Numbers 21 9

Numbers 21:9 kjv

And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Numbers 21:9 nkjv

So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Numbers 21:9 niv

So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

Numbers 21:9 esv

So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Numbers 21:9 nlt

So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

Numbers 21 verses

Numbers 21 9 Meaning

Numbers 21:9 describes a specific event during Israel's wilderness wanderings where God provided a unique means of healing and salvation from the plague of venomous serpents. Moses, acting under divine instruction, made a bronze image of a serpent and placed it on a pole. The divine promise was that anyone bitten by a serpent, who then looked at this bronze serpent, would live. This passage highlights God's justice in judgment and His profound mercy in providing a simple, faith-requiring solution for deliverance.

Numbers 21 9 Context

Numbers chapter 21 opens with Israel's victory over the Canaanite king of Arad, but immediately after, they embark on a detour to bypass Edom. This arduous journey disheartens the people, and they once again voice their impatient and ungrateful complaints against God and Moses, speaking ill of the sparse desert food and lack of water. As a consequence of their persistent rebellion and murmuring, God sends "fiery serpents" (likely venomous vipers whose bites caused burning pain and often death) among them, resulting in many fatalities. The people acknowledge their sin and plead with Moses to intercede on their behalf. In response to Moses' prayer, God instructs him not to remove the serpents, but to make an unusual and seemingly counter-intuitive provision for healing: a bronze serpent placed on a pole. The present verse, Numbers 21:9, describes Moses' obedient act and the resulting salvation for those who looked in faith. This immediate context underscores divine judgment due to sin, the role of mediation, and God's surprising, grace-filled provision requiring faith.

Numbers 21 9 Word analysis

• So Moses made (וַיַּעַשׂ מֹשֶׁה, wayyaʿas Mosheh):

  • "Made" (wayyaʿas): A simple verb indicating creation or execution. It signifies Moses' direct obedience to God's command in verse 8, acting as a faithful mediator. His obedience was crucial for the provision to be available.
  • "Moses" (Mosheh): The divinely appointed leader and intercessor for Israel. His role here is pivotal as the instrument through whom God's unusual salvation plan is carried out.

• a bronze serpent (נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת, neḥash neḥōšet):

  • "Bronze" (neḥōšet): A durable metal often associated with judgment, divine wrath, or the unyielding nature of sin in biblical symbolism (e.g., the bronze altar in the tabernacle where sacrifices for sin were made; bronze being a strong, fire-tested material). The serpent was not made of precious gold or silver but common bronze, hinting at its temporary, instrumental role.
  • "Serpent" (neḥash, related to naḥāš): This is highly significant. The very instrument of their judgment (the venomous serpent) becomes the paradoxical image of their salvation. It was an image or likeness of a serpent, not a living one, highlighting that it bore the form of sin's consequence but not its reality or power. This foreshadows Christ who came in the likeness of sinful flesh but was without sin (Rom 8:3, 2 Cor 5:21).

• and put it on a pole (וַיְשִׂמֵהוּ עַל־הַנֵּס, vay'simehu ʿal-hannēs):

  • "Pole" (nēs): This Hebrew word means "standard," "banner," "ensign," or a "pole" used for raising a signal or flag. It was something lifted high to be seen by many, often as a rallying point or a symbol of victory or hope (Isa 11:10, 62:10). The act of elevating the bronze serpent ensures it is visible to all who need healing. This is the crucial aspect that directly foreshadows Christ being "lifted up" on the cross (John 3:14, 12:32).

• and if a serpent bit anyone, and he looked (וְהָיָה אִם־נָשַׁךְ הַנָּחָשׁ אִישׁ וְהִבִּיט, v'hayah ʾim-nashakh hannaḥash ʾish v'hibbīṭ):

  • "Bit" (nashakh): The direct, painful consequence of the fiery serpents God sent as judgment.
  • "Looked" (v'hibbīṭ, from nabat): More than a casual glance, this Hebrew word implies an intentional, focused gaze or contemplation. It suggests an act of looking in faith with the expectation of deliverance, not merely passive observation. This highlights the required human response – active faith in God's provided remedy. It's a simple, non-physical act, contrasting with complex rituals, making it accessible to all.

