Bronze Serpent, Bronze Snake — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

Piece of sculpture that God commanded Moses to make when the Israelites were being bitten by “fiery serpents” (Nm 21:4-9). The serpents had been sent as a judgment because the people were grumbling against God and against Moses. When the people repented, God ordered the replica made; those who looked at it were healed.

Show passage in OET: NUM 21:4–9

OET-RV NUM 21:4

4 Then they all left Mt. Hor by the road going towards the Red Sea to go around Edom, but the people became impatient on the way

OET-RV NUM 21:5

5 and they started to grumble against God and against Mosheh (Moses), “Why did you two bring us out of Mitsrayim (Egypt) just to die in the wilderness, because there’s no bread and no water, and our insides detest that tasteless ‘stuff’?”

OET-RV NUM 21:6

6 So Yahweh sent poisonous snakes into the people, and many Israelis were bitten and died.

OET-RV NUM 21:7

7 The people came to Mosheh and begged, “We’ve done wrong by speaking out against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh for us to get him to take the snakes away.” So Mosheh prayed on the peoples’ behalf,

OET-RV NUM 21:8

8 and Yahweh told him, “Make a model of a snake and put it up on a pole, and so that anyone who gets bitten, can see it and live.”

OET-RV NUM 21:9

9 So Mosheh made a snake out of bronze and attached it to the top of a pole, and anyone who was bitten by a snake would recover when they looked towards the bronze snake.

OET-LV NUM 21:4

4 And_they _set _out from_Hor the_mountain the_direction _of the_sea _of reed[s] to_go _around DOM the _land _of ʼEdōm and_ the _self _of the _people _it _became _short on_way.

OET-LV NUM 21:5

5 And_ the_people _he/it _spoke against_god and_against_Mosheh why have_you(pl)_brought _us _up from_Miʦrayim/(Egypt) to_die in_wilderness if/because there_is_not food and_there_is_not water and_self _of_our it _loathes (in)_food (the)_worthless.

OET-LV NUM 21:6

6 And_ YHWH _he _sent among_people DOM the_snakes the_saraphs and_they _bit DOM the_people and_ a _people numerous _he/it _died from_Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel).

OET-LV NUM 21:7

7 And_ the_people _it _came to Mosheh and_they _said we _have _sinned if/because we _have _spoken against_YHWH and_against_you pray to YHWH so_that _he _may _remove from_on_us DOM the_snake and_ Mosheh _he _prayed for the_people.

OET-LV NUM 21:8

8 And_ YHWH _he/it _said to Mosheh make to/for_yourself(m) a _saraph and_put DOM_him/it on a _standard and_it _was every _of (the)_one_who _is_bitten and_he _will _see DOM_him/it and_he _will _live.

OET-LV NUM 21:9

9 And_ Mosheh _he/it _made a _snake _of bronze and_he_put _it on the_standard and_it _was if the_snake it _had _bitten DOM anyone and_he _looked to the _snake _of (the)_bronze and_he _lived.

Jump to OET NUM 21:4–9 section.

Some connect the theological meaning of the scene with an episode in which Moses’ rod became a serpent, swallowed up the serpent-rods of the Pharaoh’s magicians, and then became a rod again (Ex 7:8-12; cf. 4:2-5, 28-30 OET EXO 4:2–5 · OET EXO 4:28–30). The serpent was a deified figure in both the Egyptian and Canaanite religions. Therefore, the triumph of God’s serpent figure typified the superiority of the Lord over the pagan gods. In Numbers 21, however, such a realization must have been secondary. That event was the last of a number of “apostasies” in the wilderness (cf. 1 Cor 10:9), all of which included four elements: complaints against God, judgment, repentance, and forgiveness or deliverance. The major theological theme is not the Lord’s superiority but his provision of salvation. The stress was not on a magical formula for healing, but rather on the serpent as a symbol of salvation offered to all who would focus on it.

Show passage in OET: EXO 7:8–12

OET-RV EXO 7:8

8 Then Yahweh told Mosheh (Moses) and Aharon (Aaron),

OET-RV EXO 7:9

9 “When Par’oh (Pharaoh) tells you to perform a miracle as a sign, then just tell Aharon to take his staff and throw it down in front of Par’oh so it turns into a snake.”

OET-RV EXO 7:10

10 So Mosheh and Aharon went in to Par’oh’s courtyard and did what Yahweh had told them: Aharon threw his staff down in front of Par’oh and his servants and it turned into a snake.

OET-RV EXO 7:11

11 Then Par’oh also called for his wise men and sorcerers, and the Mitsri (Egyptian) magicians did the same thing using their magic—

OET-RV EXO 7:12

12 each of them threw down his staff and they became snakes, except that Aharon’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

OET-LV EXO 7:8

8 And_ YHWH _he/it _said to Mosheh and_to ʼAhₐron to_say.

OET-LV EXO 7:9

9 If/because he _will _say to_you(pl) Parˊoh to_say give to/for_you(pl) a _wonder and_you _will _say to ʼAhₐron take DOM staff _of_your and_throw_it to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before Parˊoh it _will _become (into)_a_serpent.

OET-LV EXO 7:10

10 And_ Mosheh and_ʼAhₐron _he _went to Parˊoh and_they _did so just_as YHWH he _had _commanded and_ ʼAhₐron _he _threw _down DOM staff _of_his to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before Parˊoh and_before _of servants _of_his and_he/it _was (into)_a_serpent.

OET-LV EXO 7:11

11 And_ also Parˊoh _he/it _called (to)_the_men and_to _the_sorcerers and_ also they the _soothsayer-priests _of Miʦrayim _they _did by_enchantments _of_their thus.

