Lexical Definition

‎אוֹב‎ ʼôwb (obe) medium ^H:N-M
from the same as ‎אָב‎ (apparently through the idea of prattling a father's name)

bottle, familiar spirit.

• properly, a mumble, i.e. a water skin (from its hollow sound)
• hence a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar)

1) water skin bottle
2) necromancer
1b) necromancer, one who evokes the dead
1c) ghost, spirit of a dead one
1d) practice of necromancy
3) one that has a familiar spirit

See Greek: γῆ

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎אוֺב‎ noun masculine^{Job 32:19} skin-bottle, necromancer, etc. — absolute ‎׳‎‎א‎ Lev 20:27 + 8 t.; plural ‎אֹבוֺת‎ Lev 19:31 + 7 t. —

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

2. necromancer, in phrase ‎אוֺב אוֺ יִדְּעֹנִי‎ necromancer or wizard Lev 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); ‎וְיִדְּעֹנִי‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎ Deut 18:11; 2Chr 33:6 = 2Kgs 21:6 (where ‎וידענים‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎); ‎הָאֹבוֺת וְהַיִּדְּעֹנִים‎ Lev 19:31; Lev 20:6 (H) 1Sam 28:3; 1Sam 28:9; 2Kgs 23:24; Isa 8:19 (where repres. as chirping & muttering, in practice of their art of seeking dead for instruction, probably ventriloquism, & so ᵐ5) Isa 19:3.

3. ghost, Isa 29:4 ‎וְהָיָה כְּאוֺב מֵאֶרֶץ קוֺלֵח וּמֵעָפָר‎ ‎אִמְרָתֵח תְּצַפְצֵף‎ and 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 Isa 8:19).

4. necromancy ‎אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַתאֿוֺב‎ a woman who was mistress of necromancy 1Sam 28:7 (twice in verse); (> RS^{JPh xiv, 127 f makes} ‎אוֺב‎ primarily a subterranean spirit, and significant.

2. only an abbreviation of ‎׳‎‎בעלתא‎ etc.); ‎קסם בּאוֺב‎ divine by necromancy 1Sam 28:8, which seems to be interpretation of 1Chr 10:13 ‎׳‎‎שׁאל בא‎ inquire 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.)

Brown-Driver-Briggs References