Why on earth would looking at a bronze snake on a pole heal someone bitten by a serpent? It's one of the strangest stories in the Old Testament and most readers move past it without a second thought.
But ancient Near Eastern artifacts, Israelite seals, and details preserved in the Book of Mormon reveal that the Brazen Serpent (the Nehushtan of Numbers 21) was anything but arbitrary. It was the perfect symbol and Nephi knew exactly why.
===Informed Saints Credits===
Produced by The Ancient America Foundation
Producer: Spencer Clark
Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye
In this episode, the Informed Saints crew break down Neal’s paper which covers:
• The Hebrew behind "fiery serpents" (ha-nəḥāšîm ha-śərāphîm) and what seraph actually means
• Bronze serpent wands from Egypt and figurines from Megiddo, Hazor, Shechem, Timnah, and Gezer — all associated with healing
• The 13th–11th century BC tent shrine at Timna with a bronze serpent inside
• The seraphim of Isaiah 6 as winged serpentine guardians of Yahweh's throne
• Isaiah 14:29's "fiery flying serpent" as an ancient Jewish Messianic prophecy
• Why Nephi adds "flying" to the serpents in 1 Nephi 17:41
• How the Hebrew word nēs (pole / ensign / battle standard) ties Numbers 21 to Isaiah's prophecies
• Why this whole web of imagery points unmistakably to Jesus Christ
Read Neal's full paper: https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/serpents-of-fire-and-brass-a-contextual-study-of-the-brazen-serpent-tradition-in-the-book-of-mormon
Scripture references
- Numbers 21:4–9
- 2 Kings 18:4 (the Nehushtan)
- Isaiah 6, 14:28–29, 11:12, 13:2
- 1 Nephi 17:41
- 2 Nephi 25:20
- Alma 33:19–22
- Helaman 8:13–15
Scholarly sources mentioned in the episode
- James H. Charlesworth, The Good and Evil Serpent: How a Universal Symbol Became Christianized
- Karen Randolph Joines, Serpent Symbolism in the Old Testament
- Anchor Bible Dictionary, entry on "Nehushtan"
- Austin Henry Layard, Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon
Related background reading
- Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm (on the divine council)
- Margaret Barker, The Older Testament (on First Temple theology and the Messiah)
Subscribe to Informed Saints for scholarly-grounded discussions of Latter-day Saint scripture, history, and archaeology. Study deeply, believe boldly.
===Discover===
If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.
https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/
===Content Disclaimer===
The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Chapters
- (00:00:00) - The Brazen Serpent in the Book of Mormon
- (00:04:21) - The Hebrew word for brazen serpent
- (00:09:49) - Serpents in the Exodus
- (00:16:22) - A Pantheon of Judean Gods
- (00:17:53) - The Seraphim in Isaiah 6
- (00:21:41) - Isaiah 14:20
- (00:26:09) - How Does the Book of Mormon Contribute to This Discussion?
- (00:32:59) - 2 Nephi 9: The Serpent of Fire
