Necromancy occupies a distinct place among the nine occult practices condemned as abominations in Deuteronomy 18:9-14, appearing there as "one who calls up the dead" in the New King James Version and as "necromancer" in the King James Version. This practice is defined as claiming to consult the dead—that is, investigating, looking into, and seeking information from those who have died. Notably, this exact phrase occurs only once in Scripture, specifically within this list of occult abominations in Deuteronomy 18:11. A significant clarification involves the woman of Endor, whom Saul engaged to conduct a séance to bring up the spirit of Samuel, as recorded in I Samuel 28:3-9. Though popularly known as "the witch of Endor," she is never actually called a witch within the biblical text itself; that designation appears only in headings and summaries added in certain translations. This has led to the common but technically inaccurate phrase "witch of Endor" becoming embedded in literature and everyday speech. In reality, she functioned specifically as a necromancer—one who consults the spirits of the dead in order to predict the future—rather than as a witch in the broader, more general sense of that term. This distinction illustrates how word etymology and usage have shifted over time, which is part of the reason for comparing both the New King James and King James renderings of these occult practices throughout the discussion. Necromancy is grouped together with mediums and spiritists as the final three designations among the nine occult practices, and all three are identified as essentially different expressions of the same underlying activity: consulting evil spirits. This connects necromancy directly to the broader condemnation running throughout Deuteronomy 18, where God declares that all who practice these things are an abomination to Him, and it was precisely because the Canaanite nations engaged in such practices that God drove them out of the land. Necromancy, therefore, is not treated as a benign or neutral curiosity but as part of the same spiritual rebellion that characterizes all occult activity—ultimately traced back to Satan, the father of lies, rather than to any legitimate source of power or knowledge. As with the other occult practices, necromancy places something before God in a vile and detestable way, aligning it with idolatry and placing it under the same divine judgment reserved for sorcery, divination, and the entire spectrum of occultic practices that God calls abominable.

Necromancy—the practice of consulting the dead through mediums—receives direct condemnation throughout Scripture, forming a critical backdrop for understanding one of the Bible's most debated passages: King Saul's visit to the medium at En Dor (I Samuel 28:3-25). This episode is often cited as evidence that the dead can be summoned and that disembodied spirits remain conscious and accessible. Such a reading, however, contradicts the Bible's consistent teaching that the dead are unconscious, awaiting resurrection (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10), and that the soul is not inherently immortal but subject to death itself (Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Romans 6:23). Three foundational truths clarify what actually transpired at En Dor. First, God unambiguously condemns witchcraft, mediums, and necromancy as abominations (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:9-14), a condemnation echoed by Paul and confirmed in Revelation, where sorcerers are consigned to the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8; 22:15). This establishes that God had no part in the séance except to permit it for His own purposes. Second, demons do not appear as grotesque monsters but can disguise themselves as appealing or even righteous beings, as Satan himself transforms into an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14-15). Third, Saul's mental and emotional state—tormented for years by a distressing spirit and consumed by fear, jealousy, and desperation—left him highly vulnerable to demonic deception as he faced the Philistine army at Mount Gilboa. At En Dor, the medium, secretly practicing despite Saul's earlier ban on sorcery, is startled when a spirit actually appears at her summons, revealing her ordinary practice to be fraudulent. She never truly sees Samuel but assumes the identity of the being that rises "out of the earth," a detail signaling demonic rather than divine origin, since God's messengers come from heaven. Her Hebrew description of the spirit—elohim paired with a plural verb—indicates pagan gods rather than a single righteous prophet. Saul, receiving only vague descriptions of an old man in a mantle, convinces himself it is Samuel, though he never sees anything himself and merely accepts the medium's uncertain report. The being, impersonating Samuel, delivers a cruel but accurate message: Saul's kingdom would be given to David, and he and his sons would perish the next day in battle. This is not proof that necromancy successfully contacts the dead, but rather a demonstration of how God permits a demon to speak painful truth to a man who has already rejected every legitimate channel of divine communication. Saul's collapse afterward underscores the devastating consequences of forsaking God for forbidden spiritual counsel. Ultimately, the En Dor narrative functions as a moral warning against necromancy, illustrating that turning to mediums and sorcery leads only to fear, deception, and ruin. It affirms that God alone communicates truth to His people, and that any attempt to bypass Him through occult practices exposes one not to the spirits of the dead, but to the deceptive schemes of demonic powers.

Necromancy surfaces directly in Deuteronomy 18:9-14, where God warns Israel not to learn the detestable practices of the nations they are about to dispossess, listing witchcraft, soothsaying, interpreting omens, sorcery, conjuring spells, mediums, spiritists, and "one who calls up the dead"—a necromancer. God calls all who do these things an abomination and states that it is precisely because of such practices that He drove the previous nations out of the land. Israel is commanded instead to be blameless before Him, trusting His revelation rather than seeking guidance through the dead. This practice is rooted historically in the Celtic festival of Samhain, the origin of Halloween. The Celts believed that during the three days surrounding November 1, the veil between the physical and spirit worlds relaxed, allowing the dead to cross into the living world and, conversely, allowing the living to cross over and contact their departed ancestors through divination, incantation, potion, or meditation. Druids and Bards specifically sought inspiration from the spirit world in this way, believing it improved their poetry and guidance. This practice of consulting or "calling up" the dead for knowledge or inspiration is the essence of necromancy, and it survives as one of the underlying spiritistic elements still embedded in modern Halloween observance, even though the holiday is often presented as harmless fun. The broader biblical teaching places necromancy within the "holiness code" of Leviticus 19 and 20, where mediums and familiar spirits are forbidden, and God commands, "Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them... I am the LORD your God." Those who turn after such spirits are said to "prostitute" themselves, and God declares He will "set His face against" them and cut them off from His people. Necromancy and related spiritistic practices are thus equated with spiritual prostitution—idolatry in another form—and are punishable by death under the Old Covenant, just as adultery and idolatry were. Exodus 22:16-20 groups sorcery directly between sexual sin and idolatry, showing that God ranks consulting spirits, including the dead, alongside the gravest violations of covenant loyalty. I Samuel 15:22-23 deepens this connection by declaring that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft," tying necromancy and sorcery to the broader principle of rejecting God's word. Any attempt to gain knowledge, comfort, or guidance from the dead rather than from God constitutes disobedience and rebellion, driving a wedge between the believer and God much as adultery severs a marriage. The New Testament confirms this continuity: Galatians 5:19-21 lists sorcery among the works of the flesh that exclude one from inheriting God's Kingdom, following the same sequence of sexual sin, idolatry, and sorcery found in the Old Testament. Paul's use of the term pharmakeia reflects the ancient use of drugs by sorcerers and mediums to induce trance states for contacting spirits, a practice still echoed in Halloween's darker, drug-associated rituals. Ultimately, necromancy is presented as one expression of spiritism that defiles both the individual and the land, separates people from God, and invites judgment. The call throughout is to reject any inquiry into the practices of calling up the dead, to remain pure and holy, and to walk instead as children of light rather than participating in the darkness that Halloween, through its Samhain roots, still perpetuates.