Origin of names Jannes and Jambres

Question

2 Timothy 3:8 mentions two men who opposed Moses. Extra biblical literature associates these two as Pharaoh’s magicians during the Exodus narrative. Is there any research or other evidence toward the origin of these names (Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, etc)?

Answer 1

A Link from the Pulpit Commentary, maybe helpful.

Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

Verse 8. - And like for now, A.V.; withstand for resist, A.V.; corrupted in mind for of corrupt minds, A.V. And; but would be better. Jannes and Jambres; the traditional names of the magicians who opposed Moses; and, if Origen can be trusted, there was an apocryphal book called by their names. But Theodoret ascribes their names to an unwritten Jewish tradition. Their names are found in the Targum of Jonathan on Exodus 7:11; Exodus 22:22; and are also mentioned, in conjunction with Moses, with some variation in the name of Jambres, by Pliny ('Hist. Nat.,' 31:2), who probably got his information from a work of Sergius Paulus off magic, of which the materials were furnished by Elymas the sorcerer (Acts 13:6-8). Withstood (ἀντέστησαν); the same word as is used of Elymas in Acts 13:8 (so ch. 4:15 and elsewhere). Corrupted in mind (κατεφθαρμένα τὸν νοῦν); elsewhere only in 2 Peter 2:12, in the sense of" perishing," being "utterly destroyed," which is the proper meaning of καταφθείρομαι Here in a moral sense κατεφθαρμένοι τὸν νοῦν means men whose understanding is gone, and perished, as διεφθαρμένος τὴν ἀκοήν means one whose hearing has perished - who is deaf. In 1 Timothy 6:5 St. Paul uses the more common διεφθαρμένων. Reprobate (ἀδόκιμα); as Titus 1:16, and elsewhere frequently in St. Paul's Epistles. It is just the contrary to δόκιμος (2 Timothy 2:15, note).

As for myself, I could find nothing about them; I searched through Josephus' writings hoping to learn more about them, but no luck.

Answer 2

The Damascus Covenant doesn’t name the second brother. Jambres is sometimes Mambres, or similar. Johana and Mamre (Bab Talmud).

Jewish Encyclopaedia thinks it originated with mamrah the rebel. The word isn’t used as such, but the syllables are placed in rotation in Num 20.24.

אֲשֶׁר־מְרִיתֶם אֶת־פִּי לְמֵי מְרִיבָֽה

who rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah.

asher-marithem et-peh le-may maribah

The second brother’s name has always been more variable. It may have been changed to alliterate. Pliny mentions Iannis and Iotape. (Latter could be someone else entirely?)

Answer 3

https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10064305/

In 2 Timothy 3:8, Paul reveals that he was aware of The Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres.

Fragments of this text have been found; the Ethiopic fragment is accessible in the URL supplied.

Answer 4

Who they were is unknown.

Paul mentioned them as well known characters in his days. Who there were that withstood Moses is not exactly mentioned in the old testament. Paul did not give us any direct clue of how they withstood Moses. One thing is sure, Timothy knew about them and was aware of their opposition in the time of Moses; this is posibly why Paul did not give any detail or summary of their wicked acts.

If Timothy knew about them without further explanation from Paul, it must be a well known story at the time.

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” (2Ti 3:7-8, KJV)

Certain things are sure about Jannes and Jambres:

• Efforts were made to to bring these people to the knowledge of the truth but they never understood it. This implied that they were not quickened. It portends that coming to the knowledge of the truth or the opening of one's heart is only done by God. Unless a man is awakened from death, he cannot understand the truth.
• They resisted the truth.
• They were depraved people.
• God gave them up to a reprobate mind. Rom.1:28

Adam Clarke in his commentary on Ex.2:10 wrote, "And she called his name - משה mosheh, because מן המים min hammayim, out of the waters משיתהו meshithihu, have I drawn him. משה mashah signifies to draw out; and mosheh is the person drawn out; the word is used in the same sense Psa 18:16, and 2Sa 22:17. What name he had from his parents we know not; but whatever it might be it was ever after lost in the name given to him by the princess of Egypt. Abul Farajius says that Thermuthis delivered him to the wise men Janees and Jimbrees to be instructed in wisdom."

Elicott's Commentary says "The names “Jannes” and “Jambres,” though not given in the sacred text, are preserved in the oral tradition of Israel. The names are found in the Targum of Jonathan on Exo 7:11; Exo 22:22. These traditions relate how these men were sons of Balaam, and in the first instance were the instructors of Moses, though subsequently his enemies and opponents. One legend mentions them as perishing in the catastrophe when the waves of the Red Sea overwhelmed the armies of Egypt; another tradition speaks of their having met their death in the slaughter after the worship of the golden calf, the making of which they advised. It was their prophetic words, so say these legendary histories, which, foretelling the birth of Moses, induced Pharaoh to give this order for the destruction of the Jewish children. The later Jews distorted the names into John and Ambrose."

Other infomation I could gather can be found here.