Concise Bible Dictionary:
1. In Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:2, 10, 27; Daniel 4:7; Daniel 5:7, 11, 15 the Hebrew word is ashshaph, signifying “enchanter, magician”; one who practiced occult arts. This word occurs nowhere else.
2. habar shamayinz, one who viewed or divided the heavens, an astrologer, who professed to foretell events by the position of the planets (Isa. 47:13). Babylon was wearied with its various counselors, who doubtless often differed one from another; but it had no other resource, so it turned to its astrologers, star-gazers and so forth. See DIVINATION.
Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:
Transliteration:
’ashshaph
Meaning:
from an unused root (probably meaning to lisp, i.e. practice enchantment); a conjurer
From Manners and Customs of the Bible:
Isaiah 47:18. Let now the astrologers, the star gazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.
Efforts to foretell future events by watching the motions of the heavenly bodies are very ancient. The ancient Babylonians and Chaldeans were especially celebrated for their attempts in this direction. See Daniel 2:2. In Chaldea the astrologers formed a particular caste, in which the knowledge acquired was transmitted from father to son. They taught that the universe was eternal, that a divine providence ruled over it, and that the movements of the heavenly bodies were directed according to the council of the gods, Their long observation had made them more competent than other men to calculate the movements and influence of the stars. From the rising and setting of the planets, their orbits and color, they predicted storms, heat, rain, comets, eclipses, and earthquakes; and from the varied appearances of the heavens they foretold events that not only affected lands and nations, but also brought happiness or unhappiness to kings and common people.
To assist them in making calculations from the stars the astrologers divided the heavens, visible and invisible, into twelve equal parts, six above the horizon and six below. These they called “houses,” and the various subjects which affect the happiness of mankind, such as fortune, marriage, life, death and religion, were distributed among them. From the position of the stars in these “houses” the calculations were made. The two words rendered “astrologers” in the text literally signify “dividers of the heavens.”
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