The Bronze Serpent

The people of Israel traveled from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea road to go around the land of Edom, but their souls became very discouraged because of the way (Numbers 21:4). During this journey, the people spoke against God and against Moses, questioning why they had been brought up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness. They complained that there was no bread and no water, stating that their souls loathed the worthless bread provided to them (Numbers 21:5). The text does not say how long they had been traveling or the specific time of day these complaints occurred.

In response to their speech, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people. These serpents bit the people, and many individuals of Israel died (Numbers 21:6). Consequently, the people came to Moses and confessed that they had sinned by speaking against the Lord and against him. They requested that Moses pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from them, and Moses prayed for the people (Numbers 21:7). The text does not say the specific words of the prayer or the duration of his intercession.

The Lord instructed Moses to make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, specifying that everyone who was bitten, when they looked at it, would live (Numbers 21:8). Moses proceeded to make a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole. The text does not say where he obtained the bronze or how he fashioned the metal. Whenever a serpent had bitten any man, if he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived (Numbers 21:9).