Leviticus 20:27

27 " 'Suppose a man or woman gets messages from those who have died. Or suppose a man or woman talks to the spirits of the dead. Then you must put that man or woman to death. You must kill them by throwing stones at them. Anything that happens to them will be their own fault.' "

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

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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 " 'So you must be able to tell the difference between animals that are "clean" and those that are not. You must know which birds are "clean" and which are not. Do not make yourselves "unclean" by eating any animal or bird that is not "clean." Do not make yourselves "unclean" by eating anything that moves along the ground. I have set all of them apart. They are "unclean" for you.

26 " 'You must be holy. You must be set apart to me. I am the Lord. I am holy. I have set you apart from the other nations to be my own people.

27 " 'Suppose a man or woman gets messages from those who have died. Or suppose a man or woman talks to the spirits of the dead. Then you must put that man or woman to death. You must kill them by throwing stones at them. Anything that happens to them will be their own fault.' "