Exodus 7:11

7:11 Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, ¹  and the magicians ²  of Egypt by their secret arts ³  did the same thing.

Exodus 7:22

7:22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same ⁴  by their secret arts, and so ⁵  Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, ⁶  and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron ⁷  – just as the Lord had predicted.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

13:1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams ⁸  should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, ⁹  13:2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.” 13:3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, ¹⁰  for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him ¹¹  with all your mind and being. ¹² 

Matthew 24:24

24:24 For false messiahs ¹³  and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Matthew 24:2

24:2 And he said to them, ¹⁴  “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, ¹⁵  not one stone will be left on another. ¹⁶  All will be torn down!” ¹⁷ 

Matthew 2:9-11

2:9 After listening to the king they left, and once again ¹⁸  the star they saw when it rose ¹⁹  led them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 2:10 When they saw the star they shouted joyfully. ²⁰  2:11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down ²¹  and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, ²²  and myrrh. ²³ 

Matthew 2:2

2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose ²⁴  and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 3:8

3:8 Therefore produce fruit ²⁵  that proves your ²⁶  repentance,

Revelation 13:14

13:14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told ²⁷  those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived.

[7:11]  ¹ sn For information on this Egyptian material, see D. B. Redford, A Study of the Biblical Story of Joseph (VTSup), 203-4.

[7:11]  ² tn The חַרְטֻּמִּים (kharttummim) seem to have been the keepers of Egypt’s religious and magical texts, the sacred scribes.

[7:11]  ³ tn The term בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶם (bÿlahatehem) means “by their secret arts”; it is from לוּט (lut, “to enwrap”). The Greek renders the word “by their magic”; Tg. Onq. uses “murmurings” and “whispers,” and other Jewish sources “dazzling display” or “demons” (see further B. Jacob, Exodus, 253-54). They may have done this by clever tricks, manipulation of the animals, or demonic power. Many have suggested that Aaron and the magicians were familiar with an old trick in which they could temporarily paralyze a serpent and then revive it. But here Aaron’s snake swallows up their snakes.

[7:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “thus, so.”

[7:22]  ⁵ tn The vav consecutive on the preterite introduces the outcome or result of the matter – Pharaoh was hardened.

[7:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the heart of Pharaoh became hard.” This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53). In context this represents the continuation of a prior condition.

[7:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “to them”; the referents (Moses and Aaron) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “or a dreamer of dreams” (so KJV, ASV, NASB). The difference between a prophet (נָבִיא, navi’) and one who foretells by dreams (חֹלֵם אוֹ, ’o kholem) was not so much one of office – for both received revelation by dreams (cf. Num 12:6) – as it was of function or emphasis. The prophet was more a proclaimer and interpreter of revelation whereas the one who foretold by dreams was a receiver of revelation. In later times the role of the one who foretold by dreams was abused and thus denigrated as compared to that of the prophet (cf. Jer 23:28).

[13:1]  ⁹ tn The expression אוֹת אוֹ מוֹפֵת (’ot ’o mofet) became a formulaic way of speaking of ways of authenticating prophetic messages or other works of God (cf. Deut 28:46; Isa 20:3). The NT equivalent is the Greek term σημεῖον (shmeion), a sign performed (used frequently in the Gospel of John, cf. 2:11, 18; 20:30-31). They could, however, be counterfeited or (as here) permitted to false prophets by the Lord as a means of testing his people.

[13:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.

[13:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[13:3]  ¹² tn Heb “all your heart and soul” (so NRSV, CEV, NLT); or “heart and being” (NCV “your whole being”). See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[24:24]  ¹³ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:2]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[24:2]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:2]  ¹⁶ sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[24:2]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

[2:9]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and behold the star.”

[2:9]  ¹⁹ tn See the note on the word “rose” in 2:2.

[2:10]  ²⁰ tn Grk “they rejoiced with very great joy.”

[2:11]  ²¹ tn Grk “they fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[2:11]  ²² sn Frankincense refers to the aromatic resin of certain trees, used as a sweet-smelling incense (L&N 6.212).

[2:11]  ²³ sn Myrrh consisted of the aromatic resin of certain shrubs (L&N 6.208). It was used in preparing a corpse for burial.

[2:2]  ²⁴ tn Or “in its rising,” referring to the astrological significance of a star in a particular portion of the sky. The term used for the “East” in v. 1 is ἀνατολαί (anatolai, a plural form that is used typically of the rising of the sun), while in vv. 2 and 9 the singular ἀνατολή (anatolh) is used. The singular is typically used of the rising of a star and as such should not normally be translated “in the east” (cf. BDAG 74 s.v. 1: “because of the sg. and the article in contrast to ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, vs. 1, [it is] prob. not a geograph. expr. like the latter, but rather astronomical…likew. vs. 9”).

[3:8]  ²⁵ sn Fruit worthy of repentance refers to the deeds that indicate a change of attitude (heart) on the part of John’s hearers.

[3:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “fruit worthy of.”

[13:14]  ²⁷ tn Grk “earth, telling.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek.