OET interlinear EXO 7:12

uW Translation Notes:

אִ֣ישׁ

(a)_man

Alternate translation: [magician]

וַ⁠יִּבְלַ֥ע

(Some words not found in UHB: and,they_threw_down (a)_man staff_of,his and=they_were (into),serpents and,it_swallowed_up staff_of ʼAhₐron's DOM staffs_of,their )

Alternate translation: [ate up] or [devoured]

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

וַ⁠יִּבְלַ֥ע מַטֵּֽה־אַהֲרֹ֖ן אֶת־מַטֹּתָֽ⁠ם

(Some words not found in UHB: and,they_threw_down (a)_man staff_of,his and=they_were (into),serpents and,it_swallowed_up staff_of ʼAhₐron's DOM staffs_of,their )

This is a surprising and amusing twist which was not what the magicians expected. Use a natural way in your language for introducing a contrast.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

מַטֵּֽה & אֶת־מַטֹּתָֽ⁠ם

(Some words not found in UHB: and,they_threw_down (a)_man staff_of,his and=they_were (into),serpents and,it_swallowed_up staff_of ʼAhₐron's DOM staffs_of,their )

It may be necessary in some languages to translate the word staff as “snake,” since it had turned into one. This may be true if it would not make sense in the target language to say (because it is not living) that a staff swallowed or ate something. It may also may not make sense in some languages to speak of the snakes as staffs once they have been transformed.