Leviticus 20:27

27 A man also or a woman that has a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be on them.

Leviticus 20:27 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 20:27

A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit
Or the spirit of Python or divination, see ( Leviticus 19:31 ) ; such as the damsel had in ( Acts 16:16 ) ; a woman is here particularly mentioned, though before included in the above law; because, as Aben Ezra says, such sort of practices were more frequently committed by women; to which Maimonides


FOOTNOTES:

F12 adds another reason, because men have a natural clemency towards the female sex, and are not easily prevailed upon to put them to death; therefore the law says, "thou shall not suffer a witch to live", ( Exodus 22:18 ) ; or that is a wizard;
a knowing one, who pretends to a great deal of knowledge of things; as of lost or stolen goods, and even knowledge of things future, and imposes upon persons, and cheats them of their money they give for information: such shall surely be put to death:
and not spared through favour and affection: the death they are to be put to follows: they shall stone them with stones;
until they are dead; of the manner of stoning, (See Gill on Acts 7:58); their blood [shall be] upon them:
they are worthy of death, and they shall suffer it: this phrase following upon the former, the Jews F13 gather from hence, that, wherever it is used, it is to be understood of stoning; (See Gill on Leviticus 20:9).
F12 Moreh Nevochim, par. 3. c. 37.
F13 Torat Cohanim in Yalcut in loc.

Leviticus 20:27 In-Context

25 You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and you shall not make your souls abominable by animal, or by bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have separated from you as unclean.
26 You shall be holy to me: for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.
27 A man also or a woman that has a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be on them.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.