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The narrative surrounding the brazen serpent in the Old Testament is mentioned six times in the Book of Mormon, where it is always likened to Jesus Christ. Nephi, Alma the Younger, and Nephi the son of Helaman all speak of the brazen serpent as a symbol of Christ, who was also lifted up like the serpent in order to heal and save those who would look to him. However, the serpent not only represents the Savior, mercy, salvation, and life in the Book of Mormon and Bible but also the adversary, justice, punishment, and death.

Although it seems difficult to reconcile the dual nature of the serpent in the Book of Mormon and Old Testament, this was a common theme in the ancient Near East. Serpents represented deities who would spit fire as protectors and healers but also as arbiters and rebukers. These aspects of serpents were viewed as cooperative, essential, and purposeful. Through an examination of the dichotomy of the serpent as a symbol of both admonition and benevolence, we can better understand how Jesus Christ represents justice and mercy, chastisement and forgiveness, judgment and grace, temporal death (crucifixion) and resurrection, and infinite power and infinite love.

The Dual Symbolism of the Serpent in the Bible

The full narrative surrounding the brazen serpent is given in Numbers 21:4–9 of the Old Testament. The Israelites were traveling on their forty-year journey to the promised land when they reached the land of Edom, a territory ranging south of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. The king of Edom would not allow safe passage across his land, so the Israelites began the long circumnavigation of Edom, where they became discouraged and complained about the lack of food and water in the wilderness (see verses 4–5). The Lord then sent “fiery serpents” (nahashim seraphim) among the people of Israel, many of whom were bitten and died (verse 6). The Hebrew word used to describe the serpents as “fiery” (seraphim) comes from the verb “to burn” (saraph), which was likely a reference to the inflammatory pain that results from a venomous snakebite, although it could also refer to their vividly reflective scales.[1]

The Lord’s dispatch of the serpents, which lead to snakebites and death, seems like a severe consequence for complaints regarding hunger and thirst; however, the murmurings in the wilderness were not merely “muttered complaints” but could be viewed as “mocking God’s plan,” or even “open rebellion” against God and his prophet Moses.[2] The Israelites recognized their unfaithfulness, confessed their sin in speaking against the Lord, and requested that Moses pray for the serpents to be removed (see verse 7). The Lord instructed Moses to “make thee a fiery serpent [saraph], 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” (verse 8). Moses created a “serpent of brass” (nehash nehosheth), placed it upon a pole, and those who had been bitten were healed after looking at the brazen serpent, whose “fiery” nature was likely due to the reflective shine of its bronze material (verse 9).

The conflicting dichotomy of the serpent in this narrative has been discussed by many scholars and theologians.[3] On the one hand, fiery serpents were sent by the Lord as a consequence of the unfaithfulness of the Israelites, which led to punishment and death. On the other hand, instructions for the creation of a fiery serpent were provided by the Lord as a reward for the repentance of the Israelites, which led to blessings and life. According to Andrew Skinner, the opposing dualities in the narrative of the brazen serpent can be perplexing, as “the agent of both harm and healing, death and life, is, in this instance, the serpent.”[4] Later in their journey, the Israelites were reminded of both the dangerous “fiery serpents” (nahash saraph) in the wilderness, as well as the benevolent guidance the Lord provided to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 8:15).[5]

Some scholars believe that the brazen serpent was eventually placed in the temple as “a valid and important representation of God’s ultimate power over life and death.”[6] However, by the reign of Hezekiah, the brazen serpent had been turned into an object of worship by the Israelites, who were burning incense to it, probably to seek healing (2 Kings 18:4).[7] King Hezekiah referred to the brazen serpent as “Nehushtan” (nehosheth, “copper, bronze”), drawing attention to the inert material of an inanimate object that should not be worshipped. Hezekiah destroyed Nehushtan, along with other idols, as part of his iconoclastic reform.[8] The ambivalent symbolism of the serpent had shifted again, in this case, from an object representing the healing power of the Lord for the faithful, to an object of unfaithful idol worship that needed to be destroyed.

