Leviticus 19:31

Summary

The verse prohibits turning to 'ovot ("necromancers", H0178) and yidde'onim ("soothsayers", H3049), and prohibits seeking them out because doing so results in becoming unclean. The verse closes with a self-identification formula, "I [am] Yehovah your God."

Key words

• tif.Nu ("you turn", H6437G) — qal jussive, second person masculine plural; paired with the negation 'al (H0408) it forms a prohibition addressed collectively to the group ("you all must not turn").
• 'oVot ("necromancers", H0178) — feminine plural noun with definite article, naming one category of practitioner consulted for contact with the dead.
• yidde'oNim ("soothsayers", H3049) — masculine plural noun with definite article, naming a second category, often paired with 'ovot elsewhere in the text.
• tevakShu ("you seek [them]", H1245) — piel jussive, second person masculine plural; the piel stem intensifies the action of seeking, distinct from the simpler qal verb used for "turn."
• tame'Ah ("become unclean", H2930A) — qal infinitive, expressing the result or purpose ("in becoming unclean") of consulting these figures, attached to the phrase "by them" (va.Hem, H9038/H9003).

What the text says

The verse is built from two parallel prohibitions, each using the negation 'al (H0408) with a jussive verb form addressed to the plural "you." The first prohibition, 'al-tifNu ("you may not turn", H6437G), governs the object 'el-ha'oVot ("to the necromancers") and ve'el-hayyidde'oNim ("and to the soothsayers"), joined by the conjunction ve (H9002). The second prohibition, 'al-tevakShu ("you may not seek", H1245), uses a piel stem, which in Biblical Hebrew often marks a more deliberate or intensive action compared to the qal stem used for "turn." This suggests a distinction between merely turning toward these figures and actively seeking them out, though both actions are forbidden.

The infinitive tame'Ah ("to become unclean", H2930A) with the prefixed preposition le (H9005) expresses the consequence or purpose of the forbidden seeking: doing so results in uncleanness "by them" (va.Hem, combining preposition H9003 and suffix H9038). The verse ends with the formula 'aNi Yehovah 'eloHei-Khem ("I [am] Yehovah, God of you [plural]", H0589, H3068G, H0430G, H9026), where 'eloHei is a plural construct noun linked to the following suffix, a common construction for expressing "God of."

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'oVot ("necromancers", H0178) as engastrimythois ("ventriloquists/those who speak from the belly") and yidde'oNim ("soothsayers", H3049) as epaoidois ("enchanters"), using Greek terms tied to specific divinatory practices rather than direct equivalents. The Vulgate renders these as magos ("magicians") and ariolis ("diviners"). Where the Hebrew uses two parallel jussive prohibitions (tifNu / tevakShu), the Vulgate structures the second clause with nec... aliquid sciscitemini ("nor should you inquire anything"), adding the object aliquid ("anything") not present in the Hebrew text. The LXX uses proskollethesesthe ("you will cling to/be joined to") for tevakShu ("you seek", H1245), a verb of physical attachment rather than seeking.