Hebrew word · H2748

חַרְטֹם

chartumei

magician

A specialist title used only of foreign court experts: Egyptian ones in Genesis 41:8, 24 and Exodus 7–9, and Babylonian ones in Daniel 1:20 and 2:2 (Aramaic in Daniel 2:10, 27; 4:4, 6; 5:11). These experts interpret dreams, perform rituals and produce wonders.

Appears 11 times in 10 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) diviner, magician, astrologer

1a) engraver, writer (only in derivative sense of one possessed of occult knowledge)

Aramaic equivalent: char.tom (חַרְטֹם "magician" H2749)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Exodus 7:11

Range of meaning

A specialist title used only of foreign court experts: Egyptian ones in Genesis 41:8, 24 and Exodus 7–9, and Babylonian ones in Daniel 1:20 and 2:2 (Aramaic in Daniel 2:10, 27; 4:4, 6; 5:11). These experts interpret dreams, perform rituals and produce wonders. Most Egyptologists derive it from Egyptian ḥry-tp, short for ḥry-ḥb ḥry-tp, 'chief lector priest'. That was the priest who read the sacred ritual books aloud in temples and at funerals, and who was famous as a wonder-worker.

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV and NLT all say 'magicians'. YLT says 'scribes', which catches the literate, book-learned side of the title but loses the ritual power. 'Magician' is not wrong, but it makes these men sound like fringe tricksters or stage illusionists, when they were temple scholars holding state office.

How it drifted

In Egypt, ritual power (heka) was a normal and respected part of temple religion. In later Western usage 'magic' came to mean either illicit occult practice or stage entertainment, and the English word carries both meanings into the text.

Used elsewhere in the period

Papyrus Westcar (Middle Kingdom tales, set in Old Kingdom times) tells of chief lector priests who part a lake and make a wax crocodile come alive. The second story is a close parallel to staffs turning into serpent-creatures. Demotic and Greek-era tales about Setne Khamwas also present lector priests as masters of secret books. The loanword is discussed in J. Quaegebeur's 1987 study of the Egyptian equivalent of ḥarṭummîm.

From the study of Exodus 7:22

Range of meaning

A loanword from Egyptian ḥry-tp, short for ḥry-ḥb ḥry-tp, 'chief lector priest'. This was the temple and court scholar-priest who read the sacred ritual books aloud and was believed to hold the power of their words: healing, protective rites, dream interpretation, wonder-working. In the Bible it is used for Egyptian court experts (Gen 41:8, 24; Exod 7–9) and later for Babylonian court experts (Dan 1:20; 2:2).

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV and ESV all have 'magicians'. NASB 2020 has 'soothsayer priests', which is closer. YLT's 'scribes' follows an older guess that tied the word to ḥereṭ, 'stylus'. That guess sensed the learned, text-based side of the role, even though the etymology is wrong.

How it drifted

In modern English a 'magician' is an entertainer who does tricks, or a figure from fantasy. In the ancient Near East this kind of expert sat at the top of religious learning and served the king as an official. In that world, sacred knowledge and practical 'magic' were not separate categories.

Used elsewhere in the period

Egyptian lector priests appear as wonder-workers in Papyrus Westcar, where a chief lector priest folds back a lake's water to recover a lost pendant, and in the later Setne stories. Seventh-century Assyrian records list ḫarṭibi, Egyptian dream and ritual experts serving at the Assyrian court, which shows the word travelled as a technical term.

From the study of Genesis 41:8

Range of meaning

A loanword from Egyptian ḥry-tp ('chief'), short for ḥry-ḥb ḥry-tp, 'chief lector priest'. A lector priest was the temple official who recited the sacred texts in ritual. That role covered ritual recitation, protective and healing spells, knowledge of the 'House of Life' (temple scriptorium) libraries, and interpreting dreams and omens. In the Hebrew Bible the word is used only of foreign court specialists: in Egypt (Gen 41:8, 24; Exod 7–9) and in Babylon (Dan 1:20; 2:2; Aramaic in Dan 2, 4, 5).

