Serpent

 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 12
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(creeper). The Hebrew original embraces the entire serpent genus. Serpents numerous and venomous in Bible lands. The word appears in Scripture under various names; adder, supposedly the cerastes (Gen. 49:17); asp, or cobra (Deut. 32:33); cockatrice (Jer. 8:17); viper (Job 20:16). Subtile (Gen. 3:1); wise (Matt. 10:16); poisonous (Prov. 23:32); sharp-tongued (Psa. 140:3); charmed (Psa. 58:5); emblem of wickedness (Matt. 23:33); cruelty (Psa. 58:4); treachery (Gen. 49:17); the devil (Rev. 12:9-15); fiery serpents sent as a punishment (Num. 21:6); sight of “brazen serpent,” an antidote for poison of bite (Num. 21:8-9); “fiery flying serpent,” a probable allusion to dragon (Isa. 14:29).