What is the meaning of Exodus 8:7? But the magicians - Scripture presents these court officials as the spiritual advisors of Pharaoh (Exodus 7:11). - Their presence highlights the collision between God’s prophet and Egypt’s occult practitioners, echoing later confrontations such as Elijah versus the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-24) and Moses versus Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16:28-30). - Paul compares Jannes and Jambres to these men, noting their resistance to truth (2 Timothy 3:8-9). did the same thing - The phrase underscores that the magicians duplicated the outward sign Moses performed, just as they mimicked the staff-to-serpent miracle (Exodus 7:12). - Their imitation was limited; they could reproduce the plague but could not remove it, proving the supremacy of God’s power (Exodus 8:8; Psalm 86:8-10). - Imitation without authority points to the warning in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 about lying wonders accompanying lawlessness. by their magic arts - Scripture treats these “arts” as real occult practices, not mere sleight of hand (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). - God permits this display to expose both Egypt’s spiritual bankruptcy and the demonic nature behind such power (Revelation 16:13-14). - The contrast is clear: Moses acts by “the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19), while the magicians rely on dark powers incapable of life-giving deliverance (Isaiah 44:24-25). and they also brought frogs - The magicians only add to the plague’s misery; they cannot reverse it. By increasing the frogs, they deepen Egypt’s judgment (Proverbs 26:11). - Their action unwittingly vindicates Moses, proving the plague is not an illusion but a real, nation-wide crisis (Exodus 8:3-6). - The futility of their effort mirrors Pharaoh’s hardened heart (Exodus 7:13; Romans 9:17-18). up onto the land of Egypt - The entire land suffers, from palace to field, fulfilling God’s word that judgment would be comprehensive (Exodus 7:4). - This scope prefigures later plagues that touch every corner of Egypt (Exodus 9:25; 10:15), revealing that idols cannot protect their devotees (Jeremiah 46:25). - The frogs, sacred in Egyptian religion, become instruments of shame, showing that the LORD alone is sovereign (Numbers 33:4; Isaiah 19:1). summary Exodus 8:7 teaches that while Pharaoh’s magicians possessed real occult power, it was limited, destructive, and subordinate to God’s sovereign might. Their ability to duplicate the plague only amplifies the misery and highlights the futility of resisting the LORD. By allowing this imitation, God exposes false religion, vindicates His messenger, and sets the stage for judgment that only He can both send and remove. |
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