner","diviners","und-zu-der-diviners"]·EN["and-diviner","and-diviners","and-divining","and-the-diviners","and-the-divining","and-to-the-diviners","and-your-diviners","diviners","the-diviner","the-diviners","your-diviners"]·FR["[וקסם]","[וקסמיכם]","[וקסמים]","[קסמיכם]","deviner","diviners","et-deviner","et-à-le-diviners","le-diviner"]·heb["ה-קוסם","ה-קוסמים","ו-ה-קוסמים","ו-ל-קוסמים","ו-קוסם","ו-קוסמיכם","ו-קוסמים","קוסמיכם","קוסמים"]·HI["अपने-भविष्यवक्ताओं-की","और-अपने-भविष्यवक्ताओं","और-को-जोतिषियों","और-जोतसियों-ने","और-ज्योतिषियों","और-भाग्य-बताने-वाला","और-भाग्य-बतानेवालों","और-शकुन-लेनेवाले","टोनहा","भविष्यवक्ता","भाग्य-बताने-वालों"]·ID["dan-meramalkan","dan-para-peramal","dan-penenung-penunungmu","dan-peramal","dan-peramal-peramal","dan-yang-menenung","para-penenung","para-peramal","tukang-tenung"]·IT["[וקסם]","[וקסמיכם]","[וקסמים]","[קסמיכם]","diviners","e-a-il-diviners","e-indovinare","il-diviner","indovinare"]·jav["juru-tenun-panjenengan-sedaya","lan-dhateng-para-dukun","lan-dukun","lan-ingkang-tenung","lan-juru-tenun-panjenengan-sedaya","lan-ndhukunaken","lan-para-juru-tenung","para-dukun","tiyang-ahli-piramal","tukang-tenun"]·KO["그-점쟁이들-이","그-점쟁이를","그리고-그-점쟁이들을","그리고-그-점쟁이들이","그리고-너희의-점쟁이들","그리고-점치는","그리고-점치는-자들이다","그리고-점콜이들을","너희의-점쟁이들","점술가들을","점쟁이와"]·PT["adivinhadores","e-adivinhando","e-adivinho","e-adivinhos","e-aos-adivinhos","e-os-adivinhadores","e-os-que-adivinham","e-vossos-adivinhadores","o-adivinho","os-adivinhadores","vossos-adivinhadores"]·RU["гадателей-ваших","гадатели","гадателям","и-волхвов","и-гадатели","и-гадатели-ваши","и-гадателя","и-гадающих","и-прорицателей","прорицателя","пустоту"]·ES["adivinos","el-adivino","los-adivinos","vuestros-adivinos","y-a-los-adivinos","y-adivinadores","y-adivinando","y-adivino","y-los-adivinos","y-los-que-adivinan","y-vuestros-adivinos"]·SW["mchawi","na-mchawi","na-wabashiri","na-wachawi","na-wakitabiri","na-wanaotabiri","na-wapigaji-ramli-wenu","waaguzi","waguzi","wapigaji-ramli-wenu"]·TR["fal-açanlara","fal-bakıcılarınızı","falcı","falcılar-o","ve-fal-bakanlar","ve-fal-bakanların","ve-falci","ve-falcilari","ve-falcılar","ve-falcılara","ve-falcılarınız"]·urd["اور-فال-نکالنے-والے","اور-فال-کھولنے-والے","اور-فال-گیروں","اور-فال-گیروں-کو","اور-فالگیر","اور-فالگیر-تمہارے","اور-فالگیروں-کو","فال-گیر","فال-گیروں","فالگیر","فالگیروں-اپنے"]
2. divination (verbal noun) — The Qal infinitive construct functioning as a verbal noun denoting the act or practice of divination itself. Five occurrences concentrate in Ezekiel 21, where the king of Babylon stands at the crossroads 'to practice divination' (Ezek 21:21) and his divination-procedure is described step by step. Micah 3:6 also uses the infinitive to describe the cessation of divinatory activity. The cross-linguistic pattern — Spanish adivinacion, French deviner (infinitive), German Wahrsagung — consistently selects abstract action-noun forms, distinguishing the practice from the practitioner. 5×
AR["[قرأ]","بِعِرَافَةِ","كَعِرَافَةٍ","لِيَعْرِفَ","مِنْ-عِرَافَةٍ"]·ben["-করে-ভাগ্যবিচারের","-মতো-ভাগ্যবিচার","[qere]","করতে","মন্ত্র-ছাড়া-"]·DE["[בקסם]","[כקסום]","[כקסם]","[לקסם]","[מקסם]"]·EN["as-divination-of-","from-divination","in-divining-","to-divine-"]·FR["deviner"]·heb["[כקסום־]","ב-קסום־","כ-קסם־","ל-קסום־","מ-קסום"]·HI["(जैसे-शकुन-)","[जैसे-शकुन-]","भविष्यवाणी-से","में-शकुन-","शकुन-लेने-"]·ID["dengan-menenung","seperti-tenung","tanpa-ramalan","untuk-menenung"]·IT["indovinare"]·jav["[kados-undhi-]","ing-undhi-","kados-undhi-","kanggé-ngundhi-","saking-tenungan"]·KO["-점치며-","에서-점술","점-같은-","점이","점쳐-점을-"]·PT["ao-adivinharem","como-adivinhação","de-adivinhação","para-adivinhar"]·RU["гадать","как-гадание","ложное","от-гадания","при-гадании"]·ES["(como-adivinación)","al-adivinar","como-adivinación","de-adivinación","para-adivinar"]·SW["bila-uaguzi","kama","kutabiri","kwa-kutabiri","uaguzi"]·TR["-den-kehanet","[k]","fal-bakarken","fal-bakmak-için","gibi-fal"]·urd["(فال-)","[فال]","فال-سے","فال-نکالنے-","فال-نکالنے-میں-"]
