The Vision of the Priestly Narrative: Its Genre and Hermeneutics of Time

The magicians used their heka to further destroy the maat of Egypt by creating more bloody water and more frogs.

“Ironically, instead of undoing their opponents' actions against Egypt, the magicians used their heka to further destroy the maat of Egypt by creating more bloody water and more frogs (cf.Fretheim 2005, p. 116;Noegel 1996, pp. 48-49;Boorer 2016, p. 257).”

The author of M1 intentionally used תנין with a polemical thrust to show his readers that YHWH can control and manipulate the chaotic force of the underworld (i.e., Apep), which the Egyptians feared profoundly.

“According to this reading, the author of M1 intentionally used ‫תנין‬ with a polemical thrust to show his readers that YHWH can control and manipulate the chaotic force of the underworld (i.e., Apep), which the Egyptians feared profoundly.”

Although the Egyptian gods are not specifically mentioned in the account, their involvement is implicit, since the magicians who perform the signs are priests and religious functionaries in a culture where the divine realm was taken as given.

“Although the Egyptian gods are not specifically mentioned, this is implicit since the magicians who perform or attempt to perform the signs by their secret arts are, as priests, religious functionaries in a culture, as throughout the ancient world, where the divine realm was taken as given.”