Exodus 8:18

18 And the magicians so did with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not; so there were lice upon man and upon beast.

Exodus 8:18 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 8:18

And the magicians did so with their enchantments, to bring
forth lice
They made use of their magical art, and juggling tricks they were masters of, to produce the like sort of creatures, or at least to make such appear, or seem to appear, to the eyes of men:

but they could not;
God would not suffer them to do it, to impose upon Pharaoh, and deceive him and the Egyptians any longer; and a stop is put to them, when such small and despicable creatures were produced, the more to put them to shame and confusion, and to show that what they did before was not real, and that what they did in appearance was only by divine permission;

so there were lice upon man and upon beast;
these lay in great numbers on both, biting and distressing them in a most terrible manner; for as the magicians could not produce such creatures, it was not in their power to remove them.

Exodus 8:18 In-Context

16 And the LORD said unto Moses, "Say unto Aaron, `Stretch out thy rod and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.'"

17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and on beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

18 And the magicians so did with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not; so there were lice upon man and upon beast.

19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them, as the LORD had said.

20 And the LORD said unto Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Lo, he cometh forth to the water, and say unto him, `Thus saith the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.