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Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

Numbers 21:6

Fiery serpents - The epithet Deuteronomy 8:15; Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 30:6 denotes the inflammatory effect of their bite. The peninsula of Sinai, and not least, the Arabah, abounds in mottled snakes of large size, marked with fiery red spots and wavy stripes, which belong to the most poisonous species, as the formation of the teeth clearly show.

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See also Numbers 21:6 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Numbers 21:6. _FIERY SERPENTS_] הנחשים השרפים _hannechashim_ _hasseraphim_. I have observed before, on Genesis 3:1, that it is difficult to assign a name to the creature termed in Hebrew _nacha...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 21 Murmuring and Conquest _ 1. Opposition of King Arad (Numbers 21:1)_ 2. Murmuring and the fiery serpents (Numbers 21:4) 3. The serpent of brass (Numbers 21:8) 4. Journeying and singing

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    THE FIERY SERPENTS. This incident is alluded to by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:9. The serpents are described as fiery by reason of the inflammation caused by their bite. The means whereby the injury they...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    FIERY SERPENTS. burning. Hebrew. _nacheshim saraphim._ Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Effect), App-6, because the effect of the bite was. burning sensation. Hebrew. _saraph_ (see App-43.) The _Seraph...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _The bronze serpent_. God did not at once take away the plague. Each individual received healing only when he performed an act of faith, by looking at the serpent. An early Jewish writer says that it...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _fiery serpents_ The Heb. words are both substantives, and both have the article: -the serpents, the fiery creatures." If -fiery" is the correct rendering, it probably refers to their venomous bite wh...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    THE LORD SENT FIERY SERPENTS AMONG THE PEOPLE— Bochart takes these serpents to have been of that kind which is called _Hydrus,_ or Chersydrus, whose bite dries up the skin, and occasions a violent hea...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    _NUMBERS 21:4_. New provocations bring down new plagues upon them. We have here, 1. Their murmuring. Discouraged by the length and difficulties of the road, they not only quarrel with Moses, but speak...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    F. INCIDENT OF THE BRASS SERPENT vv. 4-9 TEXT Numbers 21:4. And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged be...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND THE LORD SENT FIERY SERPENTS AMONG THE PEOPLE, AND THEY BIT THE PEOPLE; AND MUCH PEOPLE OF ISRAEL DIED._ The Lord sent fiery serpents, х_ HANªCHAASHIYM_ (H5175) _ HASªRAAPIYM_ (H8314); Septuagin...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE BRAZEN SERPENT. CONQUEST OF BASHAN 1-3. The southern Canaanites repulse the Israelites, but are eventually destroyed....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    FIERY SERPENTS] i.e. serpents whose sting caused violent inflammation. Venomous sandsnakes are still found in this locality....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF NUMBERS IN THE DESERT NUMBERS _MARION ADAMS_ CHAPTER 21 THE *ISRAELITES DEFEAT THE *CANAANITES – NUMBERS 21:1-3 V1 The king of Arad lived in the southern part of t

