Genesis 41 (KJV) - Bible Truth Library

the magicians of Egypt.The word here used (chartummim) may mean no more than interpreters of abstruse or difficult subjects; especially of dreams and visions, which formed a considerable part of the ancient pagan religion; and the Egyptian priests were the first who professed this art.

The word may be of affinity with, or derived from, the Persian {chiradmand,} wise, learned, judicious, intelligent, from {chirad,} understanding, judgment, and {mand,} endowed with.

They seem to have been such persons as Josephus calls sacred scribes; or professors of sacred learning.

Ex. 7:11,22• ¹¹Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
²²And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said. (Ex. 7:11,22)

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Ex. 8:7,18‑19• ⁷And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
¹⁸And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
¹⁹Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said. (Ex. 8:7,18‑19)

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Ex. 9:11• ¹¹And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. (Ex. 9:11)

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Lev. 19:31• ³¹Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 19:31)

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Lev. 20:6• ⁶And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. (Lev. 20:6)

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Deut. 18:9‑14• ⁹When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
¹⁰There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
¹¹Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
¹²For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
¹³Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.
¹⁴For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. (Deut. 18:9‑14)

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Isa. 8:19• ¹⁹And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? (Isa. 8:19)

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Isa. 19:3• ³And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. (Isa. 19:3)

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Isa. 47:12‑13• ¹²Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
¹³Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. (Isa. 47:12‑13)

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Dan. 1:20• ²⁰And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. (Dan. 1:20)

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Dan. 4:7• ⁷Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. (Dan. 4:7)

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Dan. 5:7,11• ⁷The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
¹¹There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; (Dan. 5:7,11)

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Acts 17:18• ¹⁸Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. (Acts 17:18)

the wise men.

Matt. 2:1• ¹Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, (Matt. 2:1)

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Acts 7:22• ²²And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. (Acts 7:22)

but there.

Gen. 40:8• ⁸And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. (Gen. 40:8)

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Job 5:12‑13• ¹²He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
¹³He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. (Job 5:12‑13)

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Psa. 25:14• ¹⁴The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant. (Psa. 25:14)

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Isa. 19:11‑13• ¹¹Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
¹²Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
¹³The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof. (Isa. 19:11‑13)

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Dan. 2:4‑11,27‑28• ⁴Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
⁵The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
⁶But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
⁷They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.
⁸The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
⁹But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof.
¹⁰The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
¹¹And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
²⁷Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;
²⁸But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; (Dan. 2:4‑11,27‑28)

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Dan. 5:8• ⁸Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. (Dan. 5:8)

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1 Cor. 1:19• ¹⁹For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. (1 Cor. 1:19)

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1 Cor. 3:18‑20• ¹⁸Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
²⁰And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. (1 Cor. 3:18‑20)

• Man's natural pride of intellect blinds him to the simple fact that communications from God can only be interpreted by God. (“Exaltation and Glory” by H. Smith)

J. N. Darby Translation

And it came to pass in the morning, that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the scribesc of Egypt, and all the sages who were therein, and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none to interpret them to Pharaoh.

JND Translation Notes

i.e. Hieroglyphists. versed in so-called sacred writing -- hieroglyphics.