What is the Biblical Flying Serpent?

 

A number of biblical and non-biblical texts describe encounters with flying venomous snakes in the Sinai and Arabian deserts. Egyptian iconography may help clarify what is being pictured… (By Dr. Richard Lederman).

 

 

Sheet gold collar depicting the winged serpent goddess Wadjet found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb New Kingdom 18th Dynasty Egypt 1332-1323 BCE.  This reproduction was photographed at The Discovery of King Tut” exhibition.  Credit: Mary Harrsch – Flickr.

 

Burning Serpents in the Wilderness.

 In Numbers 21, the Israelites begin to grumble about the lack of normal food and water in the wilderness as they walk the long way around Edom. YHWH’s response is characteristically harsh:

 

     

במדבר כא:ו וַיְשַׁלַּח יְ-הוָה בָּעָם אֵת הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים וַיְנַשְּׁכוּ אֶת הָעָם וַיָּמָת עַם רָב מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.

Num 21:6 YHWH sent saraph serpents against the people. They bit the people and many of the Israelites died.

 

The people then turn to Moses to intercede with YHWH, which he does:

 

     

במדבר כא:ז וַיָּבֹא הָעָם אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמְרוּ חָטָאנוּ כִּי דִבַּרְנוּ בַי-הוָה וָבָךְ הִתְפַּלֵּל אֶל יְ-הוָה וְיָסֵר מֵעָלֵינוּ אֶת הַנָּחָשׁ וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל מֹשֶׁה בְּעַד הָעָם.

Num 21:7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned by speaking against YHWH and against you. Intercede with YHWH to take away the serpents from us!” And Moses interceded for the people.

 

In response, YHWH offers a magical way to survive the snake bite:

 

     

במדבר כא:ח וַיֹּאמֶר יְ-הוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה עֲשֵׂה לְךָ שָׂרָף וְשִׂים אֹתוֹ עַל נֵס וְהָיָה כָּל הַנָּשׁוּךְ וְרָאָה אֹתוֹ וָחָי. כא:ט וַיַּעַשׂ מֹשֶׁה נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת וַיְשִׂמֵהוּ עַל הַנֵּס וְהָיָה אִם נָשַׁךְ הַנָּחָשׁ אֶת אִישׁ וְהִבִּיט אֶל נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת וָחָי.

Num 21:8 Then YHWH said to Moses, “Make a saraph figure and mount it on a standard. And if anyone who is bitten looks at it, he shall recover.” 21:9 Moses made a copper serpent and mounted it on a standard; and when anyone was bitten by a serpent, he would look at the copper serpent and recover.

 

The story uses two terms to refer to these creatures: נָּחָשׁ (naḥash) and שָׂרָף (saraph).

 

 

• The initial attack against the Israelites is by creatures described as נְחָשִׁים שְׂרָפִים (neḥashim seraphim; v. 6).

 

• The Israelites ask Moses to pray on their behalf to turn away הַנָּחָשׁ (hanaḥash; v. 7).^[1]

 

• YHWH then instructs Moses to make a שָׂרָף (saraph; v. 8).

 

• Moses makes a נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת (neḥash neḥoshet; a copper snake,^[2] ostensibly of the same type as those that bit the Israelites) so that anyone bitten by the נָּחָשׁ (naḥash) can look at נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת and live (vv. 9-10).

 

 

The word נָּחָשׁ (pl. נְחָשִׁים) is the generic Hebrew term for snake or serpent.^[3] The term שָׂרָף  (pl. שְׂרָפִים) is less clear. It comes from a root that means “to burn.” Sometimes, the term is used adjectivally to modify snakes, as in the phrase נְחָשִׁים שְׂרָפִים (v. 6), which means “flaming serpents” or “burning serpents,” perhaps describing the bite or sting of the creature. At other times it is used as a standalone term, שָׂרָף, a substantive adjective meaning “the flaming one” or “the burning one.”

 

Does the term indicate a property of a snake, perhaps a venomous snake, or a particular breed of snake?

 

Three Further Biblical References to Saraph Serpents.

