Jambres

Jambres is a name associated with the two Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses during the Exodus in later Jewish and Christian traditions. In the Hebrew Bible, the magicians are described as opposing Moses and Aaron, but they are unnamed in the canonical text.

In some early Christian manuscripts of the New Testament, particularly 2 Timothy 3:8, the magicians are named as Jannes and Jambres. Other manuscripts leave them unnamed, and many modern translations do not include the names at all. The origin of the names is uncertain, and they are not part of the original biblical narrative.

Over time, Jannes and Jambres became common in Jewish and Christian pseudepigraphal literature as archetypes of counterfeit wisdom and opposition to divine truth. They are cited to illustrate deceitful miracles or imitation of God’s signs. The exact sources and dates of these names vary, with references appearing in a range of early Christian writings and later medieval compilations.

In Islamic tradition, the Qur’an recounts the contest between Moses and the Egyptian magicians but does not name the magicians. Consequently, Jambres operates mainly as a traditional appellation within certain branches of biblical interpretation rather than as an established historical figure. In modern scholarship, the names are viewed as part of interpretive tradition that grew outside the canonical text.