Thomas R. Horn makes to interesting statements regarding ancient magickal practices as follows:
…the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel made an important statement about the “magic bands” (`)…[that] were used to capture (magically imprison) the souls of men….The kesatot was a magic arm band used in connection with a container called the kiste. Wherever the kiste is inscribed on sarcophagi and on Bacchic scenes, it is depicted as a sacred vessel (a soul prison?) with a snake peering through an open lid.
—Read It Before It’s Banned By The Us Government, part 19, August 18, 2009 AD
…it is depicted as a sacred vessel (a soul prison?) with a snake peering through an open lid. How the magic worked and in what way a soul was imprisoned is a mystery. Pan, the half-man/half-goat god (later relegated to devildom) is sometimes pictured as kicking the lid open and letting the snake (soul?) out. Such loose snakes are then depicted as being enslaved around the limbs, and bound in the hair, of the Bacchae women.
—Mardi Gras & Carnival Goers Feel Call Of Ancient Deity?, February 20, 2007 AD
Bacchic and Bacchae refers to the Greek and Roman mythologies pertaining to Bacchus aka Dionysus. He was the god of the “grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy” and so his celebrations consisted of all sorts of drunkenness and debauchery.
GOD directs Ezekiel to “set your face against the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their own inspiration” or heart. This is why a manner of discerning the messages of “prophets” is provided in texts such as Deuteronomy chapters 13 and 18. He is told the following in 13:17-23:
Prophesy against them…Thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the women who sew [keceth] on all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to hunt down [nephesh]! Will you hunt down the [nephesh] of My people, but preserve the [nephesh] of others for yourselves?…
Behold, I am against your [keceth] by which you hunt [nephesh] there as [parach] and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let [q]them go, even those [nephesh] whom you hunt as [parach]. I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am the Lord. Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way and preserve his life, therefore, you women will no longer see false visions or practice divination, and I will deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.”
So what are these keceth, nephesh and parach?
Let us consult some translations first where we find the following for Ezekiel 13:20.
For keceth the KJV, ASV, YLT, DBY, WEB and HNV have “pillows.” The NKJV, NLT and NIV have “magic charms.” The ESV, NASB and RSV have “magic bands.”
Commonly, the translations have nephesh as soul however, the NLT and NIV have “people” and the NASB has “lives” with this footnote, “Literally: souls.”
The translations have parach as birds with the NASB footnoting “Or, flying ones.”
Here are some details.
Strong’s H3704: keceth “1) band, fillet, covered amulets, false phylacteries a) used by false prophetesses in Israel to support their demonic fortune-telling schemes.” Gesenius’s Lexicon notes that it is applicable to cushions or pillows. This mean imply that they either made them in the form of a pouch-like container and/or actually a pillow upon which they slept for nighttime protection or just made it into pillow shapes in general—as a pouch is mere a small pillow. This word comes from a primitive root Strong’s H3680: kacah meaning “to cover, conceal, hide…”
Recall that the text noted that the women were sewing keceth “on all wrists” which the NASB footnotes as “Literally: all joints of the hand; M.T. reads of my hands.” They may have been like the phylacteries which were small containers worn on the forehead and arms of the Hebrews.
Strong’s H5315: nephesh is “1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man b) living being c) living being (with life in the blood) d) the man himself, self, person or individual…” It is readily discernible why, according to context, this word could literally be an immaterial soul, a material person, a life, etc.
This comes from a primitive root Strong’s H5314: naphash “1) (Niphal) to take breath, refresh oneself.”
Strong’s H6524: parach is, itself, a primitive root, “1) to bud, sprout, shoot, bloom a) (Qal) to bud, sprout, send out shoots, blossom…3) (Qal) to fly.” The reference to flight, and the context, may be why some translate as bird (interestingly, parach sounds like parakeet).
The above referenced kiste is Strong’s H3678: kicce’ “1) seat (of honour), throne, seat, stool…b) royal dignity, authority, power (fig.)” and comes from Strong’s H3680: kacah “1) to cover, conceal, hide.” You will note that we already encountered kacah as the root whence also came keceth.
It is because of meaning of seat of honour, throne, seat, etc. of royal dignity, authority and power that the word comes up also in Isaiah 14:13 wherein Heylel (“lucifer”) is quoted as stating that he would “raise my throne” his kicce’ “above the stars of God.”
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