 Three other biblical references to seraphim shed light on the nature of this creature: ^[4]

 

1. Deut 8:15 – A Wilderness Filled with Saraph Serpents and Scorpions.
Deuteronomy 8:15 has Moses warning the Israelites not to take for granted all of the benefits bestowed upon them by YHWH, including YHWH’s protection during the dangerous wilderness crossing:

 

     

דברים ח:טו הַמּוֹלִיכְךָ בַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא נָחָשׁ שָׂרָף וְעַקְרָב וְצִמָּאוֹן אֲשֶׁר אֵין-מָיִם

Deut. 8:15 who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with serpents, saraphim,[5] and scorpions,[6] a parched land with no water in it.

 

This passage is resonant with the passage in Numbers; it too mentions these creatures in connection with the dangers faced by the Israelites in the wilderness. The mention of scorpions suggests that we are dealing with biting or stinging venomous creatures found in the dry, parched desert. An inscription of the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (681-669 B.C.E.) recounting a military campaign in Arabia offers a similar description of the Arabian peninsula as “a waterless region… a place of serpents and scorpions.”^[7]

 

2. Isa 14:29 – Cursing Philistia with a Flying Saraph.
In an oracle directed against the Philistines, Isaiah 14:29 uses both naḥash and saraph as poetic parallels:

 

     

ישעיהו יד:כט אַל-תִּשְׂמְחִי פְלֶשֶׁת כֻּלֵּךְ, כִּי נִשְׁבַּר שֵׁבֶט מַכֵּךְ: כִּי-מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ נָחָשׁ יֵצֵא צֶפַע, וּפִרְיוֹ שָׂרָף מְעוֹפֵף.

Isaiah 14:29 Rejoice not, all Philistia, Because the staff of him that beat you is broken. From the stock of a snake there sprouts an asp, And its fruit will be a flying saraph.

 

This passage, dated to the end of the reign of Ahaz and the beginning of the reign of Hezekiah (Isa 14:28), places it in a politically fraught period. As king, Ahaz acquiesced to Assyrian domination, but upon his ascension to the throne in 715 B.C.E., his son Hezekiah changed allegiance to Egypt and led a rebellion against the Assyrian king.  The Philistines, too, fought Assyrian domination during this period.^[8]

 

It is commonly assumed that Isaiah is warning the Philistines of an Assyrian advance, in effect, addressing the Philistines in absentia that the Assyrians are flying serpents poised to attack. J.J.M. Roberts, however, understands this passage as a response to the Philistines’ desire to have the Kingdom of Judah join their anti-Assyrian coalition. Isaiah warns the Philistines, in absentia, that although Hezekiah will indeed join the rebellion, he also has designs on Philistine territory. Indeed, 2 Kings 18:8 informs us that Hezekiah does eventually wage war against the Philistines. If this is the case, then Hezekiah is the aggressive and dangerous “flying serpent.”

 

3. Isa 30:6 – The Negev Filled with Lions, Adders, and Flying Saraphs.
Isaiah 30:6 rebukes those who rely on Egypt for protection:

 

     

ישעיהו ל:ו מַשָּׂא בַּהֲמוֹת נֶגֶב:  בְּאֶרֶץ צָרָה וְצוּקָה לָבִיא וָלַיִשׁ מֵהֶם אֶפְעֶה וְשָׂרָף מְעוֹפֵף

Isaiah 30:6 A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lion and lioness, of adder and flying saraph.

 

Here the flying saraph is parallel to the אֶפְעֶה (epha; “adder”). The parallel is similar in the above passage, in which it is parallel to the צֶפַע (tzepha; “asp”).^[9] Both of these are venomous snakes. The eminent Israeli archeologist Yohanan Aharoni (1919-1976) states,

 

In the Bible only poisonous snakes are mentioned, and all their names have an ‘f’ as an imitation of their blowing and puffing: ‘tzefa’, ‘tzif’oni’, ‘ef’eh’, ‘sh’fifon’, ‘fethen’.^[10]

 

The description of flying serpents in the desert is not unique to the 8^th century prophet, Isaiah. An account of the campaign against Egypt conducted by the 7^th century B.C.E. Assyrian king, Esarhaddon, mentions “snakes with deadly breath and yellow flying serpents.”^[11] Likewise, the Greek historian Herodotus, writing in the 5^th century B.C.E., writes of flying serpents that inhabited the Arabian desert and apparently frequently attacked Egypt.^[12]

 

The Saraph, the Cobra, and the Uraeus.

