Pharmakeia is the Greek word that became our “pharmacy”. In the New Testament it stands in the lists of what separates people from God, and there it is usually translated as “sorcery”.
Where the Word Comes From
The base word pharmakon meant three things at once in Greek: a remedy, a poison and a magic potion. One and the same word for what heals, what kills and what manipulates the mind. From it came our terms pharmacy, pharmakon and pharmacology. So the root carries a double nature within it from the very beginning.
What the Bible Does with It
Pharmakeia appears among the works that separate (Galatians 5:20), and in Revelation: “by your sorcery (pharmakeia) all the nations were deceived” (Revelation 18:23; likewise 9:21 and 21:8). The translators render it almost everywhere as sorcery or witchcraft. What is meant is a working that binds a person to something and leads him away from the source.
What That Means for Us
This is not a blanket judgment on every pill and not an instruction telling anyone what to do. It is a nudge to look closely. Where a remedy truly helps, that is good. Where a remedy keeps a person permanently stuck at the symptom, makes him dependent and silences the question about the root, it is worth keeping the old word in mind. The decision stays with you. We simply lay the origin of the word openly beside it.
In One Sentence
Pharmakeia carries remedy, poison and sorcery in one root. The Bible uses the word for what binds and separates from the source. It pays to look closely, and the deciding is yours to do.
Read On
Healing: God as Physician (Jehovah Rapha)
Plain Words: Terms Explained Honestly