Prophecy 7 of 30 · Sacrifice
The serpent lifted up
Bitten Israelites who looked at the bronze serpent on a pole lived.
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Hebrew · Leningrad Codexעִבְרִית
8וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְךָ֙ שָׂרָ֔ף וְשִׂ֥ים אֹת֖וֹ עַל־נֵ֑ס וְהָיָה֙ כָּל־הַנָּשׁ֔וּךְ וְרָאָ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ וָחָֽי׃vayyomer ADONAI el-moshe ase lekha saraf vesim oto al-nes vehaya kal-hannashukh vera'a oto vachay
9וַיַּ֤עַשׂ מֹשֶׁה֙ נְחַ֣שׁ נְחֹ֔שֶׁת וַיְשִׂמֵ֖הוּ עַל־הַנֵּ֑ס וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־נָשַׁ֤ךְ הַנָּחָשׁ֙ אֶת־אִ֔ישׁ וְהִבִּ֛יט אֶל־נְחַ֥שׁ הַנְּחֹ֖שֶׁת וָחָֽי׃vayya'as moshe nechash nechoshet vaysimehu al-hannes vehaya im-nashakh hannachash et-ish vehibbit el-nechash hannechoshet vachay
JPS 1917 · Jewish translation
8And 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 seeth it, shall live.’
9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.
World Messianic Bible
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.”Yahweh 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.Moses 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.
Numbers 21:8-9. Transliteration simplified. Read the whole chapter
Fulfilment · New CovenantWMB
John 3:14-15 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
How rabbinic tradition reads it
The Mishnah asks, "Does a serpent kill or give life?" and answers that when Israel looked up and turned their hearts to their Father in heaven, they were healed.
Why Messianic Jews read it as Yeshua
Yeshua used this picture of himself: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up."
Look at the text for yourself
Read Numbers 21:8-9 slowly, in the Hebrew and the JPS translation above. Then ask the question the Ethiopian official asked: "Who is the prophet talking about?"
Sources
- Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 3:8
- Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), via OpenScriptures. English: JPS 1917; World Messianic Bible (public domain).