Meaning of The Bronze Serpent?

[Deacon_Joseph]

The Bronze Serpent story in Numbers 21:4-9, wouldn’t that be a type of idiolatry? Wouldn’t it have been better for the people that doubted God to pray and give sacrifice at the Ark of the Covenant? Or was it because the people bitten by the serpents were so weak from the bite, they merely had to show their trust in God by looking at the Bronze Serpent Moses erected?

 

[iamscifimike]

I think this story goes partly to show just what is and what is not Idolatry when it comes to graven images.

 

[ryanoneil]

Israel was forbidden to make images of God because God didn’t yet reveal himself visibly “in the form of any figure.” Had the Israelites depicted God not yet revealed, they might be tempted to worship Him in the form of a beast, bird, reptile or fish, which was a common error of the times. (Deut. 4:16-19) We see that God did reveal himself in visible form as fire flaming out of a bush. (Exodus 3:2-3)

God’s commandment “thou shall not make a graven image” is entirely connected to the worship of false gods. (Deut. 5:8) God does not prohibit images to be used in worship, but He prohibits the images themselves to be worshiped. God commands the making of the image of a golden cherubim. This heavenly image, of course, is not worshiped by the Israelites. Instead, the image disposes their minds to the supernatural and draws them to God. (Exodus 25:18-22)

Then God also commands the making of the bronze serpent. The image of the bronze serpent is not an idol to be worshiped, but an article that lifts the mind to the supernatural. (Num. 21:8-9)

If anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover: “and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting” (John 3:14-15).

Hope that helps.

Peace,

Ryan

 

[utunumsint]

The Bronze Serpent story in Numbers 21:4-9, wouldn’t that be a type of idiolatry? Wouldn’t it have been better for the people that doubted God to pray and give sacrifice at the Ark of the Covenant? Or was it because the people bitten by the serpents were so weak from the bite, they merely had to show their trust in God by looking at the Bronze Serpent Moses erected?

In 2 Kings 18:4 Hezekia destroys the bronze serpent because it was being used in an idolatrous way.

4 It was he who removed the high places, shattered the pillars, and cut down the sacred poles. He smashed the bronze serpent called Nehushtan which Moses had made, because up to that time the Israelites were burning incense to it. 5 He put his trust in the LORD, the God of Israel; and neither before him nor after him was there anyone like him among all the kings of Judah.

It had been an object that was venerated in the proper way which had become an object of false worship. I would say this is a good example of the difference between idolatry and veneration. It has to do with intent.

God bless,
Ut

 

[CalmDownWisWins]

The Bronze Serpent story in Numbers 21:4-9, wouldn’t that be a type of idiolatry? Wouldn’t it have been better for the people that doubted God to pray and give sacrifice at the Ark of the Covenant? Or was it because the people bitten by the serpents were so weak from the bite, they merely had to show their trust in God by looking at the Bronze Serpent Moses erected?

Does anyone know (!?) what the “Bronze Serpent” looked like?

I’ve always imagined that it was a 2-headed serpent lashed to a vertical pole, which looked remarkably like two arms outstretched with their hands each making a “mouth shape” (like a pair of sock-puppets).

Essentially, like christ on the cross with no “body” and only the arms “stuck together” at the mid-bicep.

Any thoughts?

 

[CapaxDei]

Does anyone know (!?) what the “Bronze Serpent” looked like?

I’ve always imagined that it was a 2-headed serpent lashed to a vertical pole, which looked remarkably like two arms outstretched with their hands each making a “mouth shape” (like a pair of sock-puppets).

Essentially, like christ on the cross with no “body” and only the arms “stuck together” at the mid-bicep.

Any thoughts?

I imagine it looked like a snake. But why a serpent at all?

 

[Joe_Kelley]

My Speculation:

The serpent was the image of their physical ills. By meditating on their ills, the effect of their disobedience, the received forgiveness and cure.

In the OT physical ills are a type for sin. Jesus tells us in John 3:14 that the serpent on the pole is a type for Him on the Cross. Thus, when we meditate on the crucifix, we meditate on the effect of our sins and achieve repentence.

