Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Timothy 3:8

"And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth. Men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith." — 2 Timothy 3:8 (ASV)

Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses. The names of these two men are not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. They are supposed to have been two of the magicians who resisted Moses (Exodus 7:11 and other passages), and who opposed their miracles to those of Moses and Aaron.

It is not certain from where the apostle obtained their names, but they are frequently mentioned by Hebrew writers and also by other writers, so there can be no reasonable doubt that their names were correctly handed down by tradition.

Nothing is more probable than that the names of the more distinguished magicians who attempted to imitate the miracles of Moses would be preserved by tradition. Although they are not mentioned by Moses himself, and the Jews have told many ridiculous stories about them, this should not lead us to doubt the truth of the tradition concerning their names.

A full collection of Jewish statements regarding them may be found in Wetstein, on this passage. They are also mentioned by Pliny, Natural History 30:7; by Numenius the philosopher, as quoted by Eusebius (Book 9, Chapter 8); and by Origen (Against Celsus, p. 199). See Wetstein.

By the rabbinical writers, they are sometimes mentioned as Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in Egypt, and sometimes as the sons of Balaam.

The more common account is that they were the princes of the Egyptian magicians. One of the Jewish rabbis represents them as having been convinced by the miracles of Moses and as having become converts to the Hebrew religion. There is no reason to doubt that these were, in fact, the leading men who opposed Moses in Egypt by attempting to work counter-miracles.

The point of the apostle's remark here is that they resisted Moses by attempting to imitate his miracles, thus neutralizing the evidence that he was sent from God. In the same way, the persons referred to here opposed the progress of the gospel by setting up a similar claim to that of the apostles, by pretending to have as much authority as they had, and by thus neutralizing the claims of the true religion and leading weak-minded persons away from the truth. This is often the most dangerous kind of opposition made to religion.

Men of corrupt minds. (Compare 1 Timothy 6:5).

Reprobate concerning the faith. That is, so far as the Christian faith is concerned. On the word rendered reprobate, see Romans 1:28; 1 Corinthians 9:27 (where it is rendered castaway); and 2 Corinthians 13:5.

The margin here is "of no judgment." The meaning is that, regarding the Christian faith or the doctrines of religion, their views could not be approved, and they were not to be regarded as true teachers of religion.