Leviticus 20:6

And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Cross-reference

Leviticus 20:27 prescribes the death penalty for mediums and necromancers, the very practitioners consulted here.

Leviticus 19:31 gives the same command not to turn to mediums or necromancers—this verse adds the consequence.

Deuteronomy 18:10-14 expands the list of forbidden occult practices, including consulting the dead as here.

Hosea 4:12 Allusion

In Hosea 4:12, Israel seeks counsel from idols and diviners — the same turning to forbidden spirit sources condemned in Leviticus 20:6, described as harlotry.

1 Chronicles 10:13 Historical context

In 1 Chronicles 10:13, Saul's death is attributed to seeking a medium — a direct example of the sin punished in Leviticus 20:6.

Isaiah 8:19 Allusion

Isaiah 8:19 mocks consulting mediums and necromancers instead of God, a direct prophetic condemnation of this practice.

2 Chronicles 33:6 Historical context

In 2 Chronicles 33:6, Manasseh practices soothsaying and consults mediums—a direct violation of this prohibition.

In 1 Peter 3:12, the face of the Lord is against evildoers—echoing this same warning of divine opposition to the ungodly.

Acts 13:6 Parallel

In Acts 13:6, Bar-Jesus is a sorcerer and false prophet—another NT instance of what this law condemns.

Acts 8:9 Parallel

In Acts 8:9, Simon practiced sorcery—a New Testament example of the occult sin that warrants being cut off.

Malachi 3:5 Parallel

In Malachi 3:5, God comes near in judgment against sorcerers—the same category of offenders facing divine opposition.

In Jeremiah 44:11, God sets His face against Judah for disaster—the exact same phrase of determined judgment used here.

Isaiah 2:6 Parallel

In Isaiah 2:6, Israel is filled with soothsayers like the Philistines—the same occult practices forbidden here.

In Exodus 22:18, the death penalty for sorceresses enforces the prohibition against mediums in Leviticus 20:6.

1 Samuel 28:3 Historical context

In 1 Samuel 28:3, Saul obeyed this command by removing mediums—but later consulted one, showing the law's real application.

In 1 Samuel 15:23, rebellion is equated with witchcraft—the same spiritual adultery that merits being cut off from God's people.

In Psalm 106:39, Israel is defiled by playing the harlot—the same spiritual prostitution language, though not specifically mediums.

Ezekiel 6:9 Allusion

In Ezekiel 6:9, God laments Israel's adulterous heart going after idols — mirroring the spiritual whoredom against God in turning to mediums in Leviticus 20:6.

Numbers 15:39 warns against following your own heart and eyes, 'whoring after' them—same idiom for unfaithfulness.

Exodus 34:16 continues the 'whoring after' metaphor for intermarriage leading to idolatry, similar unfaithfulness as here.

Exodus 34:15 uses the same 'whoring after' metaphor for idolatry, paralleling the spiritual adultery of consulting mediums.