The brazen serpent also appears in the New Testament, where Jesus tells Nicodemus that “as Moses lifted up the serpent [ophis] in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14–15). Here, the brazen serpent is again linked with the life-saving power of the Lord. In order for the faithful to obtain eternal life, the Savior will be “lifted up” through the atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection. In the same way that the faithful Israelites looked up to the raised brazen serpent as a symbol of healing and life, the followers of Christ will need to look up to the resurrected Savior for salvation and eternal life (also see John 8:28). He will “be lifted up from the earth” and “will draw all men” to him (John 12:32). The messianic prophecy of the raising or lifting up of the Savior is mentioned in the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, which “binds all the holy prophets and scriptural records” and “seals the testimony of the Old World to that of the New World.”[9]

Fluctuations between the negative and positive symbolism of the brazen serpent throughout the Bible follow that of the serpent in general. The serpent was commonly associated with the adversary throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. In the Garden of Eden, Satan was able to beguile Eve through the “heart” and “mouth” of the serpent because it was the most “subtle” beast (Genesis 3:1, 13; Moses 4:5–7, 19). The Hebrew word for “subtle” (arum) used here can also be translated as “crafty” and can refer to the ability of easily concealing one’s true identity in order to mislead others, which is also connected to the homophonic wordplay between “snake” (nahash) and “beguile” (nasha).[10] The adversary often attempts to deceive others through usurping symbols of power and authority that are then twisted for his own use, leading some to suggest that he purposefully used the serpent in the Garden of Eden, knowing that it would later represent the Messiah in the brazen serpent narrative.[11]

Because of the serpent’s role in beguiling Eve, the Lord cursed the snake to go “upon thy belly” (Genesis 3:14), a characteristic that was later referenced in the Mosaic law as “an abomination” (Leviticus 11:42). The connection between Satan and the subtle serpent continued into the New Testament, where the adversary was referred to as “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9; compare 20:2). After instructing the seventy about the fall of Satan from heaven, Jesus gave them the “power to tread on serpents,” a power also referenced in verse 13 of the messianic Psalm 91 (Luke 10:18–19). The defeat of snakes was likewise connected to the Lord’s subduing of the watery chaos prior to creation and at the end of time (see Job 26:12–13; Isaiah 27:1; Amos 9:3). The poisonous sting of the snakebite and serpents as symbols of Israel’s enemies, oppressors, or the wicked were common themes throughout the Old Testament.[12]

However, there are also several examples across the Bible of the serpent associated with a more positive symbolism. When Jacob gave a final blessing to each of his sons, he blessed Dan to “judge his people” and to “be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward” (Genesis 49:16–17). Even though the tribe of Dan will be small compared to its oppressors, like a serpent, it will end up being more powerful and victorious than its larger prey or enemies, seen in the deliverance of the tribe from the Philistines by the Danite judge Samson (see Judges 12–16).

The winged serpent was also depicted as part of Judean royal iconography, which is why some scholars believe it was used by Isaiah as a symbol of a future Davidic king or Messiah that would save Israel.[13] The winged seraphim (“fiery ones”) also played an important role in Isaiah’s own theophany in the temple, where they stood above the throne of the Lord (see Isaiah 6:2). After Isaiah confessed his unworthiness to be in the presence of the Lord, one of the seraphim took a coal from the altar and put it to Isaiah’s mouth, saying, “Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged” (see verses 5–7). Here, the burning characteristics of the seraphim symbolize the purification and refinement that resulted from Isaiah’s repentance. In the New Testament, Jesus encouragingly instructed his disciples to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” when sending them out to preach and minister (Matthew 10:16; see also Doctrine and Covenants 111:11). The serpent is also referenced as a symbol of the peace that will mark the Millennium, when children will be able to play over the hole of the asp, even placing their hands on its den (see Isaiah 11:8).

The Dual Symbolism of the Serpent in the Book of Mormon

The dual symbolism of the brazen serpent is also found throughout the Book of Mormon, where “witnesses repeatedly reference this symbol in teaching lessons about obedience, faith in Jesus Christ, mercy, and the easiness of the path to return to God.”[14] The first mention of the brazen serpent occurred in 1 Nephi 17, where Nephi was speaking to his brothers at Bountiful about building a ship to cross the ocean to the promised land (see verse 17). Nephi’s brothers thought he was foolish for attempting these tasks, and Nephi compared their reaction to that of the children of Israel in the wilderness, who “hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them.” Nephi continued by stating that even though the Lord had prepared a way for those who had been bitten to be healed through the brazen serpent, “the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished” (verse 41).

Here Nephi introduces two new aspects to the brazen serpent narrative that are not extant in Numbers.[15] First, there were many who would not look at the serpent because they thought it was too simple and easy, and second, there were many who perished because they refused to look. Elder Dale G. Renlund taught that those who perished might have “lacked the faith to look, . . . did not believe that such a simple action would trigger the promised healing, or . . . willfully hardened their hearts and rejected the counsel of God’s prophet.”[16] Whether the problem was faith, overcomplication, or not following the prophet, “most blessings that God desires to give us require action on our part—action based on our faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in the Savior is a principle of action and power. First we act in faith; then the power comes.”[17] Nephi was attempting to teach his brothers that following the commandments of the Lord takes both personal faith and dynamic action, whether it is believing that you could be healed and then looking at the brazen serpent or believing that you could reach the promised land and then building a ship to get there. Nephi used the more unpleasant aspects of the serpent narrative to show that faith and action must be centered in Jesus Christ and his gospel.