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    AND THE LORD SENT FIERY SERPENTS... — Hebrew, _the serpents, the seraphim_ (_i.e.,_ the burning ones). (See Deuteronomy 8:15; Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 30:6.) The word appears to denote a particular kind o...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יְשַׁלַּ֨ח יְהוָ֜ה בָּ † עָ֗ם אֵ֚ת...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE LAST MARCH AND THE FIRST CAMPAIGN Numbers 21:1 IT has been suggested in a previous chapter that the repulse of the Israelites by the King of Arad took place on the occasion when, after the return...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE BRAZEN SERPENT; JOURNEYING TO PISGAH Numbers 21:1 It often falls to our lot to compass the land of Edom! It is bad enough to have to fight the desert tribes, but it is harder to traverse the lon...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The movement forward of the people now brought them into the path of conflict. The way was rough and difficult and the people were discouraged. Again they felt a lusting after Egypt and spoke against...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And the LORD sent (d) fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (d) For they that were bitten by them were so inflamed by the poison of them, that they...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Fiery serpents. They are so called, because they that were bitten by them were burnt with a violent heat. (Challoner) --- Hence they are called seraphim, by which name an order of angels are known. Th...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    There is a striking connection between the sin and the punishment. The people murmured for want of water; and here the LORD sent them a thirst which no water could satisfy. It should be observed that...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The previous portion of the Book of Numbers, viewed as a history, has evidently a prefatory character, however important and divinely wise. It is in a great measure preparatory for that which we have...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    6._And the Lord sent fiery serpents. _Their ingratitude was justly and profitably chastised by this punishment; for they were practically taught that it was only through God’s paternal care that they...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    The question is not here to conduct the people with patience through the wilderness, where the flesh manifested itself; but there are enemies and difficulties to be met; for there are difficulties dis...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND THE LORD SENT FIERY SERPENTS AMONG THE PEOPLE,.... Of which there were great numbers in the deserts of Arabia, and about the Red sea; but hitherto the Israelites were protected from them by the cl...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Ver. 6. _Fiery serpents._] Heb., Seraphim; from their burning heat, whereby these ungratefu...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Fiery serpents_ Hebrew, נחשׁים, _nechashim_, the plural of the word translated _serpent, Genesis 3:1_, where Moses speaks of the temptation and fall of our first parents, and which, when intended of...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Israel with some losse destroy the Canaanites at Hormah. 4 The people murmuring are plagued with fiery serpents. 7 They repenting are healed by a brasen serpent. 10 Sundry iourneyes of the Israel...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE FIERY SERPENTS...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, whose bite filled the wound with a burning venom, very deadly, AND THEY BIT THE PEOPLE, who were unable to rid themselves of the plague; AND MUCH PEO...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    ATTACK AND DEFEAT OF CANAANITES (vs.1-3) The king of Arad, a Canaanite, heard that Israel was in the same vicinity from which they had sent the spies into the south of Canaan. He therefore took the i...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    4-9 The children of Israel were wearied by a long march round the land of Edom. They speak discontentedly of what God had done for them, and distrustfully of what he would do. What will they be pleas...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    Such there were many in this wilderness, DEUTERONOMY 8:15, which having been hitherto restrained by God, are now let loose and sent among them. They are called _fiery_ from their effects, because thei...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    This chapter brings prominently before us the familiar and beautiful ordinance of the brazen Serpent that great evangelical type. "And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compa...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Numbers 21:6 LORD H3068 sent H7971 (H8762) fiery H8314 serpents H5175 people H5971 bit H5391 (H8762) people...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    5). THE BRAZEN SERPENT (NUMBERS 21:4). Having defeated the king of Arad Israel continued its journey from Mount Hor by ‘the way to the Reed Sea', skirting the land of Edom. As they had been hoping to...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Numbers 21:1. And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. And Israe...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Victories of Israel; the serpent of brass. CHARACTERS: God, Moses, Aaron, Arad, Sihon, Og. CONCLUSION: Those who cry without cause will be given just cause to cry and they will be compelle...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Numbers 21:1. _King Arad;_ that is, Arad king of Arad. _The way of the spies,_ is understood to be the route of the twelve spies sent from Kadesh-Barnea. But the LXX not understanding it so, render it...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Much discouraged because of the way._ ON THE DISCOURAGEMENTS OF PIOUS MEN I. I shall point out the discouragements in the way; and, in doing this, I shall keep my eye on the pilgrimage of the peopl...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    NUMBERS—NOTE ON NUMBERS 21:4__ The people once again grumble about their food. They are punished by poisonous snake bites. ⇐...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES Numbers 21:1. _King Arad the Canaanite_. Rather, “the Canaanite King of Arad.” Arad was a royal city of the Canaanites (Joshua 12:14), and was situated on a hill called...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION THE FIERY SERPENTS (Numbers 21:4). NUMBERS 21:4 THEY JOURNEYED FROM MOUNT HOR. It appears from comparison of Numb

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Let's turn in our Bibles to Numbers chapter twenty-one. Now the children of Israel have been in the wilderness for about thirty-nine years and they are now beginning to make their move towards the Pro...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Corinthians 10:9; Amos 9:3; Amos 9:4; Deuteronomy 8:15; Genesis 3:14;

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Fiery serpents — There were many such in this wilderness, which having been hitherto restrained by God, are now let loose and sent among them. They are called fiery from their effects, because their p...

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