Regard not them that have familiar spirits
The word used signifies "bottles", and that sort of diviners here intended go by this name, either because what they sat on when they divined was in the form of a bottle, or they divined by one, or they were swelled and inflated as bottles when they delivered out their answers, or spoke as out of a bottle or hollow place; hence they are called masters or mistresses of the bottle: they seem to be the same with the ventriloquists, and so the Septuagint version here calls them; such whose voice seemed to come out of their bellies, and even the lower parts of them; and such was the Pythian prophetess at Delphos, and very probably the maid in the times of the apostles, who had a spirit of divination, or of Python, ( Acts 16:16 ) ; and so the words may be rendered here, "look not to the Python" F14, or those who have the spirit of Python; so Jarchi from the Misnah F15 interprets the word here used, "Baal Ob" or the master of the bottle, this is Python, one that speaks from under his arm holes: neither seek after wizards;
such as pretend to a great deal of knowledge, as the word signifies; such as are called cunning men, who pretend to know where lost or stolen goods are, and to tell people their fortunes, and what will befall them hereafter: to be defiled by them;
for by seeking to them, and believing what is said by them, and trusting thereunto, and expecting events answerable to their predictions, they would be guilty of a gross sin, and so bring pollution and guilt on them; according to the Jewish canons F16, such sort of persons as are cautioned against were to be stoned, and they that consulted them to be reproved; I [am] the Lord your God;
who only is to be regarded and sought unto for advice and assistance; see ( Isaiah 8:19 ) .
The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.