However, in Nephi’s second reference to the brazen serpent, he linked four positive aspects of the narrative directly to his prophecy of the Messiah in 2 Nephi 25:20. Nephi first focused on the healing power of the Lord, who “gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents.” He then referenced the brazen serpent, “if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent,” again remarking on the faith and action required for healing. Third, Nephi described the serpent as “raise[d] up before them,” not only linking the brazen serpent with the Lamb of God that Nephi saw “lifted up upon the cross” in his vision (1 Nephi 11:33) but also with Jesus’s later teachings that “the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14) and “I had been lifted up upon the cross” (3 Nephi 27:14).[18]

Nephi then ended with an oath and testimony that “there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved” (2 Nephi 25:20). Here the brazen serpent is again linked with the life-saving power of the Lord, who was lifted up through the atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection so that all can be “lifted up at the last day” (3 Nephi 27:22).[19] Nephi tied all four of these positive aspects together just before his remarks about the brazen serpent, stating that the Messiah “shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 25:13; emphasis added). For Nephi, the brazen serpent can symbolize the resurrection, healing, faith, and salvation of the Lord.

The next prophet who mentioned the brazen serpent in the Book of Mormon was Alma the Younger, who combined and wove Nephi’s earlier negative and later positive statements about the narrative into one cohesive interpretation while teaching the Zoramites.[20] Like Nephi, Alma connected Jesus Christ with the brazen serpent, which was “raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live”; however, Alma also explicitly identified the serpent as “a type,” or symbol of the Savior (Alma 33:19). Similar to Nephi, Alma commented specifically on the lack of faith and action of those who would not look at the serpent “because of the hardness of their hearts . . . [and] they did not believe that it would heal them” (verse 20). However, Alma was able to turn this negative aspect of the brazen serpent narrative into a positive teaching tool for the Zoramites, asking, “If ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly?” (verse 21). Alma clearly defined that it is a personal choice to believe and actively look to the Lord or not, with the two very different results of eternal life or spiritual death.

Alma used some of the same terminology as Nephi in connecting the brazen serpent with the Savior but augmented Nephi’s discussion with further clarifications. Akin to Nephi, Alma mentioned looking to the Son of God to “be healed,” but also added that he will “redeem his people” (Alma 33:21–22). The life-saving power of Jesus Christ will not only heal his people, like the brazen serpent, but also redeem them from sin and death. Similar to Nephi, Alma mentioned the prophecy of the Messiah being lifted or “raised up,” but chose to add the aspect “that he shall rise again from the dead,” focusing on the resurrection (verses 19, 22). Alma added one new component in his connection between the serpent narrative and the Savior, “that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works” (verse 22). The brazen serpent not only represented the healing, redeeming, and resurrecting power of Jesus Christ for those who choose to look to him but also the power to judge properly and arbitrate justice at the last day, whether the outcome is positive or negative.

Alma the Younger referenced the brazen serpent narrative again when giving a final blessing to his son Helaman. In the blessing, Alma explained that the Liahona was a “type,” or symbol, for “the words of Christ,” which, “if we follow their course, [shall] carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise” (Alma 37:45). Alma then added that the Liahona and the words of Christ were “prepared for them, that if they would look they might live” (Alma 37:46), succinctly paraphrasing the Lord’s instructions about the brazen serpent, “when he looketh upon it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8) as well as Alma’s own earlier statement, “whosoever would look upon it might live” (Alma 33:19).[21] In this instance, Alma made a strong connection between the words of Jesus Christ, the Liahona, and the brazen serpent.[22] According to Elder Carlos E. Asay, these things are examples of a “sextant,” so that if “we focus our minds and hearts on the word of Christ, and then look to God, by doing so we will not only find the right spiritual latitude but also set our course toward eternal life.”[23]

Alma also paraphrased Nephi in his admonition that the words of Christ, as symbolized by the Liahona and brazen serpent, must be actively followed, warning “do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way” (Alma 37:46; see 1 Nephi 17:41). Like Nephi, Alma taught that following the commandments of the Lord takes personal belief and dynamic action, or “faith and diligence” (Alma 37:41), so that the Liahona, brazen serpent, or words of Christ can truly be used as a guide to the promised land, whether a temporary location or place of “eternal bliss” (verse 44). Alma again focused on the life-giving power of the Savior, like the Liahona and the brazen serpent: “The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever” (verse 46). Alma purposely used the brazen serpent and Liahona as paradoxical symbols not only to warn the Zoramites and his son about the dangers of not actively looking to the Lord but also to promise the blessings and eternal life that can result from following the words of Christ.