Against the English

KJV/ESV/NIV/NASB/BSB/WEB 'magicians'; YLT 'scribes'; LXX exēgētai, 'expounders, interpreters'; Vulgate coniectores, 'diviners, interpreters'. 'Magicians' captures the spell-working side but loses the scholarly, priestly and textual side. 'Scribes' captures the learning but loses the ritual power.

How it drifted

In modern English 'magician' mostly means a stage illusionist, or in religious settings an occult practitioner on the fringes of society. In 1611 'magician' still meant a learned practitioner of the occult arts, which was closer to the original. As the word shifted, the picture of an elite, establishment priest-scholar was lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

Neo-Assyrian texts of the 7th century BC list Egyptian ḫarṭibi among the specialists taken to the Assyrian court, the same Egyptian title borrowed into Akkadian, and these include dream interpreters. Egyptian tales such as Papyrus Westcar show lector priests doing wonders (a wax crocodile come to life, the waters of a lake folded back). The Ramesside 'Dream Book' (Papyrus Chester Beatty III, c. 13th century BC) shows that Egypt had written manuals pairing dream images with their meanings.

Where it appears

Genesis · 2

  1. Genesis 41:8 חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י [the] diviner priests of

    In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

    Here: An Egyptian loanword for the learned priest-scholars who read sacred and ritual texts, performed spells and consulted dream manuals. In English they are 'magicians', but they were literate temple specialists, not entertainers or back-alley sorcerers.

  2. Genesis 41:24 הַֽחַרְטֻמִּ֔ים the diviner priests

    And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”

Exodus · 7

  1. Exodus 7:11 חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י [the] magicians of

    But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts.

    Here: A word borrowed from Egyptian, generally traced to the title for a chief lector priest: a literate temple expert who recited sacred texts and performed ritual. It stands beside 'they' and names the men Pharaoh has just summoned.

  2. Exodus 7:22 חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י [the] magicians of

    But the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

    Here: A word borrowed from Egyptian for the court's learned ritual priests, the 'chief lector priests' who read and performed sacred texts. They were Pharaoh's religious and intellectual elite, not stage illusionists.

  3. Exodus 8:7 הַֽחֲרְטֻמִּ֖ים the magicians

    But the magicians did the same thing by their magic arts, and they also brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.

  4. Exodus 8:18 הַחַרְטֻמִּ֧ים the magicians

    The magicians tried to produce gnats using their magic arts, but they could not. And the gnats remained on man and beast.

  5. Exodus 8:19 הַֽחַרְטֻמִּים֙ the magicians

    “This is the finger of God,” the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

    Here: A word borrowed from Egyptian for the learned ritual priests of Pharaoh's court: experts in sacred books, spells and rites, not entertainers. These are the same court experts who matched the first two signs (7:11, 7:22, 8:7).

  6. Exodus 9:11 הַֽחַרְטֻמִּ֗ים בַּֽחֲרְטֻמִּ֖ם the magicians, on the magicians

    The magicians could not stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and on all the Egyptians.

Daniel · 2

  1. Daniel 1:20 הַֽחַרְטֻמִּים֙ the soothsayer-priests

    In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

    Here: A loanword from Egyptian for learned ritual priests, literally 'chief (lector-priests)'. These are the same professionals who faced Joseph and Moses in Egypt. In Babylon it names the court's expert diviners and ritual scholars.

  2. Daniel 2:2 לַֽחַרְטֻמִּ֜ים <to> the soothsayer-priests

    So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to explain his dreams. When they came and stood before the king,

    Here: The first and most senior class named. The title comes from Egyptian and means learned priest-scholars who kept and read the ritual and magical books. It is the same word used for Pharaoh's experts in the Joseph and Moses stories, so a Hebrew hearer would think straight away of those scenes.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.