Numbers 21:8-9
“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.”
King James Version · the opening — all 2 verses are below
More of Numbers 21 on this siteNumbers 21:9
The bronze serpent lifted up bringing healing to those who look in faith, cited by Jesus as a type of his crucifixion.
Read the whole passage — all 2 verses (KJV)
21:8And 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.
21:9And 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.
Fulfillment References
John 3:14-15
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalJesus made this His own type: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up' (John 3:14-15). The brass serpent on the pole — judgment borne in likeness, looked upon for life — prefigures the Lord Jesus lifted up on the cross, God in flesh 'made sin for us' (2 Cor. 5:21), that whoever looks in faith may live.
JewishA historical deliverance — those bitten looked at the bronze serpent and lived; later Israel idolized it (Nehushtan) and Hezekiah destroyed it (2 Kings 18:4). Read of God's mercy, with caution against the object itself.
CatholicA classic type of the crucifixion in the Fathers and the liturgy — the lifted serpent prefigures the lifted Christ who heals the sin-bitten.
ProtestantJesus' own interpretation (John 3:14-15) makes it a direct type of the cross — looking in faith to the lifted Savior brings life.
AcademicAn etiological narrative explaining the bronze serpent (Nehushtan) later kept in the temple; John's Gospel repurposes the image typologically for the crucifixion.
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Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.