Jan´nes and Jam´bres, two of the Egyptian magicians who attempted by their enchantments to counteract the influence on Pharaoh’s mind of the miracles wrought by Moses. Their names occur nowhere in the Hebrew Scriptures, and only once in the New Testament (2Ti 3:8). The Apostle Paul became acquainted with them, most probably, from an ancient Jewish tradition, or, as Theodoret expresses it, ’from the unwritten teaching of the Jews.’ They are found frequently in the Talmudical and Rabbinical writings, but with some variations.
Two magicians. "Withstood Moses" (2Ti 3:8-9). They could "proceed no further," though for a time they simulated Moses’ miracles (Exo 7:11). At last "their folly was manifested unto all," when not only could they no longer rival Moses and send boils but were themselves smitten with boils. So as to the lice, the magicians confessed," this is the finger of God" (Exo 8:18-19; Exo 9:11). An or unrra is Egyptian for "scribe." It is the name of a writer in papyri of the reign of Rameses II Jambres may mean "scribe of the S." (Speaker’s Commentary, note at end of Exodus 7) The Targum of Jonathan mentions Jannes and Jannes as "chiefs of the magicians." Numenius, a Pythagorean (in Eusebius, Proep. Evang., 9:8) wrote, "Jannes and Jannes were sacred scribes, deemed inferior to none in magic." Paul by inspiration endorses the names given them in secular history, though not mentioned in the inspired Exodus. Pliny (H. N. 30:1) makes Moses, Jamnes, and Jotape, heads of magic factions.
[Jan’nes ] [Jam’bres]
These are mentioned by Paul as having withstood Moses; to whom he compares those who by imitation were resisting the truth in the church. 2Ti 3:8. Jannes and Jambres were doubtless the leaders of the Egyptian magicians who imitated the first plagues before Pharaoh; but who, when it was a question of the creation of life, had to confess that the finger of God was there. The judgement of God fell upon them also, for they were smitten with the boils and blains. As their folly was manifest in contending with the God of Israel, so shall be the folly of those who oppose the truth.
(more correctly Mambres, 
; also 
, Yoḥanai and Mamre):
By: Kaufmann Kohler
Names of two legendary wizards of Pharaoh "who withstood Moses" (II Tim. iii. 8) by imitating "with their enchantments" the works of Moses and Aaron, though they were defeated (Ex. vii. 11, viii. 7). According to rabbinical tradition they were the two chiefs of the magicians at the court of Pharaoh who foretold the birth of Moses, "the destroyer of the land of Egypt," thereby causing the cruel edicts of Pharaoh (Soṭah 11a; Sanh. 106a). They said to Moses when he performed his miracles with the water and the rod: "Dost thou wish to introduce magic into Egypt, the native land of the magic art?" (Men. 85a). According to Midrash Yelammedenu, Ki Tissa (Ex. xxxii.), they were among "the mixed multitude that went up with Israel from Egypt" (Ex. xii. 38) and aided in the making of the golden calf. They were the "two youths" (A. and R. V. "servants") that accompanied Balaam on his travels when commissioned to curse Israel (Targ. i. to Num. xxii. 22). They flew up into the air before the sword of Phinehas and made themselves invisible, until, by the power of the Ineffable Name, they were caught and slain (Zohar, Balaḳ, 194; comp. Targ. Yer. to Num. xxxi. 8).
Numenius the Pythagorean, quoted by Eusebius ("Præparatio Evangelica," ix. 8), relates after Artapanus (see Freudenthal, "Alexander Polyhistor," 1875, p. 173) that "Jannes and Jambres, the most powerful Egyptian magicians, dispersed the plagues which Moses (Musæus) had brought upon Egypt." In the third century the tomb of Jannes and Jambres was shown in Egypt; Christian saints knew it as a place where the evil demons could be consulted for magic purposes (see the story of Macarius in Palladius, "Historia Lausiaca"; Fabricius, "Codex Pseudepigraphus Vet. Test." i. 181, ii. 106-111). Jannes and Jambres are the subjects of many legendary tales, one of which is presented in a Greek work entitled "Pœnitentia Jannis et Mambre," counted among the Apocrypha in Pope Gelasius' "Decretum," and referred to by Origen (to Matt. xxvii. 9). These legends seem to have been known also to such pagan writers as Pliny and Apuleius; Pliny ("Historia Naturalis," xxxi. 11) mentions Moses, Jannes, and Jotape (Rotape?) among the Jewish magicians, and Apuleius ("Apologia," xc.) mentions Moses and Jannes among the world's great magicians.
