Tag Archives: Magician(s)

Exodus Chapter 7

7:10 snake. The Hebrew word here is different from the one used in 4:3. The Hebrew word here can refer to a sea-monster, dragon, crocodile or snake. The purpose of this event is also different. The sign with Moses’ staff was for the Israelite elders. They saw it and, initially, believed Moses (4:30–31). The sign with Aaron’s staff is for Pharaoh and his officials and demonstrates what appears to be an assault on Egyptian ideology. If Aaron’s staff did indeed become a snake, then its devouring of the magicians’ snakes, on the one hand, demonstrates an overpowering of the magicians and even a commandeering of their own abilities and expertise.

On the other hand, it could also serve as an attack on the snake as a symbol of Egyptian power. It is hard to know, though, whether Aaron’s staff was supposed to become a snake that the Egyptians feared and despised or one that they worshipped. In ancient Egypt various preternatural beings (deities, demons, etc.) took the form of a snake; e.g., Apophis^*1 was an evil serpent and a great enemy of the sun-god Re. In Egyptian mythology, he regularly attacked the sun-god and, unless regularly defeated, could impede or even halt the sun-god’s orbit and thus bring disaster for human life on earth. Another important snake-deity was the goddess Wadjit ^*2. She functioned as the protective and representative deity of Lower Egypt, the delta region. She was normally portrayed as an up-reared cobra — referred to as a uraeus —ready to strike. Wadjit was represented by the uraeus ^*2 adorning the Egyptian king’s headdress. Having the cobra just above the king’s forehead was meant to bring protection to Pharaoh and terror to his enemies.

The inscription commemorating Rameses II’s victory at Qadesh over the Hittites (c. 1275 BC) also refers to Wadjit. Rameses speaks of how he entered the fray and fought ferociously, with his “uraeus-serpent” beating back his enemies and spitting “fiery flame” into the faces of his enemies. The uraeus on the king’s head imbued him with the mystical force by which he maintained order in Egypt and even the entire world; no uraeus meant no power.

The episode with Aaron’s staff makes a more effective attack on Egyptian ideology if the snake is one like the king’s uraeus rather than an evil creature like Apophis. If so, this narrative is another instance when the Biblical text takes a power symbol, crucial within the Egyptian worldview, and attempts to reverse its power and make it advantageous for the Israelites.

7:11 magicians. The Hebrew term appears related to an Egyptian word often used to refer to theological specialists in ancient Egypt who studied their culture’s sacred literature and knew an array of secret charms, spells and rituals. They were often said to be associated with the “House of Life,” a special section in some Egyptian temples that housed ritual and magic texts said to be inspired by the sun-god. They would have practised “sympathetic magic”  …

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Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Notes, Bringing to life the Ancient World of Scripture; by Craig Keener; John H. Walton; Publisher: Zondervan, 2016

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors of ‘Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Notes’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Christadelphians

*1

A depiction of Apophis based on the depiction in the tomb of Ramesses I.

Apophis = Apopis = Apep = Aphoph: ancient Egyptian deity, demon of chaos, who embodied darkness and disorder, and was thus the opponent of light and Maat (order/truth). He had the form of a serpent and, as the foe of the sun god, Re, represented all that was outside the ordered cosmos. Although many serpents symbolised divinity and royalty, Apopis threatened the underworld and symbolised evil.

The Egyptians believed that the king could help maintain the order of the world and assist Re by performing rituals against Apopis.

*2

An illustration of Wadjet based on depictions in tombs.

Uraeus: a representation of the sacred asp (Naja haje) appearing in ancient Egyptian art and especially on the headdress of rulers and serving as a symbol of sovereignty

Wadjit = Wadjet = Uto = Buto = Uadjet = Udjo, cobra goddess of ancient Egypt. Depicted as a cobra twined around a papyrus stem, she was the tutelary goddess of Lower Egypt. Wadjet and Nekhbet (Nekhebet), the vulture-goddess of Upper Egypt, were the protective goddesses of the king and were sometimes represented together on the king’s diadem, symbolising his reign over all of Egypt.

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Preceding

• Theology pt17 – God is All Powerful

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Additional reading

• Today’s thought “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (February 2)