S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

The Bible does not give us much information on Jannes and Jambres. In fact, the names of these two men appear only once in the entire Bible, in 2 Timothy 3:8. In a passage describing the wickedness...

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July 01 2013 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

Who were Jannes and Jambres?

Jannes and Jambres: These two men from Moses' time are not named in the Hebrew Scriptures, but Paul includes their names as examples of inspiration. (2Ti 3:16) They were likely prominent men in Pharaoh's ancient Egyptian court, and they may have led the magic-practising priests who opposed Moses. (Ex 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18, 19; 9:11) 

Traditional Jewish writings mention them, some of which apparently date to the first century B.C.E. A few non-Jewish writers from the first and second centuries C.E. also mention one or both of these men by name. Paul refers to them to reassure Timothy that the false teachers in Ephesus will ultimately fail.

Paul had warned the overseers in Ephesus of the arrival of false teachers. (Ac 20:29, 30) Those wicked men may seemingly have made progress in their efforts to corrupt and divide the congregation. Faithful Christians surely found any success disturbing. But Paul reassures Timothy that such “progress” would be limited. He does so by comparing the false teachers to Jannes and Jambres, who opposed Moses and may have led the magic-practising priests in Egypt. 

The Exodus account shows that although those priests duplicated some of the miracles Moses performed, their success did not last. Starting with the third plague, they proved unable to duplicate God's miraculous acts or even to protect themselves from them.​—Ex 8:16-19; 9:10, 11.

Paul assures Timothy that the false teachers in the congregation would be exposed for their folly. They would end up like Jannes and Jambres, the two men Paul had just mentioned. In their case, everyone involved could clearly see that they were fools for opposing God.

How did Paul the Apostle learn about Jannes and Jambres?

Paul learned the names Jannes and Jambres from first-century Jewish oral and written traditions outside of the Old Testament.

3 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College & Dallas Seminary graduate, Pentair

Jannes and Jambres are the traditional names given to the two Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses before Pharaoh, as recorded in the Book of Exodus. Although the Old Testament does not mention them by name, it does describe the "wise men and sorcerers" and "magicians of Egypt" who performed miracles to counter the signs given by Moses and Aaron (Exod 7:11-12), where they cast down their staffs and they became serpents. Their names are preserved in the New Testament (2 Tim 3:8), where the Apostle Paul writes that just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also do corrupt teachers oppose the truth, possessing depraved minds and being rejected in the faith. This connection makes them a powerful biblical warning against false teachers who mimic genuine power but ultimately stand against God's purposes.

In the Exodus narrative, these magicians initially succeeded in replicating some of God's miracles through their secret arts, such as turning staffs into serpents and turning water into blood (Exod 7:22; 8:7). This ability served to harden Pharaoh's heart, as he saw that his own magicians could produce similar wonders. However, their power was strictly limited and subordinate to the sovereignty of God. When Moses and Aaron brought the plague of gnats, the magicians were completely unable to reproduce it and famously declared to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God" (Exod 8:18-19). Their final humiliation came when they themselves were struck with the painful boils that afflicted the rest of Egypt, a condition that prevented them from even standing before Moses (Exod 9:11).

Regarding their ultimate fate, ancient Jewish writers expressed varied opinions, with some claiming they drowned in the Red Sea while others asserted they survived only to be later put to death for inciting Aaron to make the golden calf, but the Scripture itself does not record their end. The significance of Jannes and Jambres lies in their role as archetypes of opposition to divine truth, and the Apostle Paul deliberately invokes them to warn Timothy about false teachers who, like these magicians, may display impressive outward abilities but who are inwardly corrupt and destined for failure, as Paul concludes that such men will not get very far because their folly will be plain to everyone (2 Tim 3:9). Their story demonstrates that while evil may temporarily mimic or resist the works of God, it cannot ultimately prevail against divine authority, and this progression serves as a timeless lesson that all human opposition to the Lord, no matter how clever or powerful it appears, will eventually be exposed, judged, and overcome.

July 04 2026 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report