The Unholy Pair

If there are any characters who provide comic relief in The Prince of Egypt, then they are Pharaoh's magicians, Hotep and Huy. They are certainly the butt of more than one joke. Pompous, slightly sinister illusionists whose religion appears a sham, they are also the closest thing to being "the bad guys."

Though the Bible does not personalize the magicians and gives no reason to believe that they were anything other than capable at their crafts, the Talmud indeed describes them as something of a troubling twosome--Moses nemesis, and gives them the names Jannes and Jambres. As a testament to their familiarity during the first Century of the Common era, we can find Paul referring to them in the Book of 2 Timothy.

The Talmud tells us exactly how these magicians taunted Moses as he performed God's marvels before the Pharaoh.