What does nehushtan mean in Hebrew?
The term is a proper noun coming from either the word for “snake” or “brass”, and thus means “The (Great) Serpent” or “The (Great) Brass”.
What does nehushtan mean in the Bible?
Nehushtan. The Nehushtan, in the Hebrew Bible, was a sacred object in the form of a snake of brass upon a pole. The priestly source of the Torah says that Moses used a ‘fiery serpent’ to cure the Israelites from snakebites.
What does the bronze serpent symbolize?
The bronze serpent on a rod, whose mere contemplation is sufficient to cure anyone bitten by a snake, symbolizes salvation. The image thus foreshadows Christ’s crucifixion, which brings redemption to humankind and triumphs over the mortal serpent of Original Sin.
What does serpent represent in the Bible?
The serpent was a symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld as well as a symbol of fertility, life and healing.
What was the fiery serpent?
The fiery flying serpent (Hebrew: שָׂרָף מְעוֹפֵף sārāf mə’ōfēf) is a creature mentioned in the Book of Isaiah in the Tanakh. The term translated as “fiery serpent”, saraph, appears elsewhere in the Book of Isaiah to signify the seraphim, the singular form of which is also saraph.
Who made nehushtan?
God told Moses to make it. This was to cure the Israelites. Those who saw the nehushtan would be cured from the deathly bites of the “fiery serpents”. God initially sent the fiery serpents to punish them for speaking against Him and Moses (Numbers 21:4-9 KJV).
What happened to the staff of Moses?
References to the staff God asks what Moses has in his hand, and Moses answers “a staff” (“a rod” in the KJV version). The staff is miraculously transformed into a snake and then back into a staff. The staff is thereafter referred to as the “rod of God” or “staff of God” (depending on the translation).
What’s the difference between serpent and snake?
As nouns the difference between serpent and snake is that serpent is a snake while snake is a legless reptile of the sub-order serpentes with a long, thin body and a fork-shaped tongue.
Where does the name Nehushtan come from in the Bible?
It’s not used as such in the Bible but the following derivations are: Noun נחשת ( nehoshet) refers to copper or bronze, or items made from bronze. Adjective נחוש ( nahush) means bronze. And noun נחושה ( nehusha) or נחשה ( nehusha) means copper or bronze. The meaning of the name Nehushtan is very obvious.
Why was the copper serpent called the Nehushtan?
And cut down the sacred post ( asherah ). He also broke into pieces the copper serpent that Moses had made, for until that time the Israelites had been offering sacrifices to it; it was called Nehushtan. Implicit in the above narrative is that before Hezekiah’s reform, the Israelites venerated a copper serpent.
What does the Bible say about Hezekiah Nehushtan?
Hezekiah thus takes his place as a true reformer, and as a champion of the purification of the religion of Israel. This is the traditional interpretation of the passage, and fairly represents the Hebrew text as it now stands. 2. Derivation: There are at least three considerations, however, which throw doubt upon this interpretation.
Why was Nehushtan important in the numbers 21 incident?
Even in the Numbers 21 incident, it was God who healed, not Nehushtan. Nehushtan should be a powerful reminder to us all that even good things—and good people—can become idols in our lives. Our praise, worship, and adoration are to be directed to God alone.