 The saraph should be understood as a type of venomous desert snake that some texts describe a flying, but can we narrow it down further?

 

The Hebrew name for this (flying) venomous serpent of the desert is saraph, i.e., “the burning one.” In Egypt, the cobra was often referred to as “the flaming one,”^[13] an image of which, called a uraeus, was worn by the Pharaoh. Thus, saraph may be the Hebrew term for cobra. 

 

Black Necked Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis).

Othmar Keel and Karl Uehlinger identify the uraeus cobra as “the black-necked cobra (Naja nigricollis), which applies its poison both by biting and spitting.”^[14]  These cobras do not fly, but swing through trees and attack from the air. Such an attack could easily be imagined or depicted as flying.^[15] Moreover, these snakes are often yellowish-copper in color, which would fit with the image of a copper serpent depicted in Numbers 21.

 

Nevertheless, it is problematic to identify the flying serpents of the desert in Isaiah, Esarhaddon, and Herodotus with this species. Naja nigricollis is primarily a sub-Saharan species; they would not be in Egypt, let alone in the Sinai or Arabian peninsulas. Furthermore, they only “fly” when living in trees and attacking from above, but the desert does not have trees. 

 

Reimagining Local Cobras.

 Saraph is likely not a specific species, but refers to cobras in general. By definition, no species of desert cobra “flies,” since “flying” requires trees, but it is possible that legend overlaid the local desert cobras with the imperfectly understood characteristics of flying cobras, based on a vague knowledge these authors had of “flying” cobras in distant lands.^[16]

 

A number of cobra (or cobra-like) species of venomous snake inhabit Egypt and the Levant:

 

 

• The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is a very large species that transmits its deadly venom by biting (not spitting) and is found in many colors, including reddish-copper. It is not a desert snake, however.

 

 

 

• The Arabian cobra (Naja arabica) inhabits the Arabian Peninsula, among other places, and is closely related to the Egyptian cobra.

 

 

 

• The desert black snake (Walterinnesia aegyptia), popularly known as the Sinai Desert cobra or the black desert cobra, is a venomous serpent inhabiting the Sinai desert. It is not an actual cobra, but looks very much like one.

 

 

Flying Serpents and the Winged Uraeus.

As noted above, the pharaoh’s uraeus was a cobra, which we have identified as the saraph. This same uraeus was often depicted in Egyptian iconography as a (two- or four-)winged serpent called the winged uraeus, whose wings symbolize protection. This was a popular iconographic motif throughout not only Egypt, but also Syria/Palestine going back to the Late Bronze Age. This same Egyptian winged-uraeus image became popular in late 8^th century Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah and appears on numerous seals during this period.^[17]

 

It seems quite possible that travelers familiar both with the Egyptian imagery of flying serpents and knowledge that the desert is filled with venomous snakes, imagined flying serpents in the desert. As Othmar Keel points out, humans encounter the desert with something of an air of mystery, a place filled with all kinds of danger, exemplified by exotic and mysterious flora and fauna.^[18]

 

Postscript: Danger and Healing.

 The various depictions of the dangers of the desert found in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Esarhaddon, and Herodotus, all convey the dread that travelers felt about encountering these darting, “burning,” venomous cobras while travelling in the desert regions of Egypt, the Sinai, or Arabia. In the form of a uraeus, the cobra was chosen to be the patron of the Pharaoh, communicating both his dangerous power as well as the idea that he was under the protection of the cobra goddess, Wadjet.^[19]

 

In the story in Numbers, the saraph has a similar dual function. The serpents themselves effect God’s wrath by biting and poisoning the Israelites. At the same time, the image of the copper serpent conveys God’s healing power. Thus, in Egyptian iconography as well as in the biblical account in Numbers, the cobra is both a giver and protector of life—an image of healing, but also a dangerous and destructive creature.

 

http://thetorah.com/what-is-the-biblical-flying-serpent/

 

 

5 Things to do Instead of Facebook.

 

I’m hungry.

