Hebrew Bible · Numbers 21:6–9

The bronze serpent

ReferenceNumbers 21:6–9

Writtenc. 700–400 BCE

SetThe Exodus

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.

Translation: KJV

Read it literally

A crafted object that heals when looked at. Instructions came from above; the people later worshiped it until it was destroyed.

What scholars say

Linked to the bronze serpent Nehushtan that King Hezekiah destroyed (2 Kings 18:4).

Looks like technology

People and places hereHezekiah Moses

Quick answers about Numbers 21:6–9

Where is Numbers 21:6–9 found?

Numbers 21:6–9 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

When was Numbers 21:6–9 written?

c. 700–400 BCE.

What do scholars say about Numbers 21:6–9?