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Pharmakeia

Updated: Mar 28, 2023

“Sorcery," intriguingly, is pharmakeia in Greek, from which we derive our words "pharmacy" and "pharmaceutical."

1 = the use or the administering of drugs

2 = poisoning

3 = sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it

4 = metaphor the deceptions and seductions of idolatry


Diviners, enchanters, witches, and sorcerers employed drugs and other potions to put them or their clients "in the spirit" so their "magic" would work. The drugs, then, came to stand for sorcery of all kinds.

For the same reason, drug use is part of the celebration among the more serious Halloween devotees today.


Sorceries occurs 6 times in the KJV.


Acts 8:11 (KJV)

And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.


Revelation 9:21 (KJV)

neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts


Isaiah 47:12 (KJV)

Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.


Acts 8:9 (KJV)

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:


Isaiah 47:9 (KJV)

but these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.


Revelation 18:23 (KJV)

and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived





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