Though the names of these two men are not mentioned in the Old Testament, reference is made to them. In Exodus 7:10-12 we read: "And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments."
According to Unger's Bible Dictionary, page 554b, "Jannes and Jambres were two of the Egyptian magicians who attempted, by their enchantments, to counteract the influence on Pharaoh's mind of the miracles wrought by Moses," as recorded in Exodus chapters 7-8. Jannes and Jambres were successful with their copycat "miracles" of turning water into blood, and the plague of frogs, but when it came to the nats, the failed to produce.
These two magicians who opposed Moses also opposed truth. They were men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith. They were not mentioned by name in the Old Testament. Hence, the question always arises, "How did Paul learn of them?" After all, a great deal of time had passed. Paul had a broad field of knowledge and education. He was learned in Hebrew, tradition--and secular and Rabbinic literature, where their names were generally known. There were also references to Jannes and Jambres in the literature of antiquity.
Jannes and Jambres, brothers two.
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