Exodus 22:18

Summary

The verse consists of only two Hebrew words plus a negation: a feminine singular participle designating "a sorceress" (or "a woman who practices sorcery"), followed by a negated verb meaning "you will let live." The sentence is a direct prohibition addressed to a singular "you," concerning the survival of a specific class of practitioner.

Key words

• mekhashefah ("a sorceress", H3784) — Piel participle, feminine singular. The participle form functions as a substantive, identifying an agent by her habitual action ("one who practices sorcery") rather than describing a single act. The feminine gender is grammatically marked.
• lo ("not", H3808) — the standard negative particle used with imperfect verbs to express a prohibition or a firm negative statement about future/ongoing action.
• techayyeh ("you will let live", H2421) — Piel imperfect, second person masculine singular. The Piel stem here carries a causative-intensive sense: not simply "to live" (which would be Qal) but "to cause to live / to preserve alive." The imperfect aspect points to an action not yet completed, applicable whenever the situation described arises.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence places the object of the prohibition, mekhashefah ("a sorceress", H3784), in the initial position, before the negation and verb. This word-order (object–negation–verb) foregrounds the subject of concern rather than the action, a common feature in Hebrew casuistic-style prohibitions found in this legal section of Exodus. The addressee of the verb techayyeh ("you will let live", H2421) is grammatically masculine singular, meaning the command is directed at an individual (or a generalized "you" representing the community/legal agent), regardless of the feminine gender of the participle mekhashefah.

The causative force of the Piel stem in techayyeh is significant: the verb does not merely negate "life" in the abstract but negates the act of causing someone to remain alive — that is, the sentence concerns an active decision or intervention regarding this person's continued existence, not a passive statement about her fate.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the Hebrew feminine singular mekhashefah ("a sorceress", H3784) with the Greek masculine plural Φαρμακοὺς ("poisoners/sorcerers"), shifting both grammatical number and gender from the Hebrew source. The Vulgate similarly uses the masculine plural Maleficos ("evildoers/sorcerers"), diverging from the Hebrew's singular feminine form. Modern translations vary: BSB and RV1909 preserve the feminine singular ("a sorceress" / "la hechicera"), matching the Hebrew grammar, while SBLIBRE expands to "ninguna bruja ni hechicera" ("any witch or sorceress"), broadening the referent beyond what the single Hebrew participle specifies.