• at the bronze serpent, he lived (אֶל־נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת וָחָי, ʾel-neḥash hanneḥōšet vaḥāy):

  • "Lived" (vaḥāy): Signifies immediate and complete restoration of physical life from certain death. This concrete physical salvation powerfully symbolizes the spiritual and eternal life offered through Christ to those who believe and look to Him in faith (John 3:15).

Words-Group analysis:

• "Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole": This phrase captures the divine instruction being put into action through the appointed mediator. It emphasizes that salvation was not a natural process but a supernatural act initiated by God, accomplished through human obedience (Moses' obedience) to provide a specific, visible means. The bronze serpent's nature and elevation were key elements designed by God.
• "if a serpent bit anyone, and he looked... he lived": This conditional statement establishes the two requirements for salvation: recognition of one's dire need (having been bitten) and active, believing engagement with God's singular provision (looking at the bronze serpent). It underscores the accessibility and simplicity of salvation; the remedy was simple but not automatic – it required a volitional act of faith. The result was instantaneous and miraculous life.

Numbers 21 9 Bonus section

The historical episode of the bronze serpent also carries a crucial warning, as seen much later in 2 Kings 18:4. King Hezekiah, in his religious reforms, found it necessary to break into pieces the very bronze serpent Moses had made, because the Israelites had started worshipping it as an idol, calling it "Nehushtan." This illustrates the constant human propensity to corrupt a divinely appointed symbol into an object of idolatry, divorcing it from its original Giver and purpose. The serpent's efficacy was never inherent in the bronze itself but in God's command and the faith-filled obedience of those who looked. It underscores that any good symbol, if misdirected, can become a stumbling block if not properly anchored to the True Source of power and salvation.

Numbers 21 9 Commentary

Numbers 21:9 is a profoundly significant verse, serving as a powerful theological prefigurement or type of the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. In the wilderness, Israel's rebellious grumbling against God and Moses brought about divine judgment in the form of deadly, fiery serpents. This plague highlighted humanity's desperate state under the judgment of sin. God's instruction to Moses to create a bronze serpent and lift it on a pole was a radical, counter-intuitive solution, demonstrating God's sovereign right to save by means and symbols of His own choosing.

The bronze serpent served several critical purposes:

1. Divine Paradox: The very symbol of the curse (the serpent, reminiscent of Genesis 3) became the means of life. This paradox hints at how God would take the very symbol of sin and death (the cross, a curse in Gal 3:13) and make it the source of salvation through Christ.
2. Symbol of Judgment: The material, bronze, often signifies judgment in biblical contexts. The bronze serpent on the pole could be seen as sin judged and put to death, its venom rendered harmless, a stark reminder of God's wrath and His ultimate victory over it.
3. Elevation for Atonement: Placing it on a nēs (pole/standard) elevated it, making it visible to all. This action is directly correlated by Jesus in John 3:14 to His own "lifting up" on the cross. Just as the bronze serpent was lifted up for the physical healing of the dying, Christ was lifted up on the cross for the spiritual and eternal salvation of humanity.
4. Simplicity of Faith: The means of healing was not a complex ritual, an elaborate sacrifice, or strenuous effort, but a simple act of looking with believing faith. This powerfully illustrates the Gospel message: salvation is freely offered by God through a simple act of faith in Christ, accessible to anyone who acknowledges their need and trusts in God's appointed means.

This episode reveals God's perfect justice and infinite mercy coexisting. He judged sin but simultaneously provided a means of grace. It's a foundational illustration of humanity's inability to save itself from the consequences of sin and God's unique provision through an appointed mediator (Moses foreshadowing Christ). The story challenges human logic, demanding trust and obedience in God's unconventional ways of salvation.

• Practical Usage Example: Just as the Israelites had to look with intentional faith at the serpent for physical life, so must we "look" (put our trust, fix our gaze) on Jesus, who was lifted up on the cross, for eternal spiritual life, acknowledging His sacrifice as the unique provision for our salvation. Our healing comes not from understanding how it works fully, but from trusting in whom it works.