H7081 H7081
Divination, the practice of seeking hidden knowledge by occult means; also an oracle or authoritative pronouncement
The noun קֶסֶם refers to divination — the attempt to discover the future or hidden things by supernatural means outside the LORD's appointed channels. In the Hebrew Bible it appears almost exclusively as a forbidden practice: Balaam's divination fees (Num 22:7), the cognate accusative 'one who practices divination' (Deut 18:10), and the false prophets' lying divinations (Ezek 13:6). Yet a single striking exception in Proverbs 16:10 applies the word positively to the king's lips, treating his pronouncements as a kind of oracle that should not err in judgment.
2. oracle (authoritative pronouncement) — A single positive occurrence in Prov 16:10, where קֶסֶם is placed on the lips of a king: 'a divine sentence is in the lips of the king; his mouth should not transgress in judgment.' Here the word shifts from forbidden sorcery to an authoritative, almost divinely guided pronouncement. Spanish renders it distinctively as 'Oraculo' (oracle), while other languages retain 'divination,' showing the tension between the word's negative default and this proverbial elevation of royal speech to something approaching inspired utterance. 1×
AR["عِرافَةٌ"]·ben["দৈববাণী"]·DE["[קסם]"]·EN["divination"]·FR["קסם"]·heb["קסם"]·HI["भविष्यवाणी"]·ID["Keputusan-ilahi"]·IT["divination"]·jav["wahyu"]·KO["신적-결정이"]·PT["Oráculo"]·RU["пророчество"]·ES["Oráculo"]·SW["uamuzi"]·TR["kehanet"]·urd["فیصلہ"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. divination (pagan/forbidden practice) — The dominant sense covers divination as a pagan or illicit practice — foretelling events or discerning the hidden through occult techniques. The multilingual evidence is consistent: English 'divination,' Spanish 'adivinacion,' French 'divination,' German using the untranslated Hebrew form. Balaam carries 'divination fees' (Num 22:7), there is no divination effective against Israel (Num 23:23), and the practice is flatly prohibited alongside sorcery and necromancy (Deut 18:10, 2 Kgs 17:17). Ezekiel especially targets false prophets whose divination is 'lying' (כָּזָב, Ezek 13:6, 21:34) — fraudulent claims dressed up as prophecy. 10×
AR["الْعِرَافَةُ","عَرَّافٌ","عِرَافَةً","عِرَافَةٍ","عِرَافَةَ","وَ-عِرَافَاتٌ","وَ-عِرَافَةً","وَعِرَافَةً"]·ben["আর-মন্ত্র","এবং-জাদুবিদ্যা","ও-মন্ত্র","গণক","ভাগ্য","ভাগ্যবিচার","মন্ত্রবিদ্যার","শকুন-বিচারক"]·DE["[הקסם]","[וקסם]","[קסם]","divination","divinations","eins-practicing-divination","sorcery","und-divination-fees"]·EN["and-divination","and-divination-fees","and-divination-of","divination","divinations","one-practicing-divination","sorcery","the-divination"]·FR["[וקסם]","divination","divinations","et-divination","et-divination-fees","sorcery","un-practicing-divination"]·heb["ה-קסם","ו-קסם","ו-קסמים","קוסם","קסם","קסמים"]·HI["और-भविष्यबाणी","और-भाग्य","और-शगुन","जदु-क","टोने","भाग्य-बताने-वाला","भावी-कथन","शकुन"]·ID["dan-ramalan","dan-tenung","dan-upah-tenung","tenung","tenung-itu","yang-menenung"]·IT["[הקסם]","[וקסם]","[קסם]","divination","divinations","e-divination-fees","sorcery","uno-practicing-divination"]·jav["lan-opah-tenungan","lan-paniten","lan-tenung","nujum","panenungan","ramal","tukang-tenun","undhi;","undhianipun"]·KO["그-점이","그리고-점-보는-값들-이","그리고-점을","그리고-점치를","복술-이","점술을","점을","점치는-자를","점치는것"]·PT["a-adivinhação","adivinhando","adivinhação","adivinhações","e-adivinhação","e-adivinhações"]·RU["ворожбы","гадание","гадания","гадающий","и-вознаграждение-за-ворожбу","и-гадание"]·ES["adivinaciones","adivinación","la-adivinación","practicante-de","y-adivinaciones","y-adivinación"]·SW["mbaguzi-wa","na-malipo-ya-uaguzi","na-uaguzi","uaguzi","uganga"]·TR["fal","fal-açan","fal-bakma","falcılık","fallar","falı","ve-fal","ve-falcılık-ücretleri"]·urd["اور-فال","اور-فالگیری","جادو","فال","فال-گیر"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† קֶ֫סֶם n.[m.] divination;—abs. ק׳ Nu 23:23 +, קָ֑סֶם Ez 21:26; cstr. קֶסֶם 13:6; pl. קְסָמִים Dt 18:10 +;— 1. of the nations: Balaam, Nu 23:23 (poem in JE; ‖ נַחַשׁ; c. ב against; as acc. cogn. לִקְסָם־ק׳ Ez 21:26; ק׳ as instr. of divination בִּימִינוֹ v 27; so of elders of Moab and Midian, קְסָמִים בְּיָדָם, Nu 22:7 (E).—Is 2:6 v. [קָסַס" dir="rtl" >קָסַם]. 2. of false proph. ק׳ כָּזָב Ez 13:6…