From Mount Hor they set out by way of the Red Sea, to bypass the land of Edom, but the people’s patience was worn out by the journey; 5 so the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” 6 So the Lord sent among the people seraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of the Israelites died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord to take the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people, 8 and the Lord said to Moses: Make a seraph and mount it on a pole, and everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover. 9 Accordingly Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever the serpent bit someone, the person looked at the bronze serpent and recovered.
In Numbers 21:4-9, the Israelites, weary from their journey through the wilderness, grow impatient and complain against God and Moses. In response, God sends seraph (fiery) serpents that bite the people, resulting in many deaths. In the Bible, seraph is often associated with fiery beings or angelic creatures, as seen in Isaiah 6:2,6. Acknowledging their sin, the Israelites beg Moses to intercede. God then instructs Moses to fashion a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole, promising that those who look upon it will be healed. Though the passage does not explicitly mention faith, Wisdom 16:5-7 later clarifies that the healing came not from the image itself but from God’s power, received through trust in Him.
This event prefigures John 3:14-15, where Jesus tells Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” The bronze serpent serves as a type of Christ’s crucifixion—just as those who turned to the serpent were healed, so too those who look to Christ on the Cross in faith receive salvation. Jesus’ comparison highlights the necessity of belief, showing that just as the Israelites were saved by trusting in God’s promise, eternal life is given to those who place their faith in the One who was lifted up for the salvation of the world.
In salvation history, sin carries consequences, and the Israelites’ ingratitude and rebellion resulted in divine punishment (Wis. 16:5-7), just as sin ultimately leads to spiritual death (Rom 6:23). Yet, in His mercy, God provides a means of healing. Moses intercedes for the people (Num. 21:7), prefiguring Christ, the ultimate mediator between God and humanity (1 Tim. 2:5). The Israelites had to trust in God's command to look upon the bronze serpent to be healed (Num. 21:9), just as salvation in Christ requires faith (Eph. 2:8-9). The lifting up of the serpent foreshadows Christ’s exaltation on the Cross (John 12:32), which brings life to all who believe (2 Cor. 5:21). What was once a symbol of death—the serpent—becomes the means of healing, just as in Christ’s Passion, what seemed to be a moment of defeat becomes the very means of salvation (1 Cor. 1:18).
Human sin brings suffering and death, but God provides a means of redemption. Just as the Israelites found healing by looking upon the bronze serpent, so too humanity is saved by looking in faith upon Christ crucified.
Merciful Father, You provided healing for the Israelites when they turned to the bronze serpent in faith, and in Your boundless love, You have given us salvation through Christ lifted up on the Cross. Help us to turn our eyes to Him in faith, that we may be healed from sin and receive the gift of eternal life. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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