Micah 5:12

And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no [more] soothsayers:

Ver. 12. And I will cut off witchcrafts, &c.] As before God had promised to take away such things as in themselves are not evil, but only by our abuse; so here he will also remove from his people things simply evil and unlawful, such as are witchcrafts, idolatry, &c., that he may make way for mercy, which he is ready to give were they but fit to receive it. The word here rendered witchcrafts hath the signification of changing or turning; and is used for unlawful devilish arts and artisans: כשׁף hence βασκαινω, fascino, to bewitch. It is also applied to false teachers and their magic acts, Galatians 3:1,29 : 1 Kings 18:23. See a like promise Zechariah 13:2. See Trapp on " Zec 13:2 " See Malachi 3:5. See Trapp on " Mal 3:5 "

And thou shalt have no more soothsayers] Or star gazers, diviners, fortune tellers. One derivation of the word clepeth them nebulones or knaves; as those that undertake to foretell future things, ex nebulis, by the clouds, planets, star, by calculating nativities, and the like unlawful practices of judiciary astrology, necromancy, pyromancy, oneiromancy, aruspicy, sortilegy, and other diabolical arts of that nature. The Ephesians were much addicted to such wicked practices: hence the proverb εφεσια γραμματα for the black art. The Samaritans also, Acts 8:11; and hence that malicious slander of the Jews, "Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan," that is, one that dealeth with the devil, John 8:48; for otherwise they knew that Christ was no Samaritan, but a Galilean, as they called him in scorn, in truth a Bethlehemite, as Micah 5:2. The Jews themselves are taxed, Isaiah 2:6, that they were soothsayers, like the Philistines; and told that God had therefore forsaken them, or sent them away into captivity. See more against this sort of sin and sinners, Isaiah 44:24,26; Isaiah 47:12,14; Jeremiah 10:2; Jeremiah 10:25 Daniel 2:1,3, &c.; but especially Deuteronomy 18:10,11, where we have these five arguments (as one well observeth) against astrological and other unlawful predictions. First, that all such are abomination to the Lord, Deuteronomy 18:12; Secondly, that for such arts the Canaanites were driven out; Thirdly, that unless men cast away the use of the said arts they cannot be perfect, that is, upright and sincere with God, Deuteronomy 18:13; Fourthly, that godly men must differ from Canaanites and heathens, in the abandoning of such arts, Deuteronomy 18:14; Lastly, that instead of such ways of prediction, the Lord raiseth up Christ, the great prophet, to foretell unto them what is meet for them to foreknow, Deu 18:15 cf. Acts 3:23. To seek to know more is condemned for curiosity and rashness by Christ himself, in his own disciples, Acts 1:7; it derogateth from the glory of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge: it is to go a whoring from Christ, Leviticus 20:6, and is therefore in this text fitly yoked with idolatry. It is here also reckoned among those things that must be cut off, if Christ's kingdom shall be set up among us. So that if there were no other text of Scripture against that wickedness but this alone, it were sufficient.