Full Num 21:4–9 with the Edom-detour context (Num 20:14–21). Hebrew key terms: saraph (fiery serpent); nahash nehoshet (bronze serpent). Cross-references to Gen 3 (the Eden serpent as judgment-symbol) and 1 Cor 10:9–11 (Paul's application of the wilderness generation to the church). Featured voice: Spurgeon, New Park Street Pulpit.
Numbers 21: The Wilderness Incident
Israel grumbles; fiery serpents bite; Moses is commanded to lift bronze.
Primary passage:Numbers 21:9 →
Commentary
Full verse-by-verse commentary and cross-references live on the verse page →
Key passage
"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."
Cross-references
- Num 21:4-9The wilderness incident in full.
- 1 Cor 10:9Paul names the serpent episode as a warning.
- John 3:14Jesus self-identifies with the lifted serpent.
- Ps 78:32-39Psalm-meditation on Israel's grumbling and God's mercy.
Typological connection
Numbers 21 establishes the pattern Jesus will name as his own: judgment absorbed by an instrument lifted up, healing by faith expressed in looking.
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