Exodus 9:11

ESV And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.

NIV The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.

NASB The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians.

CSB The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians.

NLT Even the magicians were unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and all the Egyptians.

KJV And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.

NKJV And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

What does Exodus 9:11 mean?

By throwing soot into the air (Exodus 9:8–9), Moses triggers an epidemic of painful sores and boils. These appear immediately, leaving the court occultists (Exodus 7:22; 8:7, 18) disabled. Such magicians had been part of Pharaoh's court since the time of Joseph (Genesis 41:8, 24). They had used their secret arts to duplicate turning a staff into a serpent (Exodus 7:11), to turn water into blood (Exodus 7:22), and to make frogs come from water (Exodus 8:7). However, the magicians were unable to duplicate the plague of gnats, leading them to claim the work was by the "finger of God" (Exodus 8:18–19).

Men labeled as "magicians" appear again later in the Old Testament. Depending on the context, they may also be referred to as seers, sorcerers, or diviners. They served in Babylon during Daniel's time as servants to the king (Daniel 1:20; 2:2, 27; 4:7, 9; 5:11). Scripture acknowledges their human wisdom and perhaps even spiritual power. However, Daniel's wisdom from God far surpassed the wisdom of the magicians. The lives of Joseph, Moses, and Daniel show that the power of magicians is vastly inferior to the power of God.

Expand

What is the Gospel?

Download the app: