מִקְסָם

# מִקְסָם (miqsam): Divination in Biblical Hebrew The Hebrew word *miqsam* refers to divination—the practice of seeking hidden knowledge or future events through supernatural or occult means. Based on its limited appearance in the biblical text (only two occurrences), this term represents a specific category of forbidden or problematic spiritual practice in ancient Israelite culture. The rarity of this word in the Bible is itself significant. With only two documented uses, *miqsam* appears to have been a specialized term rather than a general or common reference to divination. This suggests that biblical authors used it to denote a particular type of divination practice, distinguishing it from other related terms that may have carried different connotations or contexts. The limited attestation makes it difficult to establish a wide semantic range, but the word clearly falls within the broader category of practices associated with seeking knowledge outside approved religious channels. For contemporary readers, *miqsam* represents one of several Hebrew terms available to biblical writers for describing divination and occult practices—practices that the biblical text generally presents as problematic or prohibited. Understanding this vocabulary helps clarify how ancient Hebrew distinguished between different types of forbidden spiritual activities and reflects the theological concerns of the biblical authors regarding unauthorized access to divine knowledge.

AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.