· Translation: KJV

Exodus 22:18"You shall not allow a sorceress to live.

The setting

Mount Sinai, Egypt, ~1446 BC. God establishes laws to separate Israel from Egyptian magical practices. The people below still remember the plagues that defeated Pharaoh's magicians.

The emotion here: protective anger against forces that destroy his people

The original word

mĕkaššēpâh (מְכַשֵּׁפָה) — one who practices harmful magic or sorcery, literally 'whisperer of spells'

Why it matters

Egypt was famous for its powerful sorcerers and magical practices, which Israel needed to completely reject

Read with care

What most readers miss in Exodus 22:18

This follows laws about justice and fairness—sorcery corrupts both spiritual truth and social order

Common misconceptionModern readers think this is about harmless fortune telling, but ancient sorcery involved real spiritual forces and often included child sacrifice and sexual perversion.

Bible Genome reading

Exodus 22:18 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerGod
Eraexodus
Primary emotionangry
Literary typelaw
MarkCommand

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability60%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance80%
Standalone80%
Themes:divine judgmentoccult prohibition

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Exodus 22

Exodus 22:18 comes from the book of Exodus, written during the exodus period. These words are attributed to God. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the law genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine judgment, occult prohibition. Notable phrases: not allow a sorceress to live. This verse contains a command.

Your reflection

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