The necromancer might also surround himself with morbid aspects of death, which often included wearing the deceased’s clothing and consuming foods that symbolized lifelessness and decay such as unleavened black bread and *unfermented grape juice.

Huh? This is the definition of a necromancer according to the dictionary. A necromancer consumes *unfermented grape juice??? Is unfermented juice a beverage of a necromancer? Re-read Deuteronomy 18:11 once again. Am I reading this incorrectly?

Here is what may be confusing.

KJV: Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 

LITV: Deu 18:11 or a magic charmer, or one consulting mediums, or a spirit-knower, or one inquiring of the dead. 

ESV: Deu 18:11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead.

ASV: Deu 18:11 or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 

It seems quite unusual, doesn’t it? Several translations use necromancer yet do not list or use this word in other translations?

The association of unfermented grape juice with necromancers might be perplexing at first glance. Deuteronomy 18:11 mentions practices that are forbidden, including consulting the dead, but it does not delve into specifics about dietary habits. Perhaps this imagery was created to evoke a sense of the uncanny and the otherworldly, using symbols that are starkly different from everyday life.

Many have been instructed since childhood to avoid consuming fermented juices (wine). However, this verse and dictionary suggest otherwise. The dictionary mentions that drinking unfermented grape juice is associated with necromancy, as referenced in Deuteronomy 18:11 (KJV, ASV, ESV, etc.). It is noteworthy and raises a question about drinking unfermented juices.  Does this mean drinking unfermented juices aligns a person with necromancy? The simple answer is… of course not. Like God intended from creation, he gave mankind CHOICE.

Often a sin can be “excessive or overindulgence” of, or in anything. How can one know the Word of God if his or her Bible sits on a shelf or table collecting dust. This article is NOT intended to give allowance to what some fundamentalists call “drinking.”  It is a brief discussion of Deuteronomy 18:11. In the Bible, “looking” at something often means choosing to consider or dwell on it. In the Bible, “looking” at something often means choosing to consider dwelling on it. Rev. Charles Stark often stated in his messages or counseling, “If in doubt, don’t.”

Look not unto the wine when it is red to the eye (Proverbs 23:31). This means grammatically that the eye is beginning to react to the wine. Mark 7:18- 19, “Nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean, for it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach and then out of his body. And saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.” Paul said the same thing about food.

Rev Dr. Jstark – 2025