Regarding the names, various etymologies have been proposed. Ewald ("Gesch." i., pt. ii. 128), Lauth ("Moses der Hebräer," p. 77), and Freudenthal (l.c.) believe them to have been derived from the Egyptian; Steiner (Schenkel, "Bibel-Lexicon") attempts to find for them a Hebrew origin; Geiger ("Urschrift," p. 474) considers the sons of Jambri as Amorites (comp. I Macc. ix. 36; see Kohut, "Aruch Completum"). Jastrow ("Dict.") and Levy ("Neuhebr. Wörterb.") each offer equally untenable explanations. The fact that a demon belonging to the class of Lilith, or a sorceress named Yoḥane bat Reṭibi (
), was greatly dreaded in Talmudical times (Soṭah 22a), and that Abraham's concubine Keturah (believed to have been familiar with magic) was also known as "Yoḥane" (Zeb. 62b; but see Bacher, "Ag. Tan." i. 357; 2d ed., p. 350), seems to throw some light upon the names "Jannes" and "Jotape" in Pliny; while the name "Mambre" appears to be correctly identified with 
(= "the rebel"; Levy, l.c.).
Bibliography:
Schürer, Gesch. iii. 292 et seq., where all the literature to date is given;
to this may now be added Israel Abrahams, in Cheyne, Encyc. Bibl.
JANNES AND JAMBRES.—In 2Ti 3:8 these names are given as those of Moses’ opponents; the Egyptian magicians of Exo 7:11; Exo 7:22 are doubtless referred to, though their names are not given in OT. They are traditional, and we find them in the Targumic literature (which, however, is late). Both there and in 2Ti 3:8 we find the various reading ‘Mambres’ (or ‘Mamre’). ‘Jannes’ is probably a corruption of ‘Johannes’ (John); ‘Jambres’ is almost certainly derived from a Semitic root meaning ‘to oppose’ (imperfect tense), the participle of which would give ‘Mambres.’ The names were even known to the beathen. Pliny the Elder (a.d. 23–79) mentions ‘Moses, Jamnes (or Jannes), and Jotapes (or Lotapes)’ as Jewish magicians (Hist. Nat. xxx. 1 ff.); thus ‘Jannes,’ at least, must have been a traditional name before the Christian era. Apuleins (c
A. J. Maclean.
1. Egyptian Magicians
These are the names of two magicians in ancient Egypt, who withstood Moses before Pharaoh. This is the only place where the names occur in the New Testament, and they are not mentioned in the Old Testament at all. In Exo 7:11, Exo 7:22 Egyptian magicians are spoken of, who were called upon by Pharaoh to oppose Moses and Aaron: “Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments.” Jannes and Jambres were evidently two of the persons referred to in this passage. It should be observed that the word translated here “magicians” occurs also in Gen 41:8 in connection with Pharaoh’s dreams: Pharaoh “sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof.” the Revised Version margin reads for “magicians” “or sacred scribes.” The Hebrew word is
2. Mentioned by Pliny and Others
Jannes and Jambres, one or both, are also mentioned by Pliny (23-79 ad), by Apuleius (circa 130 ad), both of whom speak of Moses and Jannes as famous magicians of antiquity. The Pythagorean philosopher Numenius (2nd century ad) speaks of Jannes and Jambres as Egyptian
3. Traditions
There are many curious Jewish traditions regarding Jannes and Jambres. These traditions, which are found in the Targum and elsewhere, are full of contradictions and impossibilities and anachronisms. They are to the effect that Jannes and Jambres were sons of Balaam, the soothsayer of Pethor. Notwithstanding this impossibility in the matter of date, they were said to have withstood Moses 40 years previously at the court of Pharaoh, to whom it was also said, they so interpreted a dream of that king, as to foretell the birth of Moses and cause the oppression of the Israelites. They are also said to have become proselytes, and it is added that they left Egypt at the Exodus, among the mixed multitude. They are reported to have instigated Aaron to make the golden calf. The traditions of their death are also given in a varying fashion. They were said to have been drowned in the Red Sea, or to have been put to death after the making of the golden calf, or during the slaughter connected with the name of Phinehas.
