And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
The magicians tried to use their magic to create lice just like Aaron had done, but they couldn't do it. So the lice remained on both people and animals.
This verse shows that God's power through Moses and Aaron was greater than the Egyptian magicians' abilities - they could not duplicate this plague.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during the third plague upon Egypt, when God was demonstrating His supreme power over Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods through Moses and Aaron. The Egyptian magicians had been able to duplicate the first two plagues (turning water to blood and bringing forth frogs), but here their powers failed them. This marked a turning point where it became clear that God's power was beyond human magic or trickery.
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