H7248 H7248
Rab-mag, chief magician or chief soothsayer (Babylonian title)
Rab-mag was an official Babylonian title meaning 'chief of the magi' or 'chief soothsayer,' appearing in Jeremiah's account of Jerusalem's fall. The term is a loanword from Akkadian 'rab maḫḫû' (chief soothsayer), identifying a high-ranking member of Nebuchadnezzar's court who participated in the conquest. This official belonged to the class of wise men, diviners, and magicians who advised Babylonian kings—a group Daniel would later join.
Senses
1. sense 1 — This Babylonian court title designates the chief of the magicians or soothsayers. Jeremiah 39:3 and 39:13 list 'Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag' among the Babylonian princes who entered Jerusalem after its fall and sat at the Middle Gate. The title indicates this official held high rank in Nebuchadnezzar's administration, specifically over the class of ritual specialists, diviners, and court magicians. The presence of such religious-political officials at Jerusalem's capture emphasizes the comprehensive nature of Babylonian conquest—military, political, and cultic dimensions all represented. 3×
AR["الْمَجُوسِ", "رَبُّ", "رَبُّ-الْمَجُوسِ"]·ben["প্রধান-", "প্রধান-মাগ", "মাগ"]·DE["[מג]", "[רב]", "[רבמג]"]·EN["chief", "chief-magician", "magician"]·FR["[מג]", "[רבמג]", "nombreux"]·heb["מג", "רב-", "רב-מג"]·HI["माग", "रब-", "रब-माग"]·ID["Mag", "Rab-", "Rab-Mag"]·IT["comandante"]·jav["ahli-nujum", "kepala-", "kepala-ahli-nujum"]·KO["마관의", "장-", "장-마관의"]·PT["Mag", "Rav-", "Rav-Mag"]·RU["Маг", "Рав-", "Рав-Маг"]·ES["jefe-de", "jefe-de-magos", "magos"]·SW["mkuu-wa", "mkuu-wa-waganga", "waganga"]·TR["Mag", "Rav-", "Rav-Mag"]·urd["جادوگر", "رب-", "رب-ماگ"]
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×)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×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מָ֑ג n.m. soothsayer, magian (loan-word from Assyrian maḫḫû. soothsayer, DlHWB397; perhaps orig. Sumerian, DlHA14);—רַב־מָ֑ג Je 39:3, 13 chief-soothsayer, in train of Nebuchadrezzar.