4. Origen’s Statement
According to Origen (Comm. on Mat 27:8) there was an apocryphal book - not yet rediscovered - called “The Book of Jannes and Jambres.” Origen’s statement is that in 2Ti 3:8 Paul is quoting from that book.
5. Derivation
In the Targumic literature “Mambres” occurs as a variant reading instead of “Jambres.” It is thought that Jambres is derived from an Aramaic root, meaning “to oppose,” the participle of which would be Mambres. The meaning of either form is “he who opposes.” Jannes is perhaps a corruption of Ioannes or Iohannes (John).
These two men are referred to in 2Ti_3:8 as having withstood Moses; they are traditionally identified with two leading men among the magicians (Exo_7:11; Exo_7:22; cf. Gen_41:8; Gen_41:24). They are mentioned in the Gospel of Nicodemus (ch. 5) in the warning given to Pilate by Nicodemus that he should not act towards Jesus as Jannes and Jambres did to Moses. Origen (c. Cels. iv. 51) says that Numenius (2nd cent, a.d.; probably following Artapanos, an Alexandrian Hellenist of the 2nd cent. b.c.), related the story also; and in his commentary on Mat_27:9 he says that the reference in 2 Tim. was derived from a ‘secret book’ (perhaps the ‘Liber qui appellatur Paenitentia Jamnae et Mambrae,’ an apocryphon referred to in the Decretum Gelasianum), as he suggests was the case with 1Co_2:9 and Mat_27:9 itself (Patr. Graeca, xiii. 1769). Eusebius also quotes Numenius in his Praep. Ev. ix. 8 as relating the story to Jannes and Jambres, two ‘Egyptian scribes’ (cf. çַøְèֻîִéí ‘magicians’ above, where the primary meaning is ‘scribes,’ and the secondary ‘magicians’). The Acts of Peter and Paul (Ante-Nicene Christian Library, xvi. [1873] 268) makes the two apostles warn Nero against Simon Magus by the example of Pharaoh, who was drowned in the Red Sea through listening to Jannes and Jambres. The Apost. Const. (viii. 1) compares the action of Jannes and Jambres to that of Annas and Caiaphas. It is possible that the two magicians were identified by hostile Jews with John and Jesus (cf. Levy, Chald. Wörterbuch, p. 337), but the story seems older.
The licentious play of fancy which meets us everywhere in the superstitions about magicians throughout the two centuries before and the two centuries after Christ, is responsible for the variegated and contradictory legends about Jannes and Jambres. They were sons of Balaam, and accompanied him on his journey to Balak; they perished in the Red Sea; they were among the ‘mixed multitude’; they were killed in the matter of the golden calf; they flew up into the air to escape the sword of Phinehas, but were brought down by the power of the Ineffable Name and slain. All these legends are in the style of the Midrash, pious but groundless, and serve only to illustrate the mind of the period in which they rose and took form. Whether the author of 2 Tim. is quoting from oral legend or from an apocryphal work is uncertain. Origen suggests the latter, Theodoret the former. Nor is there any final certainty about the origin and meaning of the names. The first has been identified with Johannes or John, and may have contained an allusive reference to Heb. éָðָä, ‘to oppress’ (cf., further, articles Balaam, Nicolaitans). Jambres occurs in the form Mambres also (the b in both is probably euphonic only), and may have been treated as if from Aram. îַëְøֵà, ‘rebellious’ (cf. the opprobrious îִéå, ‘heretic’). But the polemic use of the two terms as = ‘oppressor’ and ‘rebellious’ does not explain their origin. H. Ewald (Gesch. des Volkes Israel, 1864-66, i. ii. 128), F. J. Lauth (Moses der Ebräer, 1869, p. 77), and J. Freudenthal (Alexander Polyhistor, 1875, p. 173) regard the names as Graeco-Egyptian. In 1Ma_9:36 the ‘children of Jambri’ are mentioned, an Arab tribe, and perhaps not Amorites, but there is no good ground for tracing Jambres to this.
We can only conclude, therefore, that all that is certain about Jannes and Jambres is that they were the names of two men who were believed in the Apostolic Age to have been the leaders of the magicians who withstood Moses, and that they have been made the centre of pious legends and the cause of much critical ingenuity.
W. F. Cobb.