Numbers 21:8

KJV

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

KJV (with Strong's)

And the LORD {H3068} said {H559} unto Moses {H4872}, Make {H6213} thee a fiery serpent {H8314}, and set {H7760} it upon a pole {H5251}: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten {H5391}, when he looketh {H7200} upon it, shall live {H2425}.

Complete Jewish Bible

and ADONAI answered Moshe: "Make a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten sees it, he will live."

Berean Standard Bible

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”

American Standard Version

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Numbers 21:8 records a pivotal divine instruction given to Moses during the Israelites' wilderness wanderings, offering a unique and symbolic means of salvation from a plague of venomous serpents. Following the people's grumbling and God's subsequent judgment, this verse details the LORD's merciful provision: the construction of a bronze serpent on a pole, through which anyone bitten could look and live, thereby illustrating God's sovereign power to heal and His unexpected pathways to redemption for a repentant people.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Numbers 21:8 is situated within a critical narrative segment (Numbers 21:4-9) that immediately follows the Israelites' departure from Mount Hor and the death of Aaron. The people, growing impatient and weary from the difficult journey around Edom, once again succumb to their habitual grumbling, speaking against God and Moses. Their complaints specifically target the lack of water and the "worthless food" (manna) provided by God, revealing a deep-seated ingratitude and lack of trust. In response to this rebellion, the LORD sends "fiery serpents" (Numbers 21:6) among them, whose venomous bites cause widespread suffering and death. This severe judgment prompts the people to confess their sin and appeal to Moses for intercession. Verse 8, therefore, represents God's gracious, though profoundly symbolic, response to their repentance, offering a path to physical healing and life amidst the deadly consequences of their sin.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The wilderness journey of the Israelites was a period of divine testing and formation, designed to refine their faith and prepare them for entry into the Promised Land. The setting is the arid desert region, where encounters with snakes and scorpions were common dangers. The "fiery serpents" (Hebrew: *nehashim seraphim*) were likely highly venomous snakes whose bites caused intense burning pain, leading to inflammation and death. The act of setting an object on a pole or standard (Hebrew: *nes*) was a common ancient Near Eastern practice, often used for military banners, cultic symbols, or signals. While some pagan cultures used serpent imagery for healing deities (e.g., Asclepius), God's command here is distinct. It is not an endorsement of idolatry but a divinely ordained, counter-intuitive act of faith, demanding trust in His specific, revealed method of salvation, rather than a magical charm or a pagan ritual.
* **Key Themes:** This passage powerfully underscores several core themes prevalent throughout the book of Numbers and the Pentateuch. Firstly, it highlights the recurring cycle of **Israel's rebellion and God's judgment**, a pattern seen from the golden calf incident (Exodus 32) to the various complaints in the wilderness. Secondly, it demonstrates God's persistent **grace and mercy** even in the midst of righteous judgment; His desire is not merely to punish but to provide a way back to life for those who repent and obey. The provision of the bronze serpent serves as a potent illustration of **salvation through faith and obedience**, where a simple act of "looking" becomes the conduit for divine healing. This event also serves as a profound **foreshadowing of Christ**, a theme explicitly drawn out in the New Testament, where Jesus Himself connects the lifting up of the serpent to His own crucifixion and the offer of eternal life to those who believe in Him (see [John 3:14-15](/john/3-14 "John 3:14-15 - Jesus and the Bronze Serpent")). The narrative emphasizes that God's solutions are often counter-intuitive and require absolute trust in His revealed will, regardless of human logic.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Fiery serpent (Hebrew, _saraph'_):** The Hebrew term שָׂרָף (*saraph*) literally means "burning one." It refers to the type of serpent whose bite caused a burning sensation, inflammation, and fever, ultimately leading to death. Interestingly, this same root is used to describe the angelic beings, the seraphim, in [Isaiah 6:2](/isaiah/6-2 "Isaiah 6:2 - The Seraphim in Isaiah's Vision"), perhaps alluding to their radiant, fiery appearance or their role as "burning" with divine zeal. In the context of Numbers 21, it emphasizes the intense, painful, and deadly nature of the judgment.
* **Pole (Hebrew, _nes'_):** The Hebrew word נֵס (*nes*) refers to a standard, banner, or signal pole. It was a high, visible object used for rallying troops, marking a place, or signaling. By placing the serpent on a *nes*, God ensured it would be conspicuously displayed, accessible to all who needed to see it from a distance. This term highlights the public and visible nature of God's provision for salvation, making it clear that healing was available to anyone who would look.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent":** This opening clause establishes the divine origin of the command, emphasizing that this unusual solution is God's direct instruction, not a human invention or a magical remedy. Moses is merely the instrument through whom God's will is enacted. The specific instruction to make a "fiery serpent" (likely a bronze or copper effigy, as implied by later tradition) is deliberately paradoxical, as the very image of the instrument of judgment becomes the means of salvation.
* **"and set it upon a pole":** This command specifies the method of display. The serpent was to be elevated on a *nes*, a standard or pole, ensuring its visibility to all the afflicted Israelites. This public display underscores the universal availability of God's grace to all who would look, regardless of their position in the camp, and highlights the need for a clear, focal point for faith.
* **"and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live":** This final clause articulates the miraculous outcome and the condition for healing. The healing is not automatic; it is contingent upon a deliberate act of "looking" (Hebrew: *nabat* - to gaze, to behold attentively) toward the elevated serpent. This act of looking is not merely visual but signifies an act of faith, trust, and obedience in God's counter-intuitive method of salvation. It is a simple, yet profound, act of reliance on God's word, demonstrating that salvation is by grace through faith.

