Does the word witch actually mean poisoner in the Bible?

[Levi Jones]

Oftentimes some assorted unsaved fool will accuse the King James Bible of mistranslating the word for witch in Exodus 22:18

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

They often have heard from a friend it means poisoner. The source of this lie comes from a man named Reginald Scot circa 1580 in his book The Discoverie of Witchcraft. He bases his claims on that the Greek Septuagint (Old Testament) translates the word as pharmakeia which could be argued to mean one who uses herbs.
Scot argued that witchcraft was not real and he showed how many of the tricks were performed.

So the King James Translators were aware of his claims and still didn't take them seriously as the KJV came out 30 years later. Not only that, but Scot's book was destroyed.
Let's look at the Hebrew word for witch kashaph. כָּשַׁף

By using this argument, you are essentially saying that King James, (Who didn't actually do any of the translation himself. He paid scribes to do it.) purposely mistranslated it over and over again, even when it makes sense in context that it means witch.

Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

2 Chronicles 33:6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Daniel 2:2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

Malachi 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

Very few scholars take Scot seriously once you realize that it simply makes no sense in the context. It is that or words don't mean what they mean and we are mentally editing what the Bible says.

What about other English translations?

If King James is the source of the idea that witch mean poisoner, then surely English translations prior to that will have it that way, right?

I give you the Geneva Study edition from 1560.

Thou shall not suffre a witche to liue.

So apparently King James was in on the conspiracy almost 50 years before the Bible that bears his name was published!

But wait! The conspiracy goes even deeper, dear reader.

The Wycliffe Bible circa 1385 says this.

Thou schalt not suffre witchis to lyue.

Let's go back further, to the Latin Vulgate.

maleficos non patieris vivere

Again, witch. That sneaky King James seems to have planted the idea about 1200 years before his birth.

What's that you say? You're still not sure.

Let's ask the Jews who predate King James by a few millennium.

You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

I think I'm starting to see a pattern here. But surely that was then. Now everyone knows that Scot believed the Greek Old Testament meant "poisoner". Surely, they have corrected the problem by now in this enlightened age, right?

New International Version
"Do not allow a sorceress to live.

New Living Translation
"You must not allow a sorceress to live.

English Standard Version
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

New American Standard Bible
"You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You must not allow a sorceress to live."

International Standard Version
"You are not to allow a sorceress to live.

NET Bible
"You must not allow a sorceress to live.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Never let a witch live.

King James 2000 Bible
You shall not allow a witch to live.

American King James Version
You shall not suffer a witch to live.

American Standard Version
Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Wizards thou shalt not suffer to live.

Darby Bible Translation
thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

English Revised Version
Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

World English Bible
"You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

Young's Literal Translation
'A witch thou dost not keep alive.

So either King James "mistranslated" the word thousands of years prior to the Bible bearing his name was translated and continues to make sure it is mistranslated to this very day or you're wrong, and according to the Bible, witchcraft should be a capital crime!

[Donovan A. Mordecai]

Re: Does the word witch actually mean poisoner in the Bible?

ABOUT TIME! This study has been a long time coming. All those sissy Christians who want some tree hugger God, trying to twist His Beautiful Words into something dirty and fake, have to shut their yaps!

It's time to get back to what God really wants! White male domination, slaughter of God's enemies, and unquestioning fealty to His Divine Whim!

Yours in Him
DAM

[Attila's Wife]

Re: Does the word witch actually mean poisoner in the Bible?

A very interesting and deeply scholarly analysis, as we have come to expect of you, Sir. If I may add to it from my own very limited knowledge, what you say teaches us something interesting about the Romans.

As you say, the Hebrew word means witch. If anyone doubts this, all you have to do is copy the full word from Brother Levi's link into Google and search "Images". The full word is מְכַשֵׁפָה

The results are frankly shocking and very obviously female witches.

If we skip past the Latin, then the Wycliffe Bible the word is also witchis, and so it continues with witch or sorceress right up to and beyond our Beloved KJV.

But what happens in between?

Let's go back further, to the Latin Vulgate.

maleficos non patieris vivere

Again, witch. That sneaky King James seems to have planted the idea about 1200 years before his birth.

What is interesting about this is what it tells us about the enormous problem of sorcery in Roman times. The word maleficos is in the masculine plural form. Does this mean they were talking of male witches? No, it does not, because in Latin, the masculine form includes the feminine; indeed it includes everyone and everything, so maleficos means sorcerers of any sex: male, female, hermaphrodite, eunuch and whatever else you can think of. (I strongly recommend that you do not even try to do so.)

So in Roman society, the problem of witchcraft was not restricted to women, and their ambiguous translation reflects this. Wycliffe and King James had the good fortune to live in more civilised societies and were able to restore the original meaning.

YiC
Attila's Wife

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Re: Does the word witch actually mean poisoner in the Bible?

Witch #1 escaped but is still being hunted.
I personally dealt with witch #2,
Witch #3 was a serious case and dealt with under local laws.

They are out there and living among us. They will most probably be old and ugly or young and seductive but spurn your advances. If something bad happens, look around. Who fits the description? I think you will have found your witch.

[MitzaLizalor]

Re: Does the word witch actually mean poisoner in the Bible?

maleficos non patieris vivere

This is so well understood that even J. K. Rowling employed the root in her "Malfoy" family - and what was the theme of her story?
Witchcraft, spells, magic wands, flying balls