Fiery serpent
Fiery serpent
Numbers 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents[הַשְּׂרָפִ֔ים haśśərāp̄îm, HeyShinReishPeiYodMem][1][הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים hannəḥāšîm, HeyNunChetShinYodMem][2] among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray<הִתְפַּלֵּל֙> unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents[הַנָּחָ֑שׁ hannāḥāš; HeyNunChetShin][2] from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent[שָׂרָ֔ף śā-rāp̄,][1] , 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.
9 And Moses made a serpent[נְחַ֣שׁ nəḥaš][2] of brass[נְחֹ֔שֶׁת nəḥōšeṯ,][3], and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent[הַנָּחָשׁ֙ hannāḥāš][2] had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent[נְחַ֥שׁ nəḥaš][2] of brass[הַנְּחֹ֖שֶׁת hannəḥōšeṯ][3], he lived.
Westminster Leningrad Codex
Verses 6-9 Westminster Leningrad Codex:
וישלח יהוה בעם את הנחשים השרפים וינשכו את־העם וימת עם־רב מישראל׃
ויבא העם אל־משה ויאמרו חטאנו כי־דברנו ביהוה ובך התפלל אל־יהוה ויסר מעלינו את־הנחש ויתפלל משה בעד העם׃
ויאמר יהוה אל־משה עשה לך שרף ושים אתו על־נס והיה כל־הנשוך וראה אתו וחי׃
ויעש משה נחש נחשת וישמהו על־הנס והיה אם־נשך הנחש את־איש והביט אל־נחש הנחשת וחי׃
Text Analysis
| 6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. | ||||
| וישלח בעם את הנחשים השרפים וינשכו את־העם וימת עם־רב מישראל׃ | ||||
| Hebrew Bible Line 1 w1. | w2. | w3. | w4. | w5. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וישלח בעם את הנחשים השרפים | ||||
| וישלח | בעם | את | הנחשים | השרפים |
| 07971 | 05971 | 0853 | 05175 | 08314 |
| wayšallaḥ | bā‘ām | ’êṯ | hannəḥāšîm | haśśərāp̄îm, |
| So sent | among the people | (trans) | serpents | fiery |
| So sent among the people (-) serpents fiery | ||||
| Hebrew Bible Line 2 w1. | w2. | w3. | w4. | w5. |
| וינשכו את־העם וימת עם־ | ||||
| וינשכו | את־ | העם | וימת | עם־ |
| 05391 | 0853 | 05971 | 04191 | 05971 |
| waynaššəḵū | ’eṯ- | hā‘ām; | wayyāmāṯ | am- |
| fiery | and they bit | (trans) | the people | and died |
| fiery and they bit (-) the people and died | ||||
| Hebrew Bible Line 3 w1. | w2. | w3. | w4. | w5. |
| רב מישראל׃ | ||||
| רב | :מישראל | -3 | -4 | -5 |
| 07227 | 03478 | - | - | - |
| rāḇ | mîyiśrā’êl. | - | - | - |
| many | of Israel | (-) | (-) | (-) |
| many of Israel | ||||
Serpents in the desert
There is much confusion about these words like fiery [הַשְּׂרָפִ֔ים haśśərāp̄îm,][1] serpents[הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים hannəḥāšîm][2].
There are snakes in the desert and they will bite.
It was likely a saw-scale viper or carpet viper (Echis coloratus). Snakes of the Echis species may have any of four types of toxins: neurotoxins, cardiotoxins, hemotoxins, and cytotoxins.
Saw-scaled vipers often produce haemotoxic and cytotoxic which may prevent clotting while causing significant cell and tissue damage leading to infection and even death.
Detoxing the toxin
There are people that have used electrical shock on bites in the Amazon and claimed success at neutralizing toxins.
There has been some scientific studies that have determined that using electrophoresis can alter the total protein concentration even in tissue under some conditions. But the use of high-voltage stun guns have not proved to be successful and can cause harm.
There has been venom samples which have been electrolyzed at a lower voltage than that from the stun gun, but with 4–5 times the total charge normally delivered. There was also evidence of inactivated venom at the electrodes, but not within the "central compartment, demonstrating that there was no direct effect of the electric field on the activity of the snake venom". But none of this dealt with the wide range of frequencies, voltages, current flows or the edition of other element to increase the current and prevent infection that were not written down in the text.
Strange Remedy
Could Moses have had more information in the construction of this strange remedy and its application?
Were some of those oils they took from Egypt used?
We know that Moses knew the arts and science were some of those skills also used here in this situation?
Conclusion
God did not make the snakes come after the people but God and His spirit did not protect the people nor prevent the snakes from being where the people went nor from biting the the people.
God does not send flies to lay eggs in dead meat. Rotting and dead meat draws flies.
The questions are how did Moses Make a fiery serpent[שָׂרָ֔ף śā-rāp̄,][1] , and set it upon a pole?