#### Literary Devices
The passage in Numbers 21:8 employs several significant literary devices. Most prominently, it uses **Symbolism**, where the bronze serpent on the pole serves as a powerful symbol. It is a paradoxical symbol, as the very image of the instrument of death becomes the means of life, foreshadowing the profound mystery of Christ's crucifixion. The act of "looking" also functions as a **Metonymy** or **Synecdoche**, where a physical action (looking) stands for a deeper spiritual reality (faith, trust, obedience). Furthermore, the entire narrative functions as a **Type**, an Old Testament event or person that prefigures a New Testament reality. The bronze serpent is a clear type of Jesus Christ, whose "lifting up" on the cross provides spiritual salvation to all who look to Him in faith. The narrative also exhibits **Divine Irony**, as God uses the very image of the "fiery serpent" – the instrument of judgment – as the vehicle for His mercy and healing, subverting human expectations and highlighting His sovereign power over sin and death.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Numbers 21:8 is a profound theological statement on God's nature and the pathway to salvation. It reveals that God, while just in His judgment against sin, is also boundless in His mercy and always provides a way for repentance and life. The seemingly absurd command to look at a bronze serpent for healing underscores that God's ways are higher than human ways, and salvation is often found through unexpected, divinely appointed means that demand simple faith rather than complex rituals or human effort. This event serves as a foundational Old Testament illustration of salvation by grace through faith, pointing forward to the ultimate provision in Christ.

* [John 3:14-15](/john/3-14 "John 3:14-15 - Jesus and the Bronze Serpent")
* [Isaiah 45:22](/isaiah/45-22 "Isaiah 45:22 - Look to Me and Be Saved")
* [Hebrews 12:2](/hebrews/12-2 "Hebrews 12:2 - Looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of Our Faith")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The account of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:8 offers timeless lessons for believers today, reminding us that the human condition, marked by rebellion and sin, always stands in need of divine intervention. Just as the Israelites faced the deadly consequences of their grumbling, we too face the spiritual death that sin brings. Yet, God's response is not solely judgment but also an outstretched hand of mercy. Our healing, both spiritual and sometimes physical, comes not through our own merit or effort, but through a simple, obedient act of faith in God's provided solution. This passage challenges us to examine where we are placing our trust: in our own abilities, in worldly solutions, or in the unique and often counter-intuitive wisdom of God. It calls us to humble ourselves, confess our sins, and "look" to the One whom God has lifted up for our salvation, trusting fully in His power to deliver us from death to life.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of your life are you prone to grumbling or complaining against God's provision, even when it is for your good?**
* **What does the simplicity of "looking" to the bronze serpent teach us about the nature of saving faith in Christ?**
* **How does this passage encourage you to trust God's methods for salvation and healing, even when they seem illogical or unexpected from a human perspective?**
* **In what ways can you actively "look" to Jesus in your daily life, relying on Him for spiritual and emotional healing?**

### FAQ
**Why did God use a serpent, the symbol of evil and the instrument of their judgment, as the means of their salvation?**

Answer: This is a profound example of God's divine wisdom and irony. By commanding Moses to make a "fiery serpent" and lift it up, God used the very image of the instrument of judgment and death as the means of salvation. This was not an endorsement of idolatry or serpent worship, but a deliberate paradox designed to highlight that healing and life come only from God, often through unexpected and counter-intuitive means. It required a radical act of faith to look at the very thing that caused their suffering as the source of their cure. Theologically, it foreshadows how God would use the "curse" of the cross, where Jesus was "made sin" for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), to bring about the ultimate salvation for humanity. It demonstrates God's sovereignty over evil and His ability to redeem even the most dire situations.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The narrative of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:8 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Just as the serpent was "lifted up" in the wilderness so that those who looked upon it might live physically, so too was Jesus "lifted up" on the cross, not as a symbol of judgment, but as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, offering eternal life to all who believe. Jesus Himself draws this explicit parallel in [John 3:14-15](/john/3-14 "John 3:14-15 - Jesus and the Bronze Serpent"), stating, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." The physical act of "looking" in Numbers prefigures the spiritual act of "believing" in Christ. The venom of the serpents brought physical death, mirroring the spiritual death that sin brings to all humanity (see [Romans 6:23](/romans/6-23 "Romans 6:23 - The Wages of Sin is Death")). Christ's sacrifice on the cross became the divine antidote, the sovereign remedy for the universal plague of sin, inviting all to look to Him in faith and receive not just physical healing, but eternal life and reconciliation with God (see [2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_corinthians/5-21 "2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ Made Sin for Us")). The bronze serpent was a temporary provision for a specific physical ailment; Jesus Christ is the eternal, complete, and final provision for the spiritual ailment of sin, offering salvation that transcends time and circumstance to all who fix their gaze upon Him (see [Hebrews 12:2](/hebrews/12-2 "Hebrews 12:2 - Looking to Jesus")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

John 3:14

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Psalms 106:43

Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked [him] with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.

Psalms 106:45

And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.

Psalms 145:8

The LORD [is] gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.