About fifty years later, Nephi the son of Helaman combined the words of Moses, Nephi, and Alma about the brazen serpent to teach “concerning the coming of the Messiah” (Helaman 8:13). Like those earlier prophets, Nephi recognized a life-saving connection between looking to the “lifted up” serpent in the wilderness and looking to the “lifted up” Savior, who would bring “life which is eternal” (verses 14–15).[24] Helaman also mentioned the requirement that one “should look upon the Son of God with faith,” referencing the personal belief needed for following the Lord also mentioned by Nephi and Alma, but added an additional requirement of “having a contrite spirit” (verse 15). Nephi realized that the brazen serpent was not only an outward symbol of the future atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ but also an inward symbol of “the requisite acceptance of his sacrifice, . . . the outward action of looking had to be accompanied by a pair or inward qualifiers,” faith and a contrite spirit.[25]

Jesus used some of the same terminology as the prophets of the Book of Mormon in connecting the brazen serpent to the Lord when addressing the multitude at the temple in Bountiful.[26] He instructed the multitude, “Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life” (3 Nephi 15:9). Jesus was not only teaching his followers that they must look to him for eternal life, like the Israelites looked to the brazen serpent, but also purposefully declaring how “the prophets,” like Moses, Nephi, Alma, and Nephi son of Helaman, are “fulfilled in me” (verse 6). Every revelation or prophecy spoken by the true prophets of God about the Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Like the prophets of the Old Testament, those in the Book of Mormon also understood that the Lord, or his power, could be represented by the serpent itself. In quoting Isaiah 6 and 14:29, Nephi shared the role of the seraphim in Isaiah’s theophany and may have also been commenting on the serpent as a symbol of a future Davidic king or Messiah that would save Israel (see 2 Nephi 16; 24:29).[27] Nephi likewise quoted and paraphrased Isaiah 11:8, where the serpent was a symbol of the peace of the Millennium under the rulership of the Lord (see 2 Nephi 21:8; 30:14). However, the prophets of the Book of Mormon also understood that Satan could be represented by the serpent. Both Lehi and Abinadi refer to Satan as “that old serpent” when teaching about the Fall of Adam and Eve (2 Nephi 2:18; Mosiah 16:3). These prophets focused on the deceptive nature of Satan as the serpent, “who is the father of all lies” (2 Nephi 2:18) and “did beguile our first parents” (Mosiah 16:3).

The dual symbolism of the serpent, as shown in the brazen serpent narrative, was also demonstrated at the end of the Book of Mormon. During the reign of the wicked King Heth, prophets came among the Jaredites crying repentance and prophesying of a curse on the land (see Ether 9:27–28). After the prophets were imprisoned or killed, a famine and poisonous serpents arrived in the land and many people perished (verses 29–32). The Lord stopped the serpents from pursuing the people, but then used them to block the path southwards to new hunting grounds (verse 33). The people “humbled themselves sufficiently before the Lord,” and eventually, under the reign of the righteous King Lib, “the poisonous serpents were destroyed,” allowing the people to seek food southward (Ether 9:35; 10:19). Like in the brazen serpent narrative, the serpents among the Jaredites represented the negative consequences of sin, but also the positive forgiving and nurturing power of the Lord, who provided a way for them to be saved and find new nourishment.

The Dual Symbolism of the Serpent in the Ancient Near East

The dual symbolism of the serpent in the Bible and Book of Mormon fits well into an ancient Near Eastern context. In ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Canaan, Phoenicia, and Arabia, the serpent could represent creation and destruction, friend and enemy, divinity and mortality, blessings and punishment, or healing and harming. These roles were not viewed as contrary, antagonistic, and meaningless but actually as cooperative, beneficial, and purposeful, because they were meant to help teach humanity how to understand and interact with divinity.

