Topical Bible: Serpent: Figurative

◄ Serpent: Figurative ►

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In biblical literature, the serpent is a potent symbol that appears in various contexts, often embodying deception, sin, and evil. The figurative use of the serpent is deeply rooted in the narrative of the Fall in Genesis and extends throughout Scripture, influencing theological interpretations and moral teachings.

Genesis and the Fall

The serpent first appears in Genesis 3, where it is described as "more cunning than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made" (Genesis 3:1). In this account, the serpent tempts Eve to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, leading to the disobedience of Adam and Eve and the subsequent fall of humanity. The serpent's role in this pivotal event has led to its association with Satan, the adversary of God and humanity. The curse pronounced upon the serpent in Genesis 3:14-15, which includes the promise of enmity between the serpent and the woman's offspring, is often interpreted as the protoevangelium, or the first gospel, foreshadowing the ultimate victory of Christ over sin and Satan.

Symbol of Deception and Evil

Throughout the Bible, the serpent continues to symbolize deception and evil. In the New Testament, Jesus refers to the Pharisees as a "brood of vipers" (Matthew 12:34), highlighting their hypocrisy and malicious intent. This metaphor underscores the serpent's association with deceit and moral corruption. Similarly, in Revelation, the serpent is explicitly identified with Satan: "And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world" (Revelation 12:9). This passage reinforces the serpent's role as a symbol of ultimate evil and opposition to God's purposes.

Wisdom and Cunning

While the serpent is predominantly a negative symbol, it is also associated with wisdom and cunning. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus instructs His disciples to be "as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" . Here, the serpent's cunning is presented as a positive trait when coupled with innocence, suggesting a balance between wisdom and purity in the life of a believer.

Healing and Redemption

Interestingly, the serpent also appears in a redemptive context in the Old Testament. In Numbers 21:8-9, God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole so that anyone bitten by a snake could look at it and live. This bronze serpent is later referenced by Jesus in John 3:14-15, where He compares it to His own crucifixion: "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life" . This typology illustrates the transformative power of God's salvation, turning a symbol of death into one of life.

Conclusion

The figurative use of the serpent in the Bible is multifaceted, encompassing themes of deception, evil, wisdom, and redemption. Its presence in Scripture serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing spiritual battle between good and evil and the ultimate triumph of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ.

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Isaiah 14:29
Rejoice not you, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote you is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
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Isaiah 30:6
The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from where come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches on the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures on the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.
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Isaiah 65:25
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, said the LORD.
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Library

Ignorance of Things, Too, Renders Figurative Expressions Obscure.. ...
... Ignorance of things, too, renders figurative expressions obscure, as when we do
not know ... The fact so well known about the serpent, for example, that to protect ...
/.../on christian doctrine in four books/chapter 24 ignorance of things.htm

The Knowledge Both of Language and Things is Helpful for the ...
... Ignorance of things, too, renders figurative expressions obscure, as when we do
not know ... The fact so well known about the serpent, for example, that to protect ...
/.../on christian doctrine in four books /chapter 16 the knowledge both of.htm

The Leaven.
... in the Scriptures.[20] Of these, as far as I know, the different and opposite
figurative significations of the serpent are the most striking and appropriate. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/iv the leaven.htm

The Same Word Does not Always Signify the Same Thing.
... And when it is shown to be figurative, the words in which it is expressed will be ...
about seeking whom he may devour." [1884] In the same way the serpent is used ...
/.../on christian doctrine in four books /chapter 25 the same word does.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xiii. 19, Etc. , Where the Lord ...
... are in propriety of expression; the Latter both together in a figurative sense ... The
devil again is a serpent, "that old serpent;" [2513] are we commanded then to ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon xxiii on the words.htm

John Chapter iii. 21-Jun
... they who looked on that serpent perished not by the serpent's bites, so ... have everlasting
life." Now there is this difference between the figurative image and ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xii john chapter iii.htm

Give us Today Our Needful Bread
... ember-cakes, and to observe that this may perhaps simply be told in a figurative
sense. ... becomes a son of God whereas he that has portion in the serpent is none ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xvii give us today.htm

Against Embellishing the Body.
... And that deceitful serpent, devouring the understanding part of man through ... not to
approach to another's river, meaning by the figurative expression "another's ...
/.../clement/the instructor paedagogus/chapter ii against embellishing the body.htm

Lorimer -- the Fall of Satan
... neither can they escape the suspicion of being designedly figurative; intended,
probably ... his angels fighting against the dragon, "that old serpent called the ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 8/lorimer the fall of.htm

Faustus Rejects the Old Testament Because it Leaves no Room for ...
... Such expressions are sometimes used as figurative descriptions of the abundance
of spiritual ... as the fire in the bush, the rod becoming a serpent, and the ...
/.../faustus rejects the old testament.htm