Numbers 21:8

And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thyself a serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that whoever is bitten shall look at it, and he shall live.

Leeser Tanakh

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

7And the people then came to Moses, and they said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away from us the serpents. And Moses prayed for the people.

9And Moses made a serpent of copper, and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass, that, when a serpent had bitten any man, and he looked up to the serpent of copper, he remained alive.

Read all of Numbers 21

Cross References

2 Kings 18:4He it was that removed the high-places, and broke the statues, and cut down the groves, and stamped in pieces the copper serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days were the children of Israel burning incense to it; and he called it Nechushtan.

Psalms 145:8Gracious and merciful is the Lord, long-suffering, and great in kindness.

Matthew Henry on Numbers 21:5-10

The Brazen Serpent. ( b. c. 1452.) 4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. 6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Numbers 21:8