The serpent played an important role in many ancient Near Eastern creation myths, sometimes as a protagonist and sometimes as an antagonist. In Egypt, several creator deities were personified as serpents or serpent headed.[28] These primeval serpentine gods and goddesses swam in the primeval flood, where they were associated with the creation of land, other deities, and eventually humankind. Narratives from Mesopotamia also related the creation of deities from a primeval serpent.[29]

However, other primordial serpent deities, such as the Babylonian Tiamat or Egyptian Apophis, were “symbolic of unformed chaos” that needed to be subdued in order for creation to occur.[30] In the Enuma Elish, a Babylonian creation myth, the goddess Tiamat created a group of serpent deities, who planned to wage war against the supreme council of the “great gods” of heaven.[31] Tiamat lost the war, was cast out of heaven, and her body was used to form the earth and the sky. The serpent deity Apophis also existed in the waters of primeval chaos before creation and was an antagonist to the sun god Re, fighting against him for all eternity. Alternatively, sometimes Re would be encircled or swallowed by Apophis, who, as the “Serpent of Rebirth” would assist in the sun-god’s rebirth in the morning.[32]

In the ancient Near East, the serpent could represent renewal and immortality due to the sloughing off of old skin, which continually exposed a “new body,” leading to the circular snake-biting-its-tail as an emblem for eternity.[33] While some serpent deities assisted in the resurrection of humans in the after life, other serpents, like the deceptive snake from the Epic of Gilgamesh, stole the ability to become immortal from humankind. [34] According to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the creator god Atum will eventually become the “uncreator,” destroy everything he made, and return to the form of a primeval serpent at the end of the world.[35] In the ancient Near East, the serpent not only represented creation, rebirth, and immortality but also destruction, death, and mortality.

The serpent was commonly portrayed or positioned as sentinels at the doorways or gateposts of Mesopotamian temples and cities as well as Egyptian tombs. These guardians were also posted at the entrance to heaven or at the gateways of the Egyptian netherworld, like the cavern deity known as the “Flame-Eyed” serpent.[36] These guardians fulfilled the dual roles of welcoming worthy claimants and repelling the dishonorable ones. The serpent in Egypt not only protected physical and metaphysical locations but also deities and humans. As mentioned above, while the sun-god Re traveled through the underworld, the serpent god Apophis, as the personification of evil, continually attempted to thwart Re’s journey. Several gods and goddesses in serpentine form, such as Mehen and Neith, protected Re through spitting venomous fire at Apophis.[37] According to the Egyptian Law of Duality, everything evil had something equal and opposite that was good, and so it took a good serpent to fight an evil serpent.[38] Sometimes these roles were not always clearly demarcated because Re could also appear in the form of a serpent or the god Seth “could be identified with the chaos serpent Apophis, or also the sun god’s defender against the same monster.”[39]

Serpents were also used to protect and fight for the king during war, where they were portrayed on divine battle standards that were raised up to guide the Pharaoh to victory.[40] One of these protective warrior goddesses was the cobra Wadjet, who was attached to the front of the royal crown as a uraeus that would spit fire and frighten enemies. Wadjet was also part of the formalized titulary of the king, and the uraeus eventually became a symbol of royalty, unification, and sovereignty as well as an emblem of the Pharaoh’s rulership, control, and power.[41]

The divinity of the serpent has already been shown for Egypt and Mesopotamia, and there is evidence of Canaanite and Arabian serpent worship; however, sometimes the serpent was partly divine and partly mortal and was therefore viewed as a mediator between deities and humankind.[42] Some epithets of these serpents show their intermediary status, such as the underworld guardian called “Great One on His Belly,” who was great in power but still must crawl on the ground in humility.[43] Uraei and serpents in the Pyramid Texts, including one called the “Ka[Spirit]-Allocator,” were considered intercessors between the living and the “akhs” (transfigured spirits) and assisted with interactions between mortals and the divine.[44]

The dual intermediary roles of the serpent in the ancient Near East also included aspects of blessings and punishment. On the one hand, several serpent gods and goddesses related to the harvest cycle, such as Renenutet of Egypt or Dumuzi of Mesopotamia, could bless humankind with fertile land and vegetation in the autumn but punish the earth with barren ground and aridity during the summer.[45] These characteristics were also related to the appearance of serpent deities as judges or dispensers of justice and mercy in the ancient Near East. There were two serpent gods among the Judgment Tribunal in the Egyptian Hall of Justice, where the deceased were sent to be judged and either found justified and blessed or dishonored and punished.[46] In much the same way, the uraeus was said to perceive the soul in the Pyramid Texts.[47] The inhabitants of the Egyptian village of Deir el-Medina continually implored the cobra goddess Meretseger for forgiveness and mercy in penitential letters.[48]

