Exodus 8:18

And the magicians did so, &c.— This verse is not accurately translated. The clause at the end manifestly points out its true meaning, so there were lice upon man, and upon beast; indicating to us, what is the true sense of the passage, that the magicians endeavoured not to bring forth, but to draw off, or take away, the lice; which they were utterly unable to do: so the lice continued upon man and beast. The verse therefore should be rendered, and the magicians endeavoured, with their inchantments, to take away, or remove, the lice; and they could not: so there were lice upon man and upon beast. In which view the passage is plain, and the context clear; as this certainly was a reasonable trial of the magicians' power, and, as we find, a trial which compelled them to acknowledge the finger of God, Exodus 8:19. The LXX evidently lead to this translation which we have given: for they use the word εξαγαγειν, to remove or dispel. See Trommius's Concordance. And the Chaldee, Syriac, and other versions have it, to draw off, expel. And, in this sense, all the speculations of commentators, why the magicians were not able to produce lice, as they had done frogs, &c. before, are vain and superfluous.