Exodus 7:11

11 But Pharao called together the wise men of Egypt, and the sorcerers, and the charmers also of the Egyptians did likewise with their sorceries.

Exodus 7:11 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 7:11

Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers
The cunning men and wizards, a sort of jugglers and deceivers, who pretended to great knowledge of things, to discover secrets, tell fortunes, and predict things to come, and by legerdemain tricks, and casting a mist before people's eyes, pretended to do very wonderful and amazing things; and therefore Pharaoh sent for these, to exercise their art and cunning, and see if they could not vie with Moses and Aaron:

now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their
enchantments;
or by their secret wiles and juggles, making things seem to appear to the sight when they did not really, but by dazzling the eyes of men by their wicked and diabolical art, they fancied they saw things which they did not; for the word has the signification of flames of fire, or of a flaming sword, or lance, which being brandished to and fro dazzles the sight. The Targum of Jonathan gives the names of two of these magicians, whom he calls Jannes and Jambres, as does the apostle, (See Gill on 2 Timothy 3:8). Josephus F20 calls these magicians of Egypt priests, and Artapanus F21 says, they were priests that lived about Memphis. According to the Arabs F23, the name of the place where they lived was Ausana, a city very ancient and pleasant, called the city of the magicians, which lay to the east of the Nile: their name in the Hebrew language is either from a word which signifies a style, or greying tool, as Fuller F24 thinks, because in their enchantments they used superstitious characters and figures; or, as Saadiah Gaon F25, from two words, the one signifying a "hole", and the other "stopped"; because they bored a hole in a tree to put witchcrafts into it, and stopped it up, and then declared what should be, or they had to say.


FOOTNOTES:

F20 Antiqu. l. 2. c. 13. sect. 3.
F21 Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 435.)
F23 Arab. Geograph. Climat. 2. par. 4. lin. 21.
F24 Miscell. Sacr. l. 5. c. 11.
F25 Comment. in Dan. i. 20.

Exodus 7:11 In-Context

9 Now if Pharao should speak to you, saying, Give us a sign or a wonder, then shalt thou say to thy brother Aaron, Take thy rod and cast it upon the ground before Pharao, and before his servants, and it shall become a serpent.
10 And Moses and Aaron went in before Pharao, and his servants, and they did so, as the Lord commanded them; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharao, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 But Pharao called together the wise men of Egypt, and the sorcerers, and the charmers also of the Egyptians did likewise with their sorceries.
12 And they cast down each his rod, and they became serpents, but the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods.
13 and the heart of Pharao was hardened, and he hearkened not to them, as the Lord charged them.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.