As a dispenser of mercy or justice, the serpent was also commonly associated with healing and purification, so it became “the quintessential symbol of healing, health, and rejuvenation in the ancient Near East.”[49] The Phoenician deity Eshmun, who was the god of medicine and healing, was always shown standing between two serpents or holding a serpent-encircled staff.[50] The burning sting of the snake was also symbolic of purification. Several Egyptian narratives recorded how serpents used flames in what seemed like a painful punishment for the wicked but then later revealed the burning to be a refining and purifying experience for the righteous.[51]

Discussion and Conclusion: The Dual Roles of Jesus Christ

The serpent clearly had a dual positive and negative symbolism in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and ancient Near East, where its many roles were not always viewed as contrary and antagonistic but as cooperative and beneficial. The brazen serpent was referenced many times in both the Bible and Book Mormon as a symbol of the Savior, mercy, salvation, and life; however, the serpent was also connected with the adversary, justice, consequences, and death. An examination of the many roles of Jesus Christ show that the dual symbolism of the serpent was purposefully used to help us understand all aspects of his life, atonement, death, and resurrection so that we can better understand his gospel and know how to truly follow him.

Much of the brazen serpent narrative illustrated how the Lord has given us commandments, instructions, prophets, and warnings through his role as a law-giver and teacher. The children of Israel had been given commandments, and when they broke them, he taught them how to be healed. His instructions were to look to him, the brazen serpent, for repentance. The narrative was also meant to show how the Lord clarifies his teachings through his prophets, who share his original message (Moses), add that personal faith and dynamic action are required for healing (Nephi and Alma), and that a contrite spirit is needed for repentance (Nephi son of Helaman). Through his role as a teacher, the Lord also warns us of challenges we might encounter when we try to look to him. We are taught by Nephi that some might think it is too easy or simple, while Hezekiah’s reform taught us that some will focus on the symbol itself (Nehushtan) and miss the intended message, both of which might constitute “looking beyond the mark” (Jacob 4:14).

The brazen serpent narrative further illustrates that even though Jesus Christ is a law-giver and teacher, he also has given us our independence and agency, allowing us to freely choose to follow him. The Lord prepared a way and gave instructions for the Israelites to be healed, but it was their choice to look. The serpent in the Garden of Eden and ancient Near Eastern mythology teach us that there must be “an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11) so that we have options to choose from. These serpents were also meant to show us that this opposition can sometimes be deceptive, beguiling, and purposely confusing. Alma sums up the dual roles of Jesus Christ as both law-giver and agency-giver in his declaration that once you have been taught what will happen when you look and know that it is your choice to look, you should look quickly!

Along with Jesus’s role as a law-giver, the brazen serpent narrative shows us that Jesus Christ is a judge and arbiter of both justice and mercy. The Lord not only gave the children of Israel laws but also warned them of the consequences (fiery serpents) when those laws were broken. We are taught that according to the law of justice, sin always leads to pain (snakebites), and can lead to (spiritual) death. However, the Lord has also provided a way (a lifted-up brazen serpent) for us to overcome our pain through repentance (look and be healed), which is possible only through the atonement of Jesus Christ. In tandem with the law of justice, the law of mercy shows that obedience and repentance can lead to blessings and eternal life.

Nephi and Alma both used the narrative to show the dual nature of justice and mercy. Nephi mentioned that his brothers were being unfaithful like the Israelites, but that they also could be healed through personal faith and dynamic action. Alma taught that the Lord will judge us according to our works and that we will receive blessings for choosing righteousness. The dual roles of Jesus Christ as judge of justice and mercy are also recognized in the narrative of the Jaredites and the poisonous serpents, which were sent by the Lord as a just consequence for sin, but then also removed by the Lord as a merciful reward for repentance. In the Old Testament and ancient Near East, several serpents were tribunal judges, while others represented wicked enemies and oppressors that were sent as consequences (justice) but also righteous benefactors who blessed the land and provided forgiveness (mercy). When examined together, serpents in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and ancient Near East help us better understand the dual roles of Jesus Christ as both a just and merciful judge.

In much the same way, these serpentine symbols teach us that the Lord is a physician who both heals us and purifies us. Many poisonous serpents were symbols of doctors, medicines, and treatments in the ancient Near East. While the Lord will always provide a way for us to be healed and give us a path to eternal life, sometimes the process can be painful. On the one hand, the burning sting of the fiery serpents in the brazen serpent narrative illustrates that the consequences of sin can hurt; on the other hand, the fiery serpent, made from molten metal and raised up on a pole, shows us that the refining process of repentance can also sometimes feel like painful burning. Isaiah described his repentance experience with the Lord as a purification through the burning coal of the seraphim. Many times, the chastisement of the Lord, or other painful events, can feel like a “furnace of affliction,” but as Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught, “through the justice and mercy of a loving Father in Heaven, the refinement and sanctification possible through such experiences can help us achieve what God desires us to become.”[52]

The symbolism of serpents in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and ancient Near East also help us understand the dual nature of Jesus Christ as both the Son of God and the son of Mary. On the one hand, serpents could be representations of creators, kings, and gods, but on the other hand, representations of mediators, followers, and mortals. We know Jesus Christ played a role in creation, will rule as king during the Millennium, and has the divine powers of his Father in Heaven, but we also know that he chose to come to earth in a mortal body, be our advocate, suffer the atonement, and allow himself to be taken and crucified.

