Gilbert House Fellowship #472: Isaiah 8

About this episode

The episode discusses Isaiah 8 and the condemnation of necromancy and spirit summoning in ancient Israel.

They Shall Curse by Molech ISAIAH REPEATEDLY condemned the practice of summoning spirits from the netherworld. It’s not always apparent because translators often didn’t have an understanding of the cult of the dead that surrounded ancient Israel, and the impact it had on the Israelites. After prophesying the imminent destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by Assyria, the prophet condemned the people of Judah for turning to mediums and necromancers to ”inquire of the dead on behalf of the living”. Derek wrote about Isaiah 8:18–22 in The Second Coming of Saturn : The prophet described those who looked to the spirit realm for oracles as people who were already dead: They live in darkness, and they’re “greatly distressed and hungry,” like the pagan dead of Mesopotamia who are not properly cared for by their descendants. In verse 21, Isaiah makes the connection to the dead explicit, writing that these unhappy souls will “pass through” the land. The Hebrew verb ‘ ābar is based on the same root, ʿbr , from which we get ʿōberim —“Travelers,” as in the spirits of the dead who “travel” or “cross over” from the land of the dead to the world of the living; it’s the same word used by…

People in this episode

Hosts: Derek Gilbert, Sharon Gilbert

Topics covered

• spirituality
• necromancy
• prophecy
• ancient Israel
• rituals
• summoning spirits

Keywords

• Isaiah
• necromancers
• Molech
• spirit realm
• ritual pits
• Rephaim
• Canaanites
• prophecy
• ancient Israel

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Second Coming of Saturn

Places: Israel, Judah, Mount Hermon, Mesopotamia, Canaanites

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