Numbers 21:8

Easy-to-Read Version

The Lord said to Moses, "Make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. If anyone is bitten by a snake, that person should look at the bronze snake on the pole. Then that person will not die."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD said to Moshe, Make you a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard: and it shall happen, that everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.

King James Version
And 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 looketh upon it, shall live.

Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh said to Moses, "Make for yourself a snake and place it on a pole. When anyone is bitten and looks at it, that person will live."

English Standard Version
And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."

New Century Version
The Lord said to Moses, "Make a bronze snake, and put it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, that person will live."

New English Translation
The Lord said to Moses, "Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live."

Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten will live when he looks at it."

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and put it on a flag pole; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, and looks at it, will live."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Lord said vnto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it vp for a signe, that as many as are bitten, may looke vpon it, and liue.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; and it will be that everyone who is bitten and looks at it, will live."

Contemporary English Version
and the Lord answered, "Make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and won't die."

Complete Jewish Bible
and Adonai answered Moshe: "Make a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten sees it, he will live."

Darby Translation
And Jehovah said to Moses, Make thee a fiery [serpent], and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, and looketh upon it, shall live.

George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent of brass, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass that every one who is bitten by a serpent, when he looks upon it, shall live.

Good News Translation
Then the Lord told Moses to make a metal snake and put it on a pole, so that anyone who was bitten could look at it and be healed.

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”

Literal Translation
And Jehovah spoke to Moses, Make yourself a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that when anyone is bitten, when he sees it, he shall live.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde the LORDE vnto Moses: Make the a brasen serpente, and set it vp for a token. Who so euer is bytten, and loketh vpon it, shal lyue.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live.

Bible in Basic English
And the Lord said to Moses, Make an image of a snake and put it on a rod, and anyone who has been wounded by the snakes, looking on it will be made well.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lorde sayde vnto Moyses: Make thee a fierie serpent, and set it vp vpon a pole: that as many as are bitten may loke vpon it, and lyue.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And 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.'

King James Version (1611)
And the Lord said vnto Moses, Make thee a fierie serpent, and set it vpon a pole: and it shall come to passe, that euery one that is bitten, when hee looketh vpon it, shall liue.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Moses prayed to the Lord for the people; and the Lord said to Moses, Make thee a serpent, and put it on a signal-staff; and it shall come to pass that whenever a serpent shall bite a man, every one so bitten that looks upon it shall live.

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Moises preiede for the puple; and the Lord seide to hym, Make thou a serpent of bras, and sette thou it for a signe; he that is smytun and biholdith it, schal lyue.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Make for thee a burning [serpent], and set it on an ensign; and it hath been, every one who is bitten and hath seen it -- he hath lived.

Update Bible Version
And Yahweh said to Moses, You make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to 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 looketh upon it, shall live.

World English Bible
Yahweh said to Moses, Make you a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard: and it shall happen, that everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.

New King James Version
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live."

New Living Translation
Then the Lord told him, "Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!"

New Life Bible
The Lord said to Moses, "Make a special snake and put it up on a long piece of wood. Everyone who is bitten will live when he looks at it."

New Revised Standard
And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Yahweh unto Moses - Make thee a like serpent, and put it upon standard, - and it shall come to pass, that, any one who is bitten, as soon as he seeth it, shall live.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.

Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."

THE MESSAGE
God said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live."

Contextual Overview

⁴ The Israelites left Mount Hor and traveled on the road that goes to the Red Sea. They did this to go around the country of Edom. But the people became impatient. ⁵ They began complaining against God and Moses. The people said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? We will die here in the desert! There is no bread and no water! And we hate this terrible food!" ⁶ So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people. The snakes bit the people, and many of the Israelites died. ⁷ The people came to Moses and said, "We know that we sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord . Ask him to take away these snakes." So Moses prayed for them. ⁸ The Lord said to Moses, "Make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. If anyone is bitten by a snake, that person should look at the bronze snake on the pole. Then that person will not die." ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Then when a snake bit anyone, that person looked at the bronze snake on the pole and lived.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 106:43-45, Psalms 145:8

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 18:4 - the brazen serpent Psalms 107:20 - healed Isaiah 45:22 - Look Luke 6:19 - sought Luke 24:44 - in the law John 5:46 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 19:3
But Lot continued to ask them to come to his house, so they agreed and went with him. Lot gave them something to drink. He baked some bread for them, and they ate it.

Genesis 26:30
So Isaac gave a party for them. They all ate and drank.

Genesis 29:22
So Laban gave a party for all the people in that place.

Genesis 40:20
Three days later it was Pharaoh's birthday. He gave a party for all his servants. At the party Pharaoh allowed the wine server and the baker to leave the prison.

Judges 14:10
Samson's father went down to see the Philistine woman. The custom was for the bridegroom to give a party. So Samson gave a party.

Judges 14:12
Then Samson said to the 30 men, "I want to tell you a story. This party will last for seven days. Try to find the answer during that time. If you can answer the riddle in that time, I will give you 30 linen shirts and 30 changes of clothes.

1 Samuel 1:22
But Hannah did not go. She told Elkanah, "When the boy is old enough to eat solid food, I will take him to Shiloh. Then I will give him to the Lord . He will become a Nazirite. He will stay there at Shiloh."

1 Samuel 25:36
Abigail went back to Nabal, who was in the house. He had been eating like a king, and he was drunk and feeling good. So Abigail told Nabal nothing until the next morning.

2 Samuel 3:20
Then Abner came up to David at Hebron. Abner brought 20 men with him. David gave a party for Abner and for all the men who came with him.

1 Kings 3:15
Solomon woke up and knew that God had spoken to him in the dream. Then Solomon went to Jerusalem and stood before the Box of the Lord 's Agreement. He offered a burnt offering and fellowship offerings to the Lord and then gave a party for all of his officials.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Make thee a fiery serpent - i. e. a serpent resembling in appearance the reptiles which attacked the people. The resemblance was of the essence of the symbolism (compare 1 Samuel 6:5). As the brass serpent represented the instrument of their chastisement, so the looking unto it at God’s word denoted acknowledgment of their sin, longing for deliverance from its penalty, and faith in the means appointed by God for healing. In the serpent of brass, harmless itself, but made in the image of the creature that is accursed above others Genesis 3:14, the Christian fathers rightly see a figure of Him John 3:14-15 who though “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” Hebrews 7:26, was yet “made sin” 2 Corinthians 5:21, and “made a curse for us” Galatians 3:13. And the eye of faith fixed on Him beholds the manifestation at once of the deserts of sin, of its punishment imminent and deprecated, and of the method of its remission devised by God Himself.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 21:8. Make thee a fiery serpent — Literally, make thee a seraph.

And put it upon a pole — על נס al nes, upon a standard or ensign.