 I hunger for significance, approval, stimulation.

 I long to make a difference, I hunger to fit in, I crave the next thrill.

 In fact, I wake up that way. The growling stomach reflects a deeper hunger~ this inner longing for unseen things like meaning, purpose, approval, stimulation, and direction.

 I’m not alone. The Hunger is why people become addicts and why people reach for the smartphone first thing in the morning. It’s why we sell our souls for worthless things and why homes lies in ruins and how big businesses become big.

 We chase that which promises to fulfill us.

 For many of us, this is why Facebook is the greatest time suck of all.

 Because it promises so much.

 Yet the greatest hunger we have is not for information or significance or connection or acceptance but for GLORY. Only seeing, tasting and experiencing God and His manifest presence can satisfy us.

 Moses understood this about himself when he cried out to God, “Show me Your glory!”

 It takes faith to cry out like that.

 It takes faith to believe that The Lord is better than Facebook.

 There, I said it.

 Sure we know that in our heads… but are we practicing it with our lives? Our we modeling it to our kids?

 Do our kids see us filling up on the goodness of God day after day? Or filling up on Facebook, phones, and frenetic scrolling?

 Seeking lesser glories is like being content with Doritos for breakfast when we could be having steak, eggs, hash browns, and all the fixins.

 Sometimes I think about how different our choices are today from even fifteen years ago. How differently we can fill the small spaces of our day. How much easier it is today to be consumed with mediocre and meaningless things. And how much more disciplined and intentional we have to be in our choices.

 In times past you might call a friend or visit with a neighbor over the back fence or flip open the Bible sitting on your breakfast table or take a walk or sit on the front porch with a family member… now we just pick up our phone and start scrolling.

 Are we really the better off for it?

 I can’t help but wonder what our lives… and homes… would look like if we filled those small pockets of time not with Facebook but with THE Book. Not with Pinterest but with prayer.

 And what could happen if we made a commitment and actually did it? Instead of talking about it, I mean.

 I get it, I really do. This isn’t a Sunday sermon (believe it or not~ smile). It’s simply that five minutes here and ten there…  well those minutes could add up to a harvest of righteousness. 

 Does anyone have ears to hear?

 Anyone out there in the harvest business?

 So what if we chose this week to do it differently? Just to start. Start small, sure. Start imperfect, yes. But just start.

 When we finish the dishes and find the baby is still asleep, what if we flipped open the Word and meditated on a promise? As we wait for a child to finish a chore or complete homework, what if we grabbed a scripture card and prayed God’s word for that child?

 Because after all, we reap what we sow. Are we’ve just committed to sowing what we want to reap.

 And since a wise woman builds her house, we are done building ours with wood, stubble and hay… especially given we have the precious Rock of Jesus Christ.

 We have the greatest investment opportunity EVER.

 Plus, we know houses are built brick by brick. Moment by moment. In those pockets of time. Five minutes here, ten there. Wise women aren’t deceived into believing somehow their hopes, dreams and desires for their family magically come true.  They know a home has to be built. Seeds have to be sown.

 A home isn’t made of good intentions, it’s made of intentional decisions.

 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

 Yeshua (real name of Jesus) said it this way, “If your right hand offends you, cut it off.”

 Maybe it’s not so drastic to delete our Facebook accounts.

 Or get rid of the smartphone.

 Or not sign up for things that keep us jumping through hoops and busy beyond our measure.

 It comes down to what kind of life we really want.

 What type of legacy we want to leave.

 Each one comes with a price tag. So let’s choose well.

 Sometimes a bit of accountability is necessary to make those tough choices. We need a sisterhood saying, “Yes, I’m in it with you!” A cord of three strands is not easily broken. So there’s a little something coming soon? A solid, satisfying resource to help us replace Facebook with The Book, a way to keep sowing seeds that result in a harvest of righteousness. Coming Tuesday Lord willing!

 Meanwhile, don’t let your motivation die! Be an action taker and solidify your resolve. Identify 5 things you can replace Facebook with (or Instagram, Pinterest, etc). (By Arabah Joy).

 http://arabahjoy.com/5-things-to-do-instead-of-facebook/