That is why it is important to have a crucifix, not a plain cross, for out meditation. Those who disregard the crucifix lose an important aid to their repentence and forgiveness.

 

[Clovis]

God, in the old testament, is known to put certain staples on people whom he has judged. Such as the mark of Cain, or the ‘blot out of the book’ from the golden calf, or the snake bites, and so on. Certain things humans do make us such and such in God’s eyes. And we carry a burden for it. In this since we are trapped in a miserable inertia, at least for a time, until redemption.

(Samuel Beckett, a intellectual and theological playwright and novelist, named one of his characters in ‘Waiting for Godot’ Estragon. And ‘Estragon’ is an herb found in Russia that was thought to cure snake bites.)

 

[CalmDownWisWins]

I imagine it looked like a snake. But why a serpent at all?

Because they were “inflicted by serpents” by God, and God told Moses to “make a fiery serpent, and put it on a pole, and whoever sees it will be healed” (paraphrased).

Once again, my interpretation is that God CHOSE serpents to inflict “punishment” for the express purpose of creating a precursor “object” that would be recorded in scripture and foreshadow PRECISELY the SHAPE of Christ’s arms outstretched on the Cross.

In other words, “LOOK for this SHAPE as a sign of HEALING!”.

It also, maybe, to some extent, have been a round-about way of taking the “heat” off of serpents as creatures EXCLUSIVELY associated with evil.

Serpents were created as good creatures (probably) originally, and to get “official” recognition that they can also be used to heal as well as to punish might have been a rather nice gesture.

(( What do I know? Does that seem like something the Magisterium might get annoyed at me about? I’ll just have to wait for my “Stop That!” letter in the mail from the Vatican, I suppose. ))

 

[war_eagle]

The Bronze Serpent story in Numbers 21:4-9, wouldn’t that be a type of idiolatry? Wouldn’t it have been better for the people that doubted God to pray and give sacrifice at the Ark of the Covenant? Or was it because the people bitten by the serpents were so weak from the bite, they merely had to show their trust in God by looking at the Bronze Serpent Moses erected?

I think you’re reading too much into it.

Everything in the Bible points to something else in the Bible and, in the Bible, we have what are commonly known as “types and shadows”.

The bronze serpent was a foreshadowing of the coming Christ.

 

[zagjames]

Does anyone know (!?) what the “Bronze Serpent” looked like?

I’ve always imagined that it was a 2-headed serpent lashed to a vertical pole, which looked remarkably like two arms outstretched with their hands each making a “mouth shape” (like a pair of sock-puppets).

Essentially, like christ on the cross with no “body” and only the arms “stuck together” at the mid-bicep.

Any thoughts?

The symbol of medicine comes from this immage in scripture (and the wings on the staff may have a little greek myth thrown in, but why throw out the baby with the bath water?). So while this obviously is not it exactly or maybe not even close, its what we got. Speculation is fine, since we dont have drawings of the real thing. I just like the judeo-chrisitan symbols that we can find all over our society even when people try to push us christians to the side little reminders are always there ( you cant hide the truth!!!)
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

The Bronze Serpent story in Numbers 21:4-9, wouldn’t that be a type of idiolatry? Wouldn’t it have been better for the people that doubted God to pray and give sacrifice at the Ark of the Covenant? Or was it because the people bitten by the serpents were so weak from the bite, they merely had to show their trust in God by looking at the Bronze Serpent Moses erected?

They were bitten by serpents - so they looked at one. The brazen serpent has an apotropaic function - it is looked to, in order to keep away the evil it resembles. Making the artificial serpent is a way of controlling the activity of the real ones - by looking for help to the artificial serpent, the effects of the real ones can be cancelled out. By making an image, one is able to have power over the thing imaged, & so, over what it represents - one is controlling one’s environment​

Or, God sends the serpents to plague them, & also provides the cure: rather as Apollo in a different culture) was both a sender of plague, & a healer. Gods can be very ambiguous figures.

