אוֹב
𐤀𐤅𐤁
ʼôwb
H178 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A ritual pit, vessel, or medium associated with necromancy; primarily, 'ôb denotes either (1) a ritual object or location intended to be a site of communication with the spirits of the dead, often translated as 'spirit medium's pit' or 'spirit vessel,' or (2) the spirit of the dead itself, summoned in divinatory practice, or the person (medium) through whom such communication is believed to occur. The word can refer both to the practice of necromancy and to the practitioner (medium), as well as to the phenomena manifested (spirit, ghost, 'familiar spirit' in traditional translations).
Semantic Range
necromantic ritual pit, vessel used for necromancy, spirit (medium) summoned from the dead, practitioner of necromancy (medium), necromancer, ghost or spirit of the dead, ritual act of consulting the dead
Root / Etymology
Root: אוב. Likely derived from a root meaning 'hollow' or 'cavity,' possibly referencing hollow vessels (e.g., a skin bottle) or the echoing, hollow voice thought to accompany necromantic ritual. Some propose a connection to the concept of hollow objects (e.g., water skin) and the resonant, mumbling sounds produced therein, which parallel the voices of the dead in necromantic practices. The connection proposed in Strong's to אָב ('father') via 'prattling' is lexically unsound; the dominant evidence supports derivation from the root referring to hollowness or cavity.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the oldest Israelite contexts, 'ôb most commonly appears in polemics against necromancy. Necromantic practice was widespread in the ancient Near East, and 'ôb describes both the tools of necromancy (such as pits or vessels used to summon spirits) and the mediums themselves. The practice involved invoking the deceased, usually through ritual means, often using a ritual pit. Over time, the term broadened in use, coming also to denote either the summoned spirit or the person possessed by a spirit. Standard translations often render 'ôb as 'familiar spirit,' though this phrase does not accurately reflect the word's historical or ritual connotations—English translation traditions impose later European demonological notions absent from ancient Israelite understanding. In narratives such as Saul's visit to the medium at En-dor (1 Sam 28), 'ôb unambiguously refers to necromantic ritual and not to bottles or mere ventriloquism. Later, in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the word's usage (mainly via translation) further blurred distinctions between object, spirit, and practitioner. Related terms include יִדְּעֹנִי (yidde‘onî; 'knower' or 'spiritist'), which may be synonymous or refer to a particular type of practitioner. English Bibles often obscure the full ritual sense by translating as 'wizard' or 'familiar spirit,' neither of which precisely reflect Israelite necromantic concepts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as אָב (apparently through the idea of prattling a father's name); properly, a mumble, i.e. a water skin (from its hollow sound); hence a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar); bottle, familiar spirit.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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אוב (ʾ-w-b) — hollow, cavity, pit, vessel
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H88 | אֹבֹת | in Water-skins |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H178-02 |
הָ/אֹבֹת֙ | haovot | HTd/Ncmpa |
the mediums | the necromantic mediums | 7 |
H178-05 |
א֛וֹב | ov | HNcmsa |
mediums | necromantic pit | 6 |
H178-01 |
בָּ/א֔וֹב | baov | HRd/Ncmsa |
a medium | in the necromantic vessel | 2 |
H178-03 |
כְּ/א֤וֹב | keov | HR/Ncmsa |
like a ghost | like a necromantic vessel | 1 |
H178-04 |
כְּ/אֹב֥וֹת | keovot | HR/Ncmpa |
like wineskins | like necromantic mediums | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
17 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H178-02 |
Leviticus 19:31 | הָ/אֹבֹת֙ | haovot | HTd/Ncmpa |
the mediums | the necromantic mediums |
H178-02 |
Leviticus 20:6 | הָֽ/אֹבֹת֙ | haovot | HTd/Ncmpa |
the mediums | the necromantic mediums |
H178-05 |
Leviticus 20:27 | א֛וֹב | ov | HNcmsa |
a medium | necromantic pit |
H178-05 |
Deuteronomy 18:11 | אוֹב֙ | ov | HNcmsa |
with familiar spirits | necromantic pit |
H178-02 |
1 Samuel 28:3 | הָ/אֹב֥וֹת | haovot | HTd/Ncmpa |
the mediums | the necromantic mediums |
H178-05 |
1 Samuel 28:7 | א֔וֹב | ov | HNcmsa |
a familiar spirit | necromantic pit |
H178-05 |
1 Samuel 28:7 | א֖וֹב | ov-2 | HNcmsa |
a familiar spirit | necromantic pit |
H178-01 |
1 Samuel 28:8 | בָּ/א֔וֹב | baov | HRd/Ncmsa |
by the familiar spirit | in the necromantic vessel |
H178-02 |
1 Samuel 28:9 | הָ/אֹב֥וֹת | haovot | HTd/Ncmpa |
the mediums | the necromantic mediums |
H178-05 |
2 Kings 21:6 | א֖וֹב | ov | HNcmsa |
mediums | necromantic pit |