How did just looking upon it[וְרָאָ֥ה wərā’āh]<07200>[4] and beholding it[וְהִבִּ֛יט wəhibbîṭ] <05027>[5] caused them to survive the poison of the snakes?
We have very little details of this event or how to make this brass serpent but we have many artist who draw and paint pictures from their imaginations. Those images are often etched or engravened in our minds.
Aleppo Codex
Aleppo codex is a Hebrew codex from the city of Tiberias seemingly produced in tenth century under Caliphate but endorsed for accuracy by Maimonides in the Ben-Asher masoretic tradition.
Aleppo codex shoes additional words ו יהוה:
- ו וישלח יהוה בעם את הנחשים השרפים וינשכו את העם וימת עם רב מישראל
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Preceded by: Leviticus - Followed by: Deuteronomy
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 08314 שָׂרָף ShinReishPei saraph [saw-rawf’] from 08313 שָׂרָף ShinReishPei burn; n m; [BDB-977a] [{See TWOT on 2292 @@ "2292a" }] [{See TWOT on 2292 @@ "2292b" }] AV-fiery serpent 3, fiery 2, seraphim 2; 7
- 1) serpent, fiery serpent
- 1a) poisonous serpent (fiery from burning effect of poison)
- 2) seraph, seraphim
- 2a) majestic beings with 6 wings, human hands or voices in attendance upon God
- 1) serpent, fiery serpent
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 05175 ^שׁחנ^ NunChetShin nachash \@naw-khawsh’\@ from 05172 שׁחנ nachash enchantment, to practice divination, ; n m; AV-serpent 31; 31
- 1) serpent, snake
- 1a) serpent
- 1b) image (of serpent)
- 1c) fleeing serpent (mythological)
- Genesis 3 we see וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ wə-han-nā-ḥāš VavHeyNunChetYodShin
- נ ן Nun Heir to the Throne, Aramaic fish in the Mem (fish moving in flowing waters) or in the Hebrew the Nun may mean the kingdom with a double Nun suggesting spiritual insight in two realms. [fish moving... Activity life] (Numeric value: 50)
- ח Chet The Life Force - Dynamic nature of - cause and effect - give life and live.[fence, thread, hedge, chamber...cycle] (Numeric value: 8)
- ש Shin Eternal Flame of Spiritual Revelation, bound to the coal of righteousness, the Divine Essence. [sun... teeth... consume destroy] (Numeric value: 300)
- 1) serpent, snake
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 05178 נְחשֶׁת NunChetShinTav nëchosheth [nekh-o’-sheth] for 05154 נְחוּשָׁה nëchuwshah;NunChetVavShinHey copper; 05153 נָחוּשׁ brass; 05172 נָחַשׁenchantment; n m/n f; [BDB-638b, BDB-639a] [{See TWOT on 1349 @@ "1349a" }] [{See TWOT on 1350 @@ "1350a" }] AV-brass 103, brasen 28, fetters 4, chain 3, copper 1, filthiness 1, steel 1; 141
- 1) copper, bronze
- 1a) copper (ore), bronze (as copper alloy)
- 1b) fetters (of copper or bronze)
- 1c) copper (as value)
- 2) lust, harlotry
- 2a) meaning dubious
- 1) copper, bronze
- ↑ 07200 רָאָה ReishAlefHey ra’ah [raw-aw’] a primitive root; v; [BDB-906a] [{See TWOT on 2095 }] AV-see 879, look 104, behold 83, shew 68, appear 66, consider 22, seer 12, spy 6, respect 5, perceive 5, provide 4, regard 4, enjoy 4, lo 3, foreseeth 2, heed 2, misc 74; 1313
- 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
- 1a) (Qal)
- 1a1) to see
- 1a2) to see, perceive
- 1a3) to see, have vision
- 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out
- 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish
- 1a6) to look at, gaze at
- 1b) (Niphal)
- 1b1) to appear, present oneself
- 1b2) to be seen
- 1b3) to be visible
- 1c) (Pual) to be seen
- 1d) (Hiphil)
- 1d1) to cause to see, show
- 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at
- 1e) (Hophal)
- 1e1) to be caused to see, be shown
- 1e2) to be exhibited to
- 1f) (Hithpael) to look at each other, face
- 1a) (Qal)
- 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
- ↑ 05027 נָבַט nabat NunBeitTet [naw-bat’] a primitive root; v; [BDB-613b] [{See TWOT on 1282 }] AV-look 36, behold 13, consider 5, regard 4, see 4, respect 3, look down 2, look about 1, look back 1; 69
- 1) to look, regard
- 1a) (Piel) to look
- 1b) (Hiphil)
- 1b1) to look
- 1b2) to regard, show regard to, pay attention to, consider
- 1b3) to look upon, regard, show regard to
- 1) to look, regard