Exodus 8:18

When ¹  the magicians attempted ²  to bring forth gnats by their secret arts, they could not. So there were gnats on people and on animals.

But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals.

The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast.

Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. And the gnats covered all the people and animals.

The magicians tried to produce gnats with their incantations but this time they couldn't do it. There were gnats everywhere, all over people and animals.

And the wonder-workers with their secret arts, attempting to make insects, were unable to do so: and there were insects on man and on beast.

The magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, but they could not. There were gnats on both humans and animals.

Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast.

When ¹  the magicians attempted ²  to bring forth gnats by their secret arts, they could not. So there were gnats on people and on animals.

¹ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated to the main clause as a temporal clause.

² tn Heb “and the magicians did so.”

sn The report of what the magicians did (or as it turns out, tried to do) begins with the same words as the report about the actions of Moses and Aaron – “and they did so” (vv. 17 and 18). The magicians copy the actions of Moses and Aaron, leading readers to think momentarily that the magicians are again successful, but at the end of the verse comes the news that “they could not.” Compared with the first two plagues, this third plague has an important new feature, the failure of the magicians and their recognition of the source of the plague.