φαρμακεύς
pharmakeús
G5332
SILEX Entry
Definition
A person who prepares or administers potions, drugs, or poisons; in extended use, one who practices magical arts, specifically through the use or application of substances. The word denotes primarily a preparer of drugs or potions—whether for medicinal or harmful purposes—but in Hellenistic contexts and in biblical usage, it strongly connotes someone who employs such skills in magical or occult practice (a magus employing potions). The principal sense in Jewish and early Christian literature is that of a person practicing illicit magic, often associated with harmful or idolatrous acts.
Semantic Range
one who prepares or administers drugs; a poisoner; one practicing magical arts through potions; a magician connected with harmful substances; a sorcerer, especially one condemned in Jewish or Christian texts
Root / Etymology
From φάρμακον (phármakon, 'drug, potion, poison'). The agent noun suffix -εύς indicates a person who practices or deals in these substances. Thus, φαρμακεύς is 'one who uses or dispenses drugs/potions', especially in the sense of magical practice.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, φαρμακεύς typically refers to a person who prepares drugs or poisons, and may be neutral or pejorative depending on context. By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and especially in Jewish and Christian usage, the term is often pejorative, indicating a practitioner of forbidden magic or witchcraft. In the Septuagint and New Testament, it carries connotations of sorcery involving drugs or poisons and is associated with condemned magical practices. English renderings as 'sorcerer' or 'magician' reflect this context but can obscure the original connection to drug preparation. The related term φαρμακεία (pharmakeía) refers to the practice itself ('sorcery', 'magic', or 'using potions'). Early Christian polemic used the word to mark out pagans or rival religious practitioners, and over time it became a strongly negative term. There is overlap with other Greek terms for enchanters or magicians (e.g., μάγος, γόης), but φαρμακεύς is distinguished by its emphasis on substances (potions, poisons).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); a druggist ("pharmacist") or poisoner, i.e. (by extension) a magician:--sorcerer.
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 total occurrences
No occurrences found.