The concept of the serpent's venom in the Bible is rich with symbolic meaning and theological implications. The serpent, often associated with deceit and evil, is first introduced in the Book of Genesis and continues to appear throughout Scripture as a symbol of sin and opposition to God.

Genesis and the Fall:
The serpent makes its initial appearance 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). The serpent's deception of Eve leads to the Fall of Man, introducing sin and death into the world. While the text does not explicitly mention venom, the serpent's role in the narrative is akin to the deadly and corrupting influence of venom, leading humanity away from God's intended path.

Symbol of Deceit and Evil:
Throughout the Bible, the serpent is often used as a metaphor for deceit and evil. In Psalm 58:4, the wicked are compared to serpents: "Their venom is like the poison of a serpent, like a cobra that shuts its ears" . This imagery highlights the destructive and insidious nature of sin, likening it to the lethal effects of a serpent's venom.

Judgment and Consequences:
The venom of serpents is also used to illustrate the consequences of sin and rebellion against God. In Deuteronomy 32:33, the Song of Moses describes the enemies of God: "Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras" . This passage underscores the idea that turning away from God leads to spiritual and moral corruption, much like the physical harm caused by venom.

Protection and Deliverance:
Despite the danger posed by serpents and their venom, the Bible also speaks of God's protection and deliverance. In Mark 16:18, Jesus promises that those who believe in Him will be safeguarded: "They will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them" . This assurance reflects God's power to protect His people from both physical and spiritual harm.

Christ's Victory Over Evil:
The ultimate defeat of the serpent and its venom is found in the victory of Jesus Christ. In Revelation 12:9, the serpent is identified as "the great dragon...that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray" . Through His death and resurrection, Christ triumphs over sin and Satan, rendering the serpent's venom powerless for those who are in Him.

The imagery of the serpent and its venom serves as a powerful reminder of the reality of sin and the need for redemption. It calls believers to remain vigilant against the deceit of the enemy and to trust in God's provision and protection through Jesus Christ.Deuteronomy 32:24,33
They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts on them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.
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Job 20:16
He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him.
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Psalm 58:4
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stops her ear;
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Psalm 140:3
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.
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Proverbs 23:31,32
Look not you on the wine when it is red, when it gives his color in the cup, when it moves itself aright.
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Acts 28:5,6
And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
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4846. merorah -- a bitter thing, gall, poison
... Or mrowrah {mer-o-raw'}; from marar; properly, bitterness; concretely, a bitter
thing; specifically bile; also venom (of a serpent) -- bitter (thing), gall. ...
/hebrew/4846.htm - 6k

A Young Man's Best Counsellor
... 'Godliness hath promise of the life which now is.' The wisdom of the serpent,
which Jesus enjoins, has none of the serpent's venom in it. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/a young mans best counsellor.htm

Letter Liii to Another Holy virgin of the Convent of S. Mary of ...
... I see, my daughter, I see in this, and I would you also saw as I do, the serpent's
venom, the guile of the crafty one, and the trickery of his changing skin. ...
/.../letter liii to another holy.htm

Baptism the Command.
... To Thy grace receive and save it; Heal the serpent's venom'd bite,. In the
font where now we lave it; Let Thy Spirit pure and lowly. ...
/.../lyra germanica second series the christian life/baptism the command.htm

John iii. 12, 13
... had venom, that which saved was free from venom; and so again was it here, for the
death which slew us had sin with it, as the serpent had venom; but the ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xxvii john iii 12.htm

The Brazen Serpent.
... virus seemed to be extracted from the fiery, burning fangs of the snakes, and hung
up innocuous in that brazen serpent; so all the virulence and venom of sin ...
/.../the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol i/viii the brazen serpent.htm

The Mysteries of the Brazen Serpent
... force and passion he can command, lest they should be opened on that brazen serpent,
and he ... "Oh," said they, "there is no need to look now; the venom has not ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the mysteries of the brazen.htm

They who have Committed a "Sin unto Death" are not to be Abandoned ...
... prophecy, he lays his hand on the hole of the asp, and the serpent injures him not;
he draws him out of his hiding-places, and makes of his venom a spiritual ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xiii they who have.htm

A Farther Quotation from virgilius Maro Respecting Christ, with ...
... 3469] The serpent, too, and the venom of that serpent, perishes, who originally
beguiled our first parents, and drew their thoughts from their native innocence ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/chapter xx a farther quotation from.htm

Addition to Acts of Philip.
... Flee from Satan the dragon, and remove from you his wicked seed, namely desire,
by which he begets disease in the soul, which is the venom of the serpent. ...
/.../unknown/the acts of philip/addition to acts of philip.htm

The Poison and the Antidote
... lived.' 'That whosoever believeth may in Him have eternal life.' From the serpent
no healing ... all taint of sin, and is mighty enough to arrest the venom that is ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the poison and the antidote.htm

What does the Bible say about snakes? Are snakes evil? | GotQuestions.org

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Serpent: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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