I assume the Egyptian magicians are supposed to derive their powers from whichever god or gods they were worshiping in that area at the time. There is actually one specific type of magician in ancient Egypt, known as a scorpion charmer, whose responsiblity was to rid an area of poisonous reptiles or insects. This may have been why the inability to repeat the plague of gnats was so surprising to the magicians. Notably, this type of magic was not very high up in the hierarchy of Egyptian magic. Best I can tell Moses was supposedly born between about 1542-1292 B.C. This would put his time during the 18th dynasty in Egypt. I believe the main focus of worship was on Ra-Aton-Horus. Interestingly the Egyptian god Set I've mentioned previously was, during this time, considered an enemy of Ra-Aton-Horus(the patron of Upper Egypt, Set was patron of Lower Egypt), as he lost a battle with Horus at the begining of the 1st dynasty. However, Set regained popularity around 1300 B.C. in northern (lower) Egypt. I suppose it would be possible, given the very ambiguous date for Moses' birth that it could be closer to the 19th dynasty. This would have made the magicians participators in the worship of Set. If Moses was born closer to the 19th dynasty this could partially explain Egyptian magic being attributed to Satan, as some stories involving Satan seem to originate with Set. But this might be stretching a bit.
As for this magic being attributed to Satan, according to the bible's own timeline, this would not work. The fall, according to verses in Genesis and Enoch, would have occured around the time of Noah and the flood. However the chief angels noted in this fall are Samjazaa and Azazel. Satan, or the "angel prosecutor" Ha Sheth'n is not mentioned at all in this fall. Given their punishment of being cast out from heaven and separated from Yahweh eternally it would be impossible for "Satan" to be before Yaweh, with other angels at the beginning of Job. In that story "Satan," or as a footnote in my NIV copy of the bible says "the accuser," is before Yaweh and seems to be acting at his request. He must ask permission for each thing he does to Job and then reports back to Yaweh. This accusing angel may seem like a bit of a jerk, but he is certainly not bound with chains under a mountain apart from Yaweh. His job as prosecutor doesn't seem that far-fetched given some of Yaweh's attitudes towards human life and suffering as exemplified by other OT stories. More on this later...
Also, the story of Moses' birth seems to borrow heavily from an older Semitic tale involving Sargon, King of Akkad. He was born in secret then placed in a "basket of rushes sealed with tar." He is then discovered by a man named Akiki, who raises him as his son. This tale is appears to be from the 3rd millenium B.C. Also, the Ten Commandments seem to be taken from the Code of Hammurabi, which predates the commandments by about 500-600 years. Consider the following:
Commandment #5: Honor your father and mother.
Code of Hammurabi 195: If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off.
Commandment 6: You shall not murder
Hammurabi 229: If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.
Hammurabi 230: If it kill the son of the owner the son of that builder shall be put to death
Commandment 7: Do not commit adultery.
Hammurabi 129-133: If a man's wife be surprised (in flagrante delicto) with another man, both shall be tied and thrown into the water, but the husband may pardon his wife and the king his slaves.
If a man violate the wife (betrothed or child-wife) of another man, who has never known a man, and still lives in her father's house, and sleep with her and be surprised, this man shall be put to death, but the wife is blameless.
If a man bring a charge against one's wife, but she is not surprised with another man, she must take an oath and then may return to her house.
If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she shall jump into the river for her husband.
If a man is taken prisoner in war, and there is a sustenance in his house, but his wife leave house and court, and go to another house: because this wife did not keep her court, and went to another house, she shall be judicially condemned and thrown into the water.
Commandment 8: You shall not steal.
Hammurabi 6: If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death.
Hammurabi 8: If any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pig or a goat, if it belong to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay thirtyfold; if they belonged to a freed man of the king he shall pay tenfold; if the thief has nothing with which to pay he shall be put to death.
Commandment 9: You shall not bear false witness.
Hammurabi 2: If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser.
Hammurabi 3: If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death.
Commandment 10: You shall not covet.
The last commandment is a bit strange as it is an attempt to regulate human emotion by law. This is somewhat curious, and doesn't have a direct parallel in the Code of Hammurabi. However a good argument could be made for any of the Hammurabi passages involving theft or adultery.
Most of these concepts would be pretty common for the area and time period.
Noah