Likewise, Jesus Christ fulfills the dual roles of Prince of Peace but also protector and warrior. In the Old Testament and ancient Near East, unformed chaos, symbolized as serpents, had to be subdued and organized before creation, while a war was fought in heaven between good and evil. These symbols were meant to teach us about Jesus Christ’s roles in creation, premortality, and the plan of salvation. He fought for our agency then and continues to fight for our spiritual welfare now, like the serpent guardians of the ancient Near East, who protected and assisted during times of physical or spiritual warfare. Nevertheless, serpents also represent the peace and reconciliation that will commemorate the Millennium, when the adversary has been bound and Jesus reigns as the Prince of Peace.

Above all, the most important role that the brazen serpent narrative teaches us about is that of Jesus Christ as our Savior. In almost every reference to the narrative, whether Moses, Nephi, Alma, or Nephi, son of Helaman, there is an emphasis on looking to gain life. The lifting or raising up of the brazen serpent represents the lifting or raising up of the Savior for the atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection so that we too can be lifted or raised up to eternal life. Nephi testified that through all this symbolism, including believing with faith, healing with salvation, and rising with resurrection, Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. Alma and Nephi the son of Helaman added that we must have faith, action, and a contrite spirit to truly look to the Lord and follow him on the path to eternal life. Therefore, the brazen serpent not only teaches us about the many important dual roles of Jesus Christ but could also “constitute a symbol of the whole doctrine of Christ: faith; repentance; baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; receiving (and retaining) the Holy Ghost; enduring to the end in faith, hope, and charity; and salvation in the kingdom of God, or eternal life.”[53]

Notes

[1] The translators of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) interpreted the “fiery serpents” as “serpents, the ones causing death.” James Strong, New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 2289, 3789, 8313, and 8314; John D. Currid, Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997), 146–47.

[2] Neal A. Maxwell, “Murmur Not,” Ensign, November 1989, 82, 84; George W. Coats, Rebellion in the Wilderness (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1968), 249.

[3] For a comprehensive bibliography, see James H. Charlesworth, The Good and Evil Serpent: How a Universal Symbol Became Christianized (Des Moines: Anchor Bible, 2010), 614–78.

[4] Andrew C. Skinner, “Serpent Symbols and Salvation in the Ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10, no. 2 (2001): 49.

[5] The dual symbolism surrounding a staff and serpent also occurred earlier in Exodus. While in Egypt, Aaron was told by the Lord to cast down a rod and it would be turned into a serpent to “shew a miracle” to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:9; see also 4:1–5). In turn, the Egyptian magicians were able to also turn their rods into serpents; however, the serpent of Aaron swallowed the serpents of the Egyptians (verses 10–12). The serpent was used by both sides to show power, but in the end the power of the Lord was, and always will be, stronger.

[6] Skinner, “Serpent Symbols,” 49. See Alex Douglas, “The Garden of Eden, the Ancient Temple, and Receiving a New Name,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord, ed. David Rolph Seely, Jeffrey R. Chadwick, and Matthew J. Grey (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 40.

[7] Victor Avigdor Hurowitz, “Healing and Hissing Snakes,” Scriptura 87 (2004): 278–87.

[8] A later Jewish tradition claimed that Hezekiah did not destroy Nehushtan, but instead “hid it away” so the Israelites would not continue to “follow it in error.” Jacob Neusner, trans., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew with a New Introduction (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002), 1274.

[9] RoseAnn Benson and Joseph Fielding McConkie, “A Prophet . . . like unto Thee,” Religious Educator 12, no. 3: 109–10.

[10] Strong, Concordance, 5377 and 6175. The word arum can also have positive connotations related to “prudence and wisdom.” See A. Luc, “Arum,” in A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship, ed. T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 2003) 539.

[11] Skinner, “Serpent Symbols,” 44.

[12] See Deuteronomy 32:24; Job 20:16; Psalm 58:4; 140:3; Proverbs 23:32; Ecclesiastes 10:8, 11; Isaiah 30:6; 59:5; 65:25; Jeremiah 8:17; 46:22; Amos 5:19; Micah 7:17.

