Numbers 21:8

"The people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” Moses prayed for the people."

Key Reflection

The people's confession highlights their recognition of sin and their desire for divine mercy. Through Moses' intercession, this passage underscores the power of prayer and the forgiveness that comes through God's grace, even in the face of grave mistakes.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

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 (compare1 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.

More from Numbers 21

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