Egyptian Magicians, snakes, and rods

Do you remember the story in the Bible when Moses and Aaron threw down a rod that became a snake, and Pharoah's magicians copied them by throwing down their rods that became snakes as well? The biblical account states:

"And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments" (Exodus 7:10-11).

Have you ever wondered how the magicians of Egypt could have possessed the miraculous power to repeat the sign that God had given to Moses and Aaron? Did the magicians really have supernatural powers? The biblical text does not give us all the details, but there are clues that suggest that the Egyptian magicians used trickery instead of real supernatural ability.

Egyptians often used the snake in their religious rituals. Many Egyptian paintings and carvings portray this animal in connection with ancient Egyptian snake charmers and magicians. They would certainly have become very skilled at capturing, handling, and displaying snakes. One common trick charmers could do was to press below the neck of certain snakes to "paralyze" them. By pressing a certain spot below the neck, the snake becomes stiff and difficult to bend, much like a rod. This could have been the trick that the Egyptian magicians used with Moses and Aaron.

The Bible does not say that the magicians possessed miraculous powers. Their "magic" tricks were most likely just the ability to know how to hold a snake to make it stiffen like a rod. While the magicians could at least make it look like they had amazing abilities, they could not withstand the power of the almighty God. Their weak attempts to copy the miracle performed by Moses and Aaron were ruined when God showed His power by causing the rod of Moses and Aaron to eat all the other snakes of the magicians (Exodus 7:12). The important point to remember is that God is all powerful—more powerful than any false god or magician.

---

Copyright © 2014 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Please keep in mind that Discovery articles are written for 3rd-6th graders.

This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org