OET-LV EXO 7:12

12 And_they _threw _down each _one staff _of_his and_they _were (into)_serpents and_ the _staff _of ʼAhₐron _it _swallowed _up DOM staffs _of_their.

Show passage in OET: EXO 4:2–5; EXO 4:28–30

OET-RV EXO 4:2

2 “Well, what’s that in your hand?” Yahweh asked.
¶ “My shepherd’s staff,” he said.

OET-RV EXO 4:3

3 “Throw it on the ground,” Yahweh said. So Mosheh he threw it onto the ground and it became a snake, and he quickly moved back away from it.

OET-RV EXO 4:4

4 “Pick it up by its tail.” Yahweh told him. So Mosheh picked it up by the tail and it became a staff in his hand again.

OET-RV EXO 4:5

5 “That’s so that they’ll believe that I appeared to you: Yahweh—the god of their ancestors—the god of Avraham, Yitshak (Isaac), and Ya’akov (Jacob).”

OET-RV EXO 4:28

28 Then Mosheh told Aharon everything that Yahweh had told him and how he had sent him, and all the miracles that he commanded him to demonstrate.

OET-RV EXO 4:29

29 Then Mosheh and Aharon went to Mitsrayim (Egypt) and they assembled all the Israeli elders

OET-RV EXO 4:30

30 and Aharon told them everything that Yahweh had spoken to Mosheh. Then Mosheh did the miracles in front of them,

OET-LV EXO 4:2

2 And_he/it _said to_him/it YHWH mmm is_in_hand _of_your and_he/it _said a _staff.

OET-LV EXO 4:3

3 And_he/it _said throw_it towards_land and_he_threw _it towards_land and_he/it _was (into)_a_snake and_ Mosheh _he _fled from_before _of_it.

OET-LV EXO 4:4

4 And_ YHWH _he/it _said to Mosheh stretch _out hand _of_your and_hold on_tail _of_its and_he _stretched _out his/its_hand and_he _took _hold in/on/over_him/it and_he/it _was (into)_a_staff in_palm _of_his.

OET-LV EXO 4:5

5 So _that they _may _believe if/because _that he _appeared to_you YHWH the _god _of ancestors _of_their the _god _of ʼAⱱrāhām the _god _of Yiʦḩāq/(Isaac) and_the _god _of Yaˊₐqoⱱ/(Jacob).

OET-LV EXO 4:28

28 And_ Mosheh _he _told to_ʼAhₐron DOM all _of the _words/messages _of YHWH which he_had _sent _him and_DOM all _of the_signs which he_had _commanded _him.

OET-LV EXO 4:29

29 And_ Mosheh and_ʼAhₐron _he/it _went and_they _gathered DOM all _of the _elders _of the _people _of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel).

OET-LV EXO 4:30

30 And_ ʼAhₐron _he/it _spoke DOM all _of the_words/messages which YHWH he _had _spoken to Mosheh and_he/it _made the_signs to_the _eyes _of the _people.

Show passage in OET: CO1 10:9

OET-RV CO1 10:9

9 And nor should we challenge the master like some of our Jewish ancestors did, and then they were killed by the snakes.

OET-LV CO1 10:9

9 Not we _may _be _testing the master, as some of _them tested him, and by the serpents were _being _destroyed.

Jump to OET EXO 7:8–12 section.

Jump to OET EXO 4:2–5 section. · OET EXO 4:28–30 section.

Jump to OET CO1 10:9 section.

The bronze serpent appears again in 2 Kings 18:4. In the intervening centuries it had become an idolatrous object, and King Hezekiah (716–686 BC) of the southern kingdom of Judah abolished it in his reform movement. The final reference to it in pre-Christian literature is in the apocryphal book Wisdom of Solomon, which supports the above interpretation: salvation came not through the serpent but through God’s provision. “He who turned towards it was healed, not by what he saw, but by you, the Savior of all” (Wisd of Sol 16:7).

Show passage in OET: KI2 18:4

OET-RV KI2 18:4

4 He demolished the hilltop shrines and shattered their pillars, and he cut down the Asherah poles. He crushed the bronze serpent that Mosheh (Moses) had made, because the Israelis had named it ‘Nehushtan’ and had been offering incense to it until then.

OET-LV KI2 18:4

4 He he _removed DOM the _high_places and_he _broke DOM the _sacred_pillars and_he _cut _down DOM the _ʼAshērāh_pole and_he _crushed _to _pieces the _snake _of (the)_bronze which Mosheh he _had _made if/because until the_days (the)_those the _people _of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) they _were making _smoke to_him/it and_he/it _called to_him/it Nehushtan.

Show passage in OET: WIS 16:7

OET-RV WIS 16:7

⇔  7 for he who turned towards it wasn’t saved because of that which was seen,
⇔ but because of you, the Saviour of all.

OET-LV WIS 16:7

7 the/this/who for to_turn no through/because_of the/this/who ⟦θεωρούμενον⟧ ⟦ἐσώζετο⟧, but through/because_of you the/this/who all saviour.

Jump to OET KI2 18:4 section.

Jump to OET WIS 16:7 section.

Against this background, Christ said that he, like Moses’ serpent, must be lifted up (Jn 3:14). The “lifting up” of the “Son of Man” is a definite reference to Christ’s death and has two foci. One is a “death as salvation” theme, seen in the Mosaic serpent imagery and the divine imperative “must” (in Jn referring to the necessity of God’s ordained plan of salvation). The other is a “death as exaltation” theme, seen in the verb itself (containing the idea of majesty) and in John’s stress on the glory of Jesus’ earthly ministry and of his resurrected status.