Topical Encyclopedia
In the Bible, serpents are significant creatures that appear in various contexts, symbolizing both physical and spiritual realities. They are often associated with danger, deceit, and evil, but also with wisdom and healing in certain contexts.
Genesis and the Fall:The serpent makes its first and most infamous appearance in the Garden of Eden narrative. In
Genesis 3:1 , the serpent is described as "more cunning than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made." It tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, leading to the fall of man. The serpent's role in this pivotal event has led to its association with Satan, who is later identified as "that ancient serpent" in
Revelation 12:9 .
Symbol of Deception and Evil:Throughout Scripture, the serpent is often a symbol of deception and evil. In
2 Corinthians 11:3 , Paul warns the Corinthians, "But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ." This association underscores the serpent's role as a deceiver and adversary to God's people.
Serpents in the Wilderness:In
Numbers 21:6-9 , the Israelites encounter fiery serpents in the wilderness as a punishment for their complaints against God. The LORD instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole, so that anyone bitten could look at it and live. This event is later referenced by Jesus in
John 3:14-15 as a foreshadowing of His crucifixion: "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life."
Wisdom and Cunning:In
Matthew 10:16 , Jesus advises His disciples, "Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Here, the serpent's cunning is seen as a positive trait when combined with innocence, suggesting a balance of wisdom and purity in the believer's life.
Serpents in Prophecy and Eschatology:The serpent also appears in prophetic and eschatological contexts. In
Isaiah 65:25 , the prophet envisions a future peace where "the wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food." This imagery suggests a time when the serpent's power is diminished, reflecting the ultimate defeat of evil.
Conclusion:Serpents in the Bible serve as complex symbols, representing both the cunning and deceit of evil as well as the potential for wisdom and healing. Their presence in Scripture underscores the ongoing spiritual battle between good and evil, and the ultimate victory of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ.
Strong's Hebrew
5175. nachash -- aserpent... 5174, 5175. nachash. 5176 . a
serpent. Transliteration: nachash Phonetic
Spelling: (naw-khawsh') Short Definition:
serpent. Word
...Library
TheSerpent Lifted up in the Wilderness Prefigured Christ...
... A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants
Chapter 61 [XXXII.]"TheSerpent Lifted Up in the Wilderness Prefigured Christ...
The Portrait of a Drunkyard
... At the last it biteth like aserpent, and stingeth like an adder.33. Thine eyes
shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.34....
"Lo, I Come": Application
... found wanting: "Adam being in honor continued not." At that point we read in the
volume of the Book that the Seed of the woman should bruise theserpent's head...
Lord God
... This use of the title "Lord God" thus assures us that He who made the promise of
Genesis 3:15, that theSerpent's head should one day be crushed, will, in His...
Stichera at the First Vespers of Cheese-Sunday. (Quinquagesima. )
... But Satan, using for his guile. The craftyserpent's cruel wile,. Deceived
me by the Tree;... "O me! so ruined by theserpent's hate! O me!...
The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Declarations of Old...
... "And I will put enmity between thee (the "serpent") and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall... Fourth, He was to bruise theSerpent's head....
Psalm 68:3. 19 9 20-2. Third Part. Praise for Temporal Blessings...
... 5 The Lord, that bruis'd theserpent's head, On all theserpent's seed shall tread;
The stubborn sinner's hope confound, And smite him with a lasting wound....
A Farther Quotation from virgilius Maro Respecting Christ, with...
... His cradle shall with rising flowers be crown'd: Theserpent's brood shall die;
the sacred ground. Shall weeds and poisonous plants refuse to bear;...
Psalm 68 Part 3 Praise for Temporal Blessings; Or, Common and...
... Is endless joy, or endless pains. The Lord, that bruised theserpent's head,. On
all theserpent's seed shall tread; The stubborn sinner's hope confound,....
Radical Exposition.
... fall. God said to theserpent (Genesis 3:15): "I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed....
Thesaurus
Serpent's (7 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Serpent's (7 Occurrences).
... Psalms 140:3 They have sharpened
their tongue like a
serpent; vipers' venom is under their lips.
...Eve (5 Occurrences)
... grace, and of God's bringing by special providence, is likely to prove a helpmeet
to her husband." Through the subtle temptation of theserpent she violated...
Serpents (18 Occurrences)
Viper (8 Occurrences)
... SeeSERPENT.... Genesis 49:17 Dan will be aserpent in the way, an adder in the path,
That bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward....
Zoheleth (1 Occurrence)
... Theserpent-stone, a rocky plateau near the centre of the village of Siloam, and
near the fountain of En-rogel, to which the women of the village resort for...
Worship (332 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.SERPENT WORSHIP.... Stade mentions that WR Smith supposed
theserpent to be the totem of the house of David (Geschichte, I, 465)....
Woodcutters (4 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Jeremiah 46:22 The sound thereof shall go like theserpent's; for they
march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood....
Flying (22 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 14:29 Don't rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck
you is broken; for out of theserpent's root an adder will emerge, and his...
Emerge (2 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 14:29 Don't rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck
you is broken; for out of theserpent's root an adder will emerge, and his...
Philistia (12 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 14:29 Don't rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck
you is broken; for out of theserpent's root an adder will emerge, and his...
Resources
What does Genesis 3:15 mean that “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about snakes? Are snakes evil? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16)? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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