Leviticus 20:27
God demands the complete removal of occult practices to preserve the holiness of His people.
27 “ ‘A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their blood shall be upon themselves.’ ”
God demands the complete removal of occult practices to preserve the holiness of His people.
This passage concludes the chapter by prescribing the death penalty for mediums and spiritists, reinforcing the absolute prohibition of occult practices within the covenant community.
This final verse follows the chapter's summary call to holiness and separation in Leviticus 20:22-26. The chapter began with Molek worship and occult turning in verses 1-8, then moved through family and sexual sanctions, and now closes by returning to occult practice. The ending forms an inclusio around false worship and forbidden spiritual mediation, showing that holiness is not only sexual, familial, and social, but also worshipful and revelational.
Leviticus 20 addresses Israel as a redeemed people at Sinai, preparing for life in the land under the holy LORD. Ancient Near Eastern cultures often included practitioners who claimed contact with the dead or hidden spirits. Israel was not to adopt such practices because the LORD had given his people covenant revelation, priestly mediation, and commands for holy worship. Leviticus 20:27 functions as the closing sanction of the chapter, returning to the danger of occult mediation introduced in Leviticus 20:6.
Holiness, Judgment, and the LORD Who Sanctifies His People
The LORD who sanctifies His people requires Israel to reject idolatry, occultism, sexual defilement, and national imitation, preserving holiness as His separated possession in the land.