Exodus 7 describes a confrontation between Moses and Aaron, on the one hand, and the magicians of Pharaoh on the other. When Aaron threw down his staff, it turned into a tannin, literally a monstrous serpent, dragon, or crocodile. Somehow Pharaoh's magicians apparently were able to duplicate this feat, whether through some spiritual power or through sleight of hand. But then Aaron's staff swallowed up the magicians' staffs (Ex 7:12).
Later readers have seen symbolic meaning in these events. The tannin is used as a symbol for Pharaoh and Egypt in Ezekiel 29:1-6, and matteh, the word for "staff", also means "tribe." So the swallowing of the magicians' staffs by Aaron's staff could be making the statement that Egypt was going to be defeated by the tribes of Israel, who were thought to be a "dry stick" but would be raised up by God.
Sharon Rimon proposes this symbolism. She also points out that there are other times when God's servants show themselves superior to an emperor's court magicians, implying the superiority of God over the emperors and their deities. Other examples are in Genesis 41 and Daniel 1-2.
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