1 Sam. 15. 23.
6. Thus far we can find no such Hebrew word as signifieth any such kind of a Witch as Dr. Casaubon, or Mr. Glanvill intend, or labour to prove, and therefore we may proceed to the next. Only we cannot but take notice of one other text, that our English Translators have erroneously rendered, and that is this: where Samuel is rebuking Saul for sparing Agag and the best of the spoil, he saith, For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry: Which Tremellius renders thus: Quin sicut peccatum divinationis est rebellio: & sicut superstitio & Idola est repugnantia. And Arias Montanus gives it thus: Quia peccatum divinationis est rebellio, & mendacium vel Idolum, & Teraphim transgredi, which both are agreeable to the Hebrew word קֶסֶם which signifieth properly Divination. So that this place noteth, not rebellion against an earthly or temporal King, but against the King of Heaven; and to disobey his command, and to follow our own wills and judgments, and to persevere therein, is as odious and detestable, as to set up lying Divinations thereby to follow Idols and false gods: for the following the fancies of our own brains, is to follow the divinations of our own counsel, and to make an Idol, and a Teraphim of our own frail, weak and blind judgments, and to forsake the pure and perfect Law of the Lord, which ought to be a lantern to our feet, and a light unto our paths, and is spiritual rebellion, even as the divinations of Idol-priests and Idol-worship were.
7. The next Word in this place of Deuteronomy is וְחֹבֵר חָבֶר utens incantatione, vel incantans incantatione, aut jungens junctiones, from the root חָבַר Sociatus est, junctus fuit alteri, copulatus est, for so Avenarius renders it. And Schindlerus saith, Incantator vel qui consortium habet cum Dæmonibus, conjurator, qui incantationibus multa animalia in unum locum consociat vel congregat, vel ne lædant associat. From whence we may note thus much:
Chap. 14. 3.
Exod. 36. 10.
1. That it primarily signifieth to joyn together, as in that of Genesis speaking of the Kings that went to War, All these were joyned together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. And in another place, And he coupled the five curtains together; and in the same sense in diverse other places: by all which it appeareth, that when it is used for incantation or charming, it is because of some conjunction or coupling together.
2. It is very remarkable that in all the translations in the Polyglot, there is no variance, neither do Arias Montanus, Buxtorsius, or Tremellius differ at all, and the Greek Translators do agree with them, who render it, ἐπαείδων ἐπαοιδὴν, and the Germane, Low-dutch, French, and Italian Translators do accord herewithal, and it is likewise so rendered in Isa. 47. 9, 12. and in other places. So that it is plain it signifieth such as took upon them by strange words and charms to prevent venemous beasts to hurt, bite or sting, and many other wonderful things; but what they brought to pass, or effected, besides deluding and deceiving of the people and leading of them to Idolatry, is hard to determine, of which we shall speak in another place.
3. There are divers opinions concerning this incantation or charming, why it should be accounted conjunction, or association; and some, as Schindlerus and Bithner, do judge it is because they associate or bring together many Serpents or noysom Creatures into one place, and then destroy them. But this is but a conjecture, for it is by the best learned strongly disputed on both sides, whether charms and inchantments can really and truly perform any such effects, and divers instances and examples brought both ways, some for the affirmative, some for the negative, so that the matter of fact is not certainly known or granted. Others by association do understand, the league or compact made betwixt the Charmer and the Devil, by virtue of which such strange things are brought to pass by them, and of this opinion was Mr. Perkins (if that Book of Witchcraft, that goeth under his name, be truly his) who strengthening his conceit with that verse in the 58 Psalm thought that he had found out an invincible argument to prove the Compact betwixt Witches and Devils, and therefore it is necessary and expedient to examine that text to the bottom to sift out the true translation, and sense of that place, which we shall do at large as followeth in these particulars.
1. Our English Translators render it thus, speaking of the deaf Adder or Asp; Which will not hearken to the voice of the charmers, charming never so wisely; and in the margent, or be the Charmer never so cunning, where they take no notice of the conjoyning of conjunctions, and consequently none of such a league or compact.
2. Tremellius gives it thus: Quæ non auscultat voci mussitantium, utentis incantationibus peritissimi, which piece of Latine were very difficult to put into perfect Grammatical construction, because mussitantium is the plural number, but utentis and peritissimi are of the singular, which we shall leave to the censure of Criticks, and give the marginal note that is there added. Surdæ id est, calidè agentis adversus incantamenta, ut sequentia exponunt, nam aurem utramq; ab ea obturari, &c. Of the deaf Adder “That is to say, that acteth craftily against the incantations, as the following words do expound: For she stoppeth both her ears, by fixing one to the earth, and covering, and stopping the other with her tail;” and that Hierome, Augustine, Cassiodorus, and others do so expound the place. Whether this be true of the Asp or not is much to be doubted, for I find no Author of credit that doth averr it of his own knowledge, and the thing is very difficult to bring to experiment, and the Psalmist might speak according to vulgar opinion, of which there was no necessity that it should be literally and certainly true. Further he goes on and saith, mussitantium “That is to say, pronouncing their incantations to charm her, whispering and very low; which study of charming, lest any should think that David doth approve of them in this place, he learnedly useth the very words of the prohibition, which God laid down Deut. 18. 11. For (he saith) these fascinators in the Hebrew appellation are said to consociate society, because they apply the society of the Devil to their arts.”