"And they brought a great magic," so it was made to appear to Moses that their ropes and staffs were snakes. Moses cast his staff, and behold, it was greater than their snakes. Then they performed incantations, and their ropes and staffs increased in magnitude in the eyes of the people. Moses' staff kept growing while they performed their incantations until they had exhausted their magic, and nothing of it remained. Moses' staff grew until it blocked the horizon, then it opened its mouth and swallowed what they had cast. Then Moses took his staff in his hand, and behold, their ropes and staffs had vanished. That is His saying: "Then Moses cast his staff, and behold, it devoured what they fabricated," meaning: what they were lying about.