 

[MH84]

I think you’re reading too much into it.

Everything in the Bible points to something else in the Bible and, in the Bible, we have what are commonly known as “types and shadows”.

The bronze serpent was a foreshadowing of the coming Christ.

How can you say he is reading too much into the passage when you just go out and say the bronze serpent is the foreshadowing of Christ?

Btw, I have heard that the staff/serpent that the Israelites looked upon and were saved from the illness, was the prefiguring of people looking upon the Jesus on the cross and being saved from their sins.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

How can you say he is reading too much into the passage when you just go out and say the bronze serpent is the foreshadowing of Christ?

Btw, I have heard that the staff/serpent that the Israelites looked upon and were saved from the illness, was the prefiguring of people looking upon the Jesus on the cross and being saved from their sins.

See John 3:14

 

[MH84]

See John 3:14

I forgot that Jesus said this Himself.

War eagle your statement was correct.

 

[Lily_Marlene]

St. Augustine said something that everyone who reads Sacred Scripture should always keep in mind, that is, “The New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament.”

With that in mind the bronze serpent simply POINTS TO Christ on the Cross, so that in the O. T. when those who sinned and were punished had only to look at the bronze serpent to be cured, so, sinners today, look to Christ on the cross who said “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” We must always look to Christ on the Cross to be cured for we will remain sinnners until He comes to take us to himself forever.

St. Matthew’s Gospel is filled with some 100 references of this sort.

The Word of God is a living Word.

.

Lily Marlene

 

[Zero_the_Hero]

In the OT physical ills are a type for sin. Jesus tells us in John 3:14 that the serpent on the pole is a type for Him on the Cross. Thus, when we meditate on the crucifix, we meditate on the effect of our sins and achieve repentence.

That is why it is important to have a crucifix, not a plain cross, for out meditation. Those who disregard the crucifix lose an important aid to their repentence and forgiveness.

Why would a physical crucifix help us know about Jesus? It is an image that does not contain words other that INRI. An image without words is speachless. The words of John say more about repentence and forgiveness than a crucifix.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Why would a physical crucifix help us know about Jesus? It is an image that does not contain words other that INRI. An image without words is speachless. The words of John say more about repentence and forgiveness than a crucifix.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[Zero_the_Hero]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

This is but a common saying. It does not show that a crucifix can provide any information concerning forgivness of sins in Jesus.

 

[fellowChristian]

Sometimes we forget what the cross was made of.

Wood.
From a tree.
At the begining of Genesis we remember another tree.

Genesis 3:17
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the **tree **about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of itAll the days of your life.

Adam disobeyed God’s command to not eat from the** tree**. The first sin. We call Original Sin.This sin is called original because it comes down to us through our origin, or descent, from Adam.

Romans 5:12
Therefore as through one man sin entered into the world and through sin death, and thus death has passed unto all men because all have sinned.

The chief punishments of Adam which we inherit through original sin are: death, suffering, ignorance, and a strong inclination to sin.

Wisdom 2:24
But, by the envy of the devil, death came into the world.

Genesis 3:19
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken; for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.

Because of Adam’s sin heaven’s doors were closed to us.God the Father promised us someone who would redeem us.

Genesis 3:15
I will put enmities between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait his heel.

Jesus the Christ bore all the sins of the world and sacrificed His life for us. He redeemed us.And God opened the doors to heaven for us.

1 Peter 2:24
24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Galatians 3:13
13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us–for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”–

1 Corinthians 15:3
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that **Christ died for our sins **according to the Scriptures,

It had been written in the Old Testament that …

Deuteronomy 21:22
22"If a man has committed **a sin worthy of death **and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,

Well Jesus was carrying all our sins on His body.

1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Acts 10:39

39"We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.

Through a tree came death, Adam’s sin. And through a tree came life, Jesus’ crucifixion.

That cross means more then you know. We were saved through His crucifixion not through His resurrection. As Catholics we remind ourselves by hanging a crucifix in our homes and churches to remind us how much God loves us.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Does this answer your question? If not I’m sorry.