Números 21:8

8 Y Jehová dijo á Moisés: Hazte una serpiente ardiente, y ponla sobre la bandera: y será que cualquiera que fuere mordido y mirare á ella, vivirá.

Números 21:8 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 21:8

And the Lord said unto Moses
Out of the cloud; or, it may be, Moses went into the sanctuary, and there prayed, and the Lord answered him from between the cherubim:

make them a fiery serpent;
not a real one, but the likeness of one, one that should very much resemble the fiery serpents Israel had been bitten with:

and set it upon a pole;
a standard, banner, or ensign, as the word signifies; perhaps meaning one of the poles on which their ensigns were carried: the Targum of Jonathan renders it, on an high place, that so it might be seen by all in the camp:

and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he
looketh upon it, shall live;
which is very wonderful, that by looking to the figure of a serpent, men should be cured of the bites of real ones, and which bites were deadly; the virtue of healing could not come from the figure, but from God, who appointed it to be made, the Targum of Jonathan adds, that one bitten should live,

``if he directed his heart to the Word of the Lord,''

even to that divine Logos or Word of God, whose lifting up was figured hereby; see ( John 3:14 ) .

Números 21:8 In-Context

6 Y Jehová envió entre el pueblo serpientes ardientes, que mordían al pueblo: y murió mucho pueblo de Israel.

7 Entonces el pueblo vino á Moisés, y dijeron: Pecado hemos por haber hablado contra Jehová, y contra ti: ruega á Jehová que quite de nosotros estas serpientes. Y Moisés oró por el pueblo.

8 Y Jehová dijo á Moisés: Hazte una serpiente ardiente, y ponla sobre la bandera: y será que cualquiera que fuere mordido y mirare á ella, vivirá.

9 Y Moisés hizo una serpiente de metal, y púsola sobre la bandera, y fué, que cuando alguna serpiente mordía á alguno, miraba á la serpiente de metal, y vivía.

10 Y partieron los hijos de Israel, y asentaron campo en Oboth.