STRONGS NUMBER H178


Word Summary
ob: a bottle (made from animal skin), a necromancer
Original Word: אוֹב
Transliteration: ob
Phonetic Spelling: (obe)
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Short Definition: a bottle (made from animal skin), a necromancer
Meaning: a bottle (made from animal skin), a necromancer
Strong's Concordance
bottle, familiar spirit

From the same as 'ab (apparently through the idea of prattling a father's name); properly, a mumble, i.e. A water skin (from its hollow sound); hence a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar) -- bottle, familiar spirit.

see HEBREW 'ab

Brown-Driver-Briggs

H178. ob

אוֺבnoun masculineJob 32:19 skin-bottle, necromancer, etc. — absolute ׳אLeviticus 20:27 8t.; plural אֹבוֺת19:31 7t. —

1 skin-bottle, only plural חֲדָשִׁים אֹבוֺתnew (wine-) skins Job 32:19.

2 necromancer, in phrase יִדְּעֹנִי אוֺ אוֺבnecromancer or wizard Leviticus 20:27 (H; usually translated 'a man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit or that is a wizard' RV; but better a man or a woman, if there should be among them, a necromancer or wizard; no sufficient reason for exceptional use of phrase here); ׳א וְיִדְּעֹנִיDeuteronomy 18:11; 2 Chronicles 33:6 = 2 Kings 21:6 (where ׳א וידענים‎); וְהַיִּדְּעֹנִים הָאֹבוֺתLeviticus 19:31; 20:6 (H) 1 Samuel 28:3, 9; 2 Kings 23:24; Isaiah 8:19 (where repres. as chirping & muttering, in practice of their art of seeking dead for instruction, probably ventriloquism, & so ᵐ5‎) 19:3.

3 ghost, Isaiah 29:4 תְּצַפְצֵף אִמְרָתֵח וּמֵעָפָר קוֺלֵח מֵאֶרֶץ כְּאוֺב וְהָיָהand thy voice shall be as a ghost from the ground and from the dust thy speech shall chirp (so Ge MV Ew De Che and others, but chirping might be of necromancer, as 8:19).

4 necromancy בַּעֲלַתאֿוֺב אֵשֶׁתa woman who was mistress of necromancy 1 Samuel 28:7 (twice in verse); (> RSJPh xiv, 127 f makes אוֺב‎ primarily a subterranean spirit, and significant. 2 only an abbreviation of ׳בעלתא‎ etc.); בּאוֺב קסםdivine by necromancy 28:8, which seems to be interpretation of 1 Chronicles 10:13 בא ׳שׁאלinquire by necromancy. (In these three examples אוֺב‎ is usually interpreted as ghost or familiar spirit conceived as dwelling in necromancer; but this apparently not the ancient conception.)