3. to practice divination — Finite verbal forms (imperfect, imperative, consecutive imperfect) describing the concrete act of divining in narrative contexts. Saul commands the medium at Endor to 'divine for me' (1 Sam 28:8); Israel and Judah 'practiced divination' among their accumulated sins (2 Kgs 17:17); the false prophetesses 'shall divine no more' (Ezek 13:23); the prophets 'divine for money' (Mic 3:11). The imperative and imperfect forms emphasize the volitional, performative nature of the act — someone chooses to consult forbidden powers. Korean 점치다 and Swahili -piga ramli both use activity-verb constructions here. 5×
AR["[كتيب]","تَعْرِفْنَ","تَكَهَّني","وَعَرَّفُوا","يَتَعَرَّفُونَ"]·ben["(ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী-বলে-দাও-)","[ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী-বলে-দাও-]","এবং-গণনা-করল","তোমরা-করবে","মন্ত্র-বলে"]·DE["[divine]","[יקסמו]","[תקסמנה]","und-sie-divined"]·EN["[divine]","and-they-divined","divine","they-divine","you-shall-divine"]·FR["[divine]","deviner","divine","et-ils-divined"]·heb["(קסמי-)","[קסומי-]","ו-קסמו","יקסמו","תקסמנה"]·HI["(भअग्य-बत-)","[भअग्य-बत-]","और-टोना-किया","तुम-बताओगी","भविष्यवाणी-करते-हैं"]·ID["(ramal-)","akan-kamu-tenung","dan-mereka-bertenung","meramal","ramal-"]·IT["[divine]","divine","e-essi-divined","indovinare"]·jav["(tenungan-)","[tenungan-]","lan-ngramal","panjenengan-sedaya-badhé-tenung","tenungan"]·KO["(점쳐-)","[점치라-]","그들이-사용했다","너희가-치리라","점친다"]·PT["[adivinha]","adivinha-","adivinham","adivinhareis","e-adivinharam"]·RU["[кетив]","будете-гадать","гадают","и-гадали","погадай-"]·ES["K(adivina-)","Q[adivina-]","adivinan","adivinaréis","y-adivinaron"]·SW["na-wakafanya-uaguzi","niagulie","tabiri","wanatabiri"]·TR["(fal-aç-)","[fal-aç-]","bakacaksınız","kehanet-ederler","ve-fal-baktırdılar"]·urd["(فال-کھول-)","[فال-کھول-]","اور-فال-نکالی","فال-لیتے-ہیں","کھولو-گی-تم"]
4. please (interjection) — A single anomalous occurrence at 1 Samuel 28:8 tagged as an interjection meaning 'please.' This almost certainly reflects a tagging or lemma-assignment error in the morphological database rather than a genuine sense of qasam. The word na' (the Hebrew particle of entreaty) appears in the same verse and may have been conflated. Spanish por favor, French je te prie, and German bitte all render a politeness particle with no connection to divination. This sense should be treated as a data artifact rather than a real lexicographic entry. 1×
AR["رجاءً"]·ben["দয়া-করে"]·DE["bitte"]·EN["please"]·FR["je-te-prie"]·heb["נא"]·HI["क्रिपय"]·ID["kiranya"]·IT["ti-prego"]·jav["mugi"]·KO["제발"]·PT["por-favor"]·RU["прошу"]·ES["por-favor"]·SW["tafadhali"]·TR["lütfen"]·urd["براہ-کرم"]
5. divinations (product noun) — A nominal plural form referring to the products or results of divination — the specific oracular pronouncements obtained through divinatory practice. Appearing once at Deuteronomy 18:10, the plural form qesamim denotes the divinations themselves as countable outputs rather than the agent or the abstract practice. Spanish adivinacion and English 'divinations' both pluralize, pointing to concrete instances of divinatory speech. This product-noun sense completes the agent-act-product triad that the root covers. 1×
AR["عِرَافَةً"]·ben["শকুনের"]·DE["divinations"]·EN["divinations"]·FR["divinations"]·heb["קסמים"]·HI["भाग्य"]·ID["tenungan"]·IT["divinations"]·jav["tetenunan"]·KO["점을"]·PT["adivinhações"]·RU["гаданиями"]·ES["adivinación"]·SW["uaguzi"]·TR["fallar"]·urd["فالوں"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [קָסַם] vb.denom. practise divination;— Qal Impf. 3 mpl. יִקְסְמוּ 2 K 17:17, יִקְסֹ֑מוּ Mi 3:11; 2 fs. תִּקְסַמְנָה Ez 13:23; Imv. fs. קָסֳמִי 1 S 28:8 Qr (Kt קסומי); Inf. cstr. קְסֹם Mi 3:8 (Buhl קֶסֶם), קֶסָם־ Ez 21:26, 34 קְסָ֯ום־ Ez 21:28 (read קֶסֶם Co Buhl), especially Pt. קֹסֵם Dt 18:10; Is 3:2, etc.;— 1. of diviners of the nations, Balaam, Jos 13:22 (D), Philist. 1 S 6:2 (‖ כהנים),…