This is an ongoing catalog of every type of spirit mentioned in Scripture. It will be updated as new entries are identified. If you know of any types of spirits in the Bible that should be included, please email me. You can also get in touch through the form on the Contact page.
Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The Greek word for “spiritual forces of evil” is pneumatikos. This word refers to the low-level spirits of affliction, bondage and temptation.
These spirits are the demons/unclean spirits which are under the control of Satan (Mark 3:22-23). However, these spirits can also be directed by God to accomplish His own purposes (I Samuel 16:14, I Kings 22:22, Judges 9:23).
This post will be a collection of every spirit type; not named spirits. (We have a separate article cataloguing the named spirits of Scripture). That is not to say that these spiritual entities don’t have names; but this is simply categorizing them by function. Not all of these spirits are necessarily “evil” or disloyal to God.
Spirit of Fear
II Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) – For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
This is likely the same type of spirit that was unleashed when the King of Moab sacrificed his own son. He did this as part of a pagan ritual to summon help from the demonic world.
II Kings 3:27 – Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.
Spirit of Error
II Timothy 1:7 – We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
In this verse, Spirit of truth is capitalized- referring to the Holy Spirit. A spirit of error is a spiritual entity which tries to direct us down the wrong path. The Greek word for error here is plane (pronounced plan-nay) and means to wander or stray. It can also be used to pervert the way that is right.
Spirit of Antichrist
I John 4:3 – …and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
II John 1:7 (KJV) – For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
The Antichrist is not just a person; there are also antichrist spirits that precede his appearance (I John 2:18). These spirits inhabit people and cause them to deny that Jesus was the Messiah, deny that He appeared in the flesh (II John 1:7), and/or deny Trinitarian theology (I John 2:22).
Spirit of Slavery/Bondage
Romans 8:15 – For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
A spirit of slavery is a spirit that you submit to, giving it mastery over yourself (Romans 6:16).
John 8:34 – Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
II Peter 2:19 – For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
There may be a specific spirit of bondage, or this could perhaps refer to any type of spirit which can enslave someone (such as a spirit of fear).
Romans 6:12 – Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Spirit of Stupor/Slumber
Isaiah 29:10 – For the Lord has poured out upon you
a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).
As God’s judgment on rebellious Jerusalem, He gives them a spirit of sleep. Why? Theologian David Guzik says, “When we are asleep, we are doing nothing productive. When we are asleep, we are vulnerable. When we are asleep, we are insensitive. God sent these things to a blind, proud, drunk Jerusalem.”
This may also be the spirit of heaviness mentioned in Isaiah 61:3.
Spirit of Whoredom (Sexual Immorality/Adultery)
Hosea 4:12 – My people inquire of a piece of wood,
and their walking staff gives them oracles.
For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
and they have left their God to play the whore.
Hosea 5:4 – Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God.
For the spirit of whoredom is within them,
and they know not the Lord.
In a book where God instructs his prophet to marry an adulterous woman, He uses sexual immorality as a metaphor for spiritual adultery. To seek after idols or false gods is to “cheat” on Yahweh. In Hosea, this spirit refers to spiritual whoredom. Like spirits of slavery, this might be a descriptive term for other types of spirits who lead people astray from God.
Spirit of Confusion/Perversity
Isaiah 19:14 – The Lord has mingled within her a spirit of confusion,
and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds,
as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
In a judgment against Egypt, God sent a spirit of confusion to cause its leaders to make foolish decisions, leading to disaster for the nation.
The Hebrew word for this spirit is ʿivʿîm, and it is only used here in the Bible. It can mean “distorting, perverting, or warping.”
Spirit of Judgment
Isaiah 4:4 – …when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.
The spirit of judgment and spirit of burning are two different spirits who have eschatological roles. In the end times, Jerusalem is said to be characterized by wickedness.
Revelation 11:8 – …the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
Sodom and Egypt speak of perversity and worldliness. However, after the Jews collectively repent of their rejection of Jesus (Zechariah 12:10, Romans 11:25) and are saved, the Second Coming of Christ will take place. Jerusalem will be renewed by a spirit of judgment which identifies sin, followed by a spirit of burning which will consume and remove all sin. The following Millennial Reign of Christ will take place in a purified city.
Spirit of Burning
(see above)
Evil/Harmful Spirit
Luke 7:21 – In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.
A generic term for a spirit with malicious intent. These can cause physical infirmities or psychological torment, as well as stirring up strife amongst individuals (Judges 9:23).
Evil can also mean “harmful.” Note the differences in how the following translations render this spirit’s description:
I Samuel 16:14 (KJV) – But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
(also note: the spirit was “from the Lord”)
I Samuel 16:14 (NKJV) – But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.
I Samuel 16:14 (KJV) – Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.
Deaf and Mute Spirit
Mark 9:25 – And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
A young boy had a spirit which made him mute, which meant he could not speak. It also could not allow him to hear. This caused the boy to essentially be cut off from society and basic communication. Not only that, it would cause the child to have fits of seizures and to foam at the mouth. Jesus identified this spirit by its function.
Spirit of Infirmity
Luke 13:11 (NKJV) – And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
The word “infirmity” here is astheneia in the Greek. It means to cause weakness and frailty, or feebleness of health. In this woman’s case, she was unable to stand up straight, which means she had spinal or musculoskeletal issues.
This woman was later said to be a daughter of Abraham (verse 16)- which meant she was a follower of God. Jews who did not follow God were specifically disqualified from being known as children of Abraham (John 8:39-47). This shows that even believers can be afflicted by demons (literally: demonized).
She was “bound” by this evil spirit, and Jesus commanded it to “loose” her. Jesus granted this same authority to His followers (Matthew 16:19).
Spirit of Divination
Acts 16:16 – As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.
A spirit of divination allows someone to participate in occult activities by revealing secrets to them from the spiritual realm. This is an actual power that some people can tap into. (See also the story of the witch of En Dor from I Samuel 28).
However, communion with these spirits is expressly forbidden by God. The practices are often connected with the dead and the underworld realm.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 – 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.
GotQuestions.org reminds us: “Divination in any form is sin. It is not harmless entertainment or an alternate source of wisdom. Christians should avoid any practice related to divination, including fortune-telling, astrology, witchcraft, tarot cards, necromancy, and spell-casting. The spirit world is real, but it is not innocent.”
Lying Spirit
I Kings 22:22 – And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’
This spirit was invited to participate in an important Divine Council meeting regarding the termination of King Ahab’s life. He likely had purposes beyond simply causing humans to lie; he states in this verse that he is willing to “be” a lying spirit, implying that this is not his primary function. However, this story shows that spirits can influence humans to lie. There is a similar statement made (by God Himself) regarding the false prophets of Ezekiel’s day:
Ezekiel 14:9 – And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Demons/Unclean Spirits
Acts 5:16 – Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
Demons (or unclean spirits) are the spirits of the Nephilim, also known as the giants. According to the Book of Enoch 15-16, these half-man, half-Watcher hybrids were doomed to wander the earth.
According to Old Testament law, things that were “mixed” (an unauthorized combination of two different kinds) could lead to them being declared unclean. The giants were a mixture of humans and angelic beings. By using the term “unclean spirits” to describe demons, Jesus and the New Testament writers were affirming this understanding of their origin.
For more information on this subject, check out this episode of the Weird Stuff in the Bible podcast:
Leave a Reply