[13] See Isaiah 14:29; 11:1; Doctrine and Covenants 113:1–2. J. J. M. Roberts, First Isaiah, ed. Peter Machinist (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015), 179, 226. Charlesworth, Serpent, 248.

[14] Benson and McConkie, “Prophet,” 124.

[15] Nephi also described the serpents as “flying,” which is not mentioned in Numbers but is in accordance with the flying seraphim and serpent described in Isaiah 6:6 and Isaiah 14:29.

[16] Dale G. Renlund, “Abound with Blessings,” Ensign, May 2019, 71.

[17] Renlund, “Blessings,” 70.

[18] See also 1 Nephi 19:10, where Nephi quoted Zenock that the Messiah would be “lifted up.”

[19] Although the phrase “lifted up” generally refers to the crucifixion, when it is connected with concepts surrounding salvation, eternal life, and the lifting up of his followers, the term can also encompass the atonement and resurrection.

[20] For a thorough analysis of the shifting trajectory of the brazen serpent narrative in the Book of Mormon, see Neal Rappleye, “Serpents of Fire and Brass,” Interpreter 50 (2022): 217–98.

[21] A potential etymology of Liahona (“look to the Lord”) might have also facilitated a connection with the brazen serpent, see Matthew L. Bowen, “Look to the Lord,” in Give Ear to My Words, ed. Kerry Hull, Nicholas J. Frederick, and Hank R. Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019), 275.

[22] The Book of Mormon itself might have also been seen as another brazen serpent, see Scott Stenson, “‘Wherefore, for This Cause,’” Interpreter 43 (2021): 291–318.

[23] Carlos E. Asay, “Stay on the True Course,” Ensign, May 1996, 61.

[24] John Hilton III, Considering the Cross (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2021), 80.

[25] Jared M. Halverson, “Swine’s Blood and Broken Serpents,” in Seely, Chadwick, and Grey, Ascending the Mountain of the Lord, 187.

[26] Kristian S. Heal, “Look to God and Live,” Insights 26, no. 2 (2006): 2–3, 6.

[27] Moroni also used serpents to demonstrate the protective power of the Lord when testifying that past prophets were able to use their faith “in his name” to withstand poisonous serpents, who were not able to harm them “because of the power of his word” (Mormon 8:24).

[28] These deities included Atum and Tefnut of the Heliopolitan Cosmogony and Amun Kematef, Naunet, Hauhet, Kauket, and Amunet of the Hermopolitan Cosmogony. Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (London: Thames & Hudson, 2003), 78, 92–93, 99, 183.

[29] These texts include both Akkadian and Sumerian examples. Charlesworth, Serpent, 232.

[30] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 22.

[31] Karel van der Toorn et al., eds., Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (Leiden: Brill, 1999), 205, 853.

[32] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 221.

[33] This emblem is also known as Ouroboros. Skinner, “Serpent Symbols,” 44.

[34] For example, the Egyptian goddess Kebehwet helped open the “windows of the sky” for the resurrection of the deceased. Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 223; Van der Toorn, et al., Deities and Demons, 744.

[35] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 99.

[36] For example, the Mesopotamian deity Ningizzida was posted at the entrance to heaven. Van der Toorn, et al., Deities and Demons, 830; Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 80–82.

[37] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 158, 221-224.

[38] For an introduction to the Law of Duality in Egypt, see Ian Shaw and Paul Nicholson, The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 1997) 88.

[39] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 198, 208.

[40] Currid, Ancient Egypt, 90.

[41] Currid, Ancient Egypt, 88–92.

[42] Charlesworth, Serpent, 60–83, 116–24.

[43] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 80.

[44] Pyramid Texts 221 and 609, James P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2015), 42, 228.

[45] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 225–26; Van der Toorn, et al., Deities and Demons, 831.

[46] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 84.

[47] Pyramid Text 273, Allen, Pyramid Texts, 54.

[48] Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 224.

[49] Charlesworth, Serpent, 336.

[50] Eshmun would late become the Greek Asclepius, whose serpent-wrapped rod became the predominant emblem for modern medicine and healthcare. Van der Toorn, et al., Deities and Demons, 307–8.

[51] Currid, Ancient Egypt, 88; Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 147. The goddess Qebehut (“Celestial Serpent”) also purified the heart of the deceased (Pyramid Text 515, Allen, Pyramid Texts, 163).

[52] Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, October 2000, 33–34.

[53] Bowen, “Look to the Lord,” 276.