Bewitch

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Βασκαίνω (Strong'S #940 — Verb — baskaino — bas-kah'ee-no )

primarily, "to slander, to prate about anyone;" then "to bring evil on a person by feigned praise, or mislead by an evil eye, and so to charm, bewitch" (Eng., "fascinate" is connected), is used figuratively in  Galatians 3:1 , of leading into evil doctrine.

2: Ἐξίστημι (Strong'S #1839 — Verb — existemi — ex-is'-tay-mee )

is rendered "bewitch" in  Acts 8:9,11 , AV, concerning Simon the sorcerer; it does not mean "to bewitch," as in the case of the preceding verb, but "to confuse, amaze" (RV). See Amaze , B. No. 1.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (v. t.) To gain an ascendency over by charms or incantations; to affect (esp. to injure) by witchcraft or sorcery.

(2): (v. t.) To charm; to fascinate; to please to such a degree as to take away the power of resistance; to enchant.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Galatians 3:1 Acts 8:9 8:11

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Bewitch . See Magic.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

signifies to deceive and lead astray by juggling tricks and pretended charms ( Acts 8:9;  Acts 8:11), where the Greek verb Ἐξίστημι means literally to Put Out of one's self, to be out of one's mind. (See Simon (Magus).) The word used by the apostle, in the passage  Galatians 3:1, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?" is Βασκαίνω , which may be understood to mislead by pretences, as if by magic arts, To Fascinate. (See Sorcery).

When Christianity was first promulgated, the nations under the dominion of the Romans, which comprehended the larger part of the civilized world, were greatly addicted to mysterious practices, supposing that there existed in nature certain influences which they could control and manage by occult signs, expressed in different ways and on different materials, and among the nations most notorious for these opinions were the Jews and the Egyptians. It is not, therefore, surprising that some should have brought with them and engrafted on Christianity such opinions and practices as they had formerly entertained. Accordingly, we see that the apostles found it necessary very early to guard their converts against such persons, cautioning them to avoid "profane and vain babblings and oppositions of science, falsely so called" ( 1 Timothy 6:20); and in several other passages there are evident allusions to similar errors among the first professors of Christianity. Nor did the evil cease as the doctrines of the Gospel expanded themselves: a number of persons in succession, for two centuries afterward, are recorded as distinguished leaders of these wild opinions, who mixed up the sacred truths of the Gospel with the fantastic imaginations of a visionary science. (See Possessed (With A Devil);) (See Superstition).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bē̇ - wich ´ (ἐξίστημι , exı́stēmi ): There are two Greek words in the New Testament translated "bewitch." The one given above ( Acts 8:9 ,  Acts 8:21 the King James Version "bewitched," the Revised Version (British and American) "amazed") has reference to the work of Simon Magus. It means "to be out of one's mind," "to astonish," "to overwhelm with wonder." The other word, βασκαίνω , baskaı́nō ( Galatians 3:1 ), means "to fascinate by false representation." It is by this means the apostle complains they have been led to accept a teaching wholly contrary to the gospel of Christ. Both these words reveal to us something of the difficulty the early teachers had to eradicate the idea so widely held by the Jews and Egyptians especially, that there were certain powers, dark and mysterious, which by certain occult forces they could control. For a long time this had to be contended with as one of the corrupt practices brought into the church by the converts, both from Judaism and heathenism. These words have a reference to the evil eye which for centuries was, and even today is, an important factor in the life of the people of the East.  1 Timothy 6:20 is a reference to this thought and explains the word "science" (the King James Version) as there used. See Divination; Evil Eye; Sorcery; Superstition .