i would say few things in England its against the law to claim to have a cure for cancer Also why would an industry totally reliant on making money off of ((sick people)) want a cure Healthy people are a lost asset and need to be converted into sick and dying to have any value the medical industry is making us sick period Galatians 5:19 has the word pharmakeia which means the use and administration of drugs. Why does the NIV translate it as WITCHCRAFT? Posted on July 10, 2007 by John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General. Question: I recently discovered that the Greek word “pharmakeia” was used in Galatians 5:19, the main definition of which is “the use or the administering of drugs”. And yet the NIV translated it as “witchcraft”. What do you think could be the reason for that? Also, which Bible translation do you find to be the most true to the original language? Answer: You are correct. The Greek word pharmakeia is used in Galatians 5:19. However, if you were told that this word means “the use of or the administrating of drugs” then you were misinformed. The word is a fairly general one. My Greek dictionary defines it as: “WITCHCRAFT MAGIC, the USE OF SPELLS POTIONS OF MAGIC, often involving drugs–a magic spell. It is a fact that witchcraft and magic in the Greek world often involved the use of drugs–either by the witch or the one on whom the magic is worked. I have heard the same thing taught that you quote. It is not absolutely false, but it is not good use of the Greek. Probably, whoever gave you this bogus definition also told you that we get the word pharmacy from this Greek root word. That, of course, is true, but this does not mean that the meaning of the word has not changed! Put it this way, if one were to use and administer drugs for the sole purpose of creating a mind-altered state, then one could probably be judged to have violated the commandment not to be involved in pharmakiea. Probably whoever told you this got the definition second hand and did not bother to look up the Greek. I see this as an attempt to make the stricture in Galatians 5:19 practical for a modern, particularly an American crowd. This is a good thing to do, but in making the scripture practical, we should always begin with good exegesis. If you lived in parts of Africa, the definition given above would apply in all its meanings. I have visited churches in third world countries where the sin of magic spells and relying on witch doctors is very much prevelant; even among Christians. On Bible translations, I use a few different translations. There are some translations which I do not recommend (New World Translation–very biased by the JW’s, KJ Version–to archaic and based on relatively poor Greek manuscripts, The Living Bible, a too-loose and somewhat biased paraphrase). There are almost too many good translations to recommend. My suggestion is that if you want to do careful, deep and thorough study, you use three or four translations. I use the Jerusalem Bible, the NIV, the Holman Christian Standard and the Revised Standard. I also suggest you avoid the mistake made by the one who taught you somewhat inaccurately from Galatians 5:19 by getting a Greek Dictionary. Best is to get a copy of the Zondervan Exhaustive Concordance.