Event · Exodus and Wilderness
The bronze serpent
The bronze serpentNumbers 21:4–915th or 13th century BCE (debated)
Bitten by venomous snakes, the people repent; anyone who looks at the bronze serpent Moses lifts up lives.
- Main passage Numbers 21:4–9
- Related John 3:14–152 Kings 18:4
People Moses
- Place in the order
- Explicit biblical sequence Scripture itself gives the order of these events.
- Historical setting
- 15th or 13th century BCE (debated) Disputed date
1 Kings 6:1 counts 480 years from the exodus to Solomon's fourth year, which points to about 1446 BCE in the conventional chronology. Many scholars argue for the thirteenth century from archaeological evidence.
Proposals: About 1446 BCE (from 1 Kings 6:1); About 1260s BCE (archaeological arguments)
Read it
Numbers 21:4–9 WEB
4They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey. 5The people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, there is no water, and our soul loathes this disgusting food!” 6The LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and they bit the people. Many people of Israel died. 7The people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” Moses prayed for the people. 8The LORD said to Moses, “Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole. It shall happen that everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived.