Sunday, July 27, 2008

Numbers 21:9

Numbers 21:9

And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

a. NLT: So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

b. NIV: So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

c. YLT: And Moses maketh a serpent of brass, and setteth it on the ensign, and it hath been, if the serpent hath bitten any man, and he hath looked expectingly unto the serpent of brass -- he hath lived.

d. Amplified Bible Classic Edition: And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived.

e. Septuagint: And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a signa-[staff]: and it came to pass that whenever a serpent bit a man, and he looked on the brazen serpent, he lived.

f. Stone Edition Chumash:

1. “And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole…”

a. Moses [4872 * Mosheh] [Strong: from 4871; drawing out (of the water), i.e. rescued;Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver:--Moses.]

b. made [6213 * `asah aw-saw' a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be (warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.]

c. a serpent [5175 * nachash] [Strong: from 5172; a snake (from its hiss):--serpent.]

d. of brass [5178 * nchosheth] [Strong: for 5154; copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver):--brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel.]

e. put it [7760 * suwm, or siym] Strong: a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically):--X any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down, ((over-))turn, X wholly, work.]

f. on a pole [5251 * nec] [Strong: nace from 5264; a flag; also a sail; by implication, a flagstaff; generally a signal; figuratively, a token:--banner, pole, sail, (en-)sign, standard.]

2. “…and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man…”

a. if a serpent [5175 * nachash] [Strong: from 5172; a snake (from its hiss):--serpent.]

b. had bitten [5391 * nashak] [Strong: a primitive root; to strike with a sting (as a serpent); figuratively, to oppress with interest on a loan:--bite, lend upon usury.]

c. any man [376 * 'iysh] [Strong: contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation):--also, another, any (man), a certain, + champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people, person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.]

3. “…when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”

a. when he beheld [5027 * nabat] [Strongs: to scan, look intently at; by implication to regard with pleasure, cause to consider, behold, look.] [Note: Strongs gave a wide variety of definitions and I was respectful of those that applied to the context.]

          1). Amplified Bible Note: under Numbers 21:9. “Jesus said that as Moses lifted up the serpent              in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, “that everyone who believes in Him—              who cleaves to Him, trusts and relies on Him-- may not perish, but have eternal life and                        actually live forever!” (John 3:14, 15). Obviously this implies that the look that caused the                  victim of a fiery serpent to be healed was something far more than a casual glance. A “look”                would save, but what kind of look?  The Hebrew text here means “look attentively,                             expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze.” Or as Jesus said in the last verse of the chapter           quoted above, “He who believes on, has faith in, clings to, relies on the Son has (now possess)             eternal life.” But whoever does not so believe in, cling to, and rely on the Son, “will never                   see…life.” The look that saves is not just a fleeting glance, it is a God honoring, God answered,           fixed and absorbing gaze!”

b. the serpent a serpent [5175 * nachash] [Strong: from 5172; a snake (from its hiss):--serpent.]

c. of brass [5178 * nchosheth] [Strong: for 5154; copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver):--brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel.]

d. he lived [2425 * chayay] [Strong: a primitive root (Compare 2421); to live; causatively to revive:--live, save life.]

          1). This was a type and foreshadow of Jesus dying on the cross.

a). John 3:14, 15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

b). Christ the Healer, F.F. Bosworth, Published by Fleming H. Revell Company, 1973, Reprint of 8th Edition, Copyright, R.V. Bosworth, p.20. “If healing was not in the Atonement, why were these dying Israelites required to look at the type of the Atonement for bodily healing? Since both healing and forgiveness came through the type of the Atonement, why not to us through Christ the antitype? If we cannot, then the type is placed in higher ground than Christ Himself, and the type becomes a false prophecy.”

           2). Why would Jesus be typified by a serpent? Because the bible says he became our sin.

a). 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

b). Jesus is Jehovah-tsidkenu, the LORD our Righteousness.

(1) Jeremiah 23:5, 6 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: this is the name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.


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