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Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Timothy 3:8

Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses - The names of these two men are not elsewhere mentioned in the Bible. They are supposed to have been two of the magicians who resisted Moses (Exodus 7:11, et al.), and who opposed their miracles to those of Moses and Aaron. It is not certain where the apostle obtained their names; but they are frequently mentioned by the Hebrew writers, and also by other writers; so that there can be no reasonable doubt that their names were correctly handed down by... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Timothy 3:8-9

2 Timothy 3:8-9. Now as Jannes and Jambres Some ancient writers speak of these persons as the chief of Pharaoh’s magicians, whose names, though not recorded by Moses, yet being handed down by tradition, are preserved in Jonathan’s Chaldee Paraphrase on Exodus 7:11; withstood Moses We learn from Exodus 7:11; Exodus 7:22, that Pharaoh’s magicians imitated three of Moses’s miracles by their enchantments; that is, by repeating a form of words known only to themselves, in which they invoked... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 2 Timothy 3:1-9

Warning of worse to come (3:1-9)Timothy may be surprised that such evil should appear within the community of God’s people. Paul warns him that worse is to follow. When people try to keep the outward form of religion but reject its inner power, the evil within them soon shows itself in their words and actions. The more they please themselves and reject God, the more wrong they do (3:1-5).By cunning and deceit, people who call themselves Christians will gain entrance into private homes, where... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 2 Timothy 3:8

as . Literally in the manner in which. Jannes and Jambres . The names of the magicians of Exodus 7:11 . Found in the Targum of Jonathan. withstood . Greek. anthistemi . Translated nine times "resist", five times "withstand". Moses . The tenth occurance of the name in the Epistles. See Romans 5:14 . resist. Same as "withstood". of corrupt minds = utterly corrupted (Greek. kataphtheiro. Only here and 2 Peter 2:12 ) as to their mind. reprobate . See Romans 1:28 . concerning . App-104 . ... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 2 Timothy 3:8

And even Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth; men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.Jannes and Jambres ... These were the evil magicians who withstood Moses during his appearances before Pharaoh; and Paul's identification of them here is the very earliest mention of these names which has descended to us through history. That these names have appeared in later Jewish writings in slightly different form is not a reflection against Paul, but... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 2 Timothy 3:8

2 Timothy 3:8. As Jannes and Jambres— Jannes and Jambres are not mentioned Exodus 7:0 nor any where else in the Old Testament; but their names are said to be mentioned, though with some variety as to the spelling, in both the Talmuds, and in the Targum of Jonathan on Exodus 7:11. It is remarkable, that the former of them is mentioned together with Moses by Pliny, and both of them by Numenius the philosopher (quoted byEusebius) as celebrated magicians. The Jews affirmed them to have been princes... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 2 Timothy 3:8

8. Now—Greek, "But"; it is no wonder there should be now such opponents to the truth, for their prototypes existed in ancient times [ALFORD]. Jannes . . . Jambres—traditional names of the Egyptian magicians who resisted Moses (Exodus 7:11; Exodus 7:22), derived from "the unwritten teaching of the Jews" [THEODORET]. In a point so immaterial as the names, where Scripture had not recorded them, Paul takes the names which general opinion had assigned the magicians. EUSEBIUS [Preparation of the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 2 Timothy 3:1-8

IV. DIRECTIONS CONCERNING THE LAST DAYS 3:1-4:8Paul anticipated dark days ahead for the church. He listed several characteristics of this time, clarified the most important conduct in it, and explained his own role to prepare Timothy and all his readers for what lay ahead. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 2 Timothy 3:1-13

A. Characteristics of the last days 3:1-13Paul instructed Timothy concerning what God had revealed would take place in the last days. He did so to help him realize that he faced no unknown situation in Ephesus and to enable him to combat it intelligently. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 2 Timothy 3:8-9

Paul used the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in the plagues (Exodus 7:11; Exodus 9:11) to illustrate the fate of these false teachers. Jewish oral or written tradition preserved their names even though the Old Testament did not. [Note: Homer A. Kent Jr., The Pastoral Epistles, p. 285. See also Fee, pp. 272, 274.] Their names, probably nicknames, mean "the rebel" and "the opponent." [Note: Walter Lock, The Pastoral Epistles, p. 107.] Like these magicians, the false teachers opposed God’s... read more

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