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φαρμακεία

pharmakeía

G5331 noun

SILEX Entry

Root φαρμακ- drug, potion, spell, sorcery

Definition

The use or administration of drugs or potions; in extended and figurative sense, the practice of magic, sorcery, or the use of supernatural means (often in illicit or harmful ways). The primary sense relates to the mixing or use of substances for medicinal or ritual purposes, while in many contexts, especially in Hellenistic and early Christian texts, the term denotes magical arts or sorcery, frequently with a negative moral connotation as illicit or dangerous use of occult practices.

Semantic Range

use or administration of drugs or potions, preparation of magical potions, magic, sorcery, involvement in occult practices, use of spells or enchantments

Root / Etymology

Derived from φάρμακον (phármakōn, 'drug, potion, charm, poison') with the abstract noun ending -εία (-eía), indicating the practice or art pertaining to drugs or potions. The precise transition from 'drug use' to 'sorcery' is shaped by cultural associations of potion-making with magical practice.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, φαρμακεία referred broadly to the use or administration of drugs or potions—whether medicinal, poisonous, or for ritual purposes. By the Hellenistic period and in Koine Greek, the term increasingly came to designate the practice of magic or sorcery, likely due to the association of making and administering potions with occult or supernatural activities. In the Septuagint and other Jewish literature, φαρμακεία often translates Hebrew terms for sorcery or necromancy, emphasizing forbidden magical practices rather than legitimate medicine. In the New Testament (e.g. Galatians 5:20, Revelation 9:21, 18:23), φαρμακεία refers negatively to practices considered contrary to allegiance to God, rendered in many English versions as 'sorcery' or 'witchcraft.' Standard translations may obscure the word's association with both drug use and magical arts; the term was not limited to pharmacy in the modern medical sense, nor does it simply mean 'witchcraft' as understood in later Christian interpretation. The related term φαρμακεύς refers to a practitioner (sorcerer or druggist), not strictly a pharmacist. The negative connotation of φαρμακεία in Judeo-Christian texts distinguishes it from neutral or positive terms for healing or medicine.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from φαρμακεύς; medication ("pharmacy"), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively):--sorcery, witchcraft.

Root Family

φαρμακεία (pharmakeia) — drug use, potion-making, spell-casting, sorcery

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G5331-01 φαρμακεία pharmakeia N NOM F SG sorcery potion-sorcery 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G5331-01 Galatians 5:20 φαρμακεία pharmakeia N NOM F SG sorcery potion-sorcery
G5331-01 Revelation 18:23 φαρμακείᾳ pharmakeia N DAT F SG sorcery potion-sorcery
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