Genesis 41:8

Magicians. Outside the Pentateuch this word, from chartummim, is used only in Daniel 1:20; 2:2. It is derived from an Egyptian word meaning “to pronounce a magic spell,” “to pronounce a name in magic,” and designating the priests as masters of magic. These men occupied themselves with the sacred arts and sciences of the Egyptians, the hieroglyphic writings, astronomy and astrology, and interpretation of dreams, the foretelling of events, with magic and conjuring, and were guardians of the occult arts. In short, they were the wise men of the nation. Inasmuch as the Nile, whence the lean as well as the fat cows ascended, was regarded by the Egyptians as the source of all life and fertility, these wise men were puzzled as to the meaning of the dreams and could think of no interpretation that would be likely to satisfy the king. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar upon a later occasion, Pharaoh remembered his dreams, but the Egyptian wise men proved no more successful in spite of their obvious advantage in this respect (Dan. 2:4, 7). That they were unable to explain Pharaoh’s dreams, clothed in the symbolic language of the time, was no doubt surprising to them as well as to the king; but “the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God,” and those to whom the Spirit of God reveals them (1 Cor. 2:10, 11). The wisdom of God excels, and will therefore ever confound, that of the world.