The Wilderness · c. 1407 BC
Chapter 8
The Bronze Snake
Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived.
For parents
After the Canaanite king of Arad attacks, Israel destroys the Canaanites and their cities completely (Numbers 21:1–3). When the people speak against God and Moses, the Lord sends venomous snakes among them, and many die (21:6). Israel defeats Sihon and Og in battle and takes their land, striking down Og with his sons and all his people until there are no survivors (21:23–35). The battles are told plainly, without detail.
The king of was a , and he lived in . He heard that was coming by way of Atharim. He fought against Israel and took some of them captive.
Israel made a to the : “If you really do hand these people over to me, I will destroy their cities completely.”
The Lord listened to Israel and handed the Canaanites over to them. The Israelites destroyed them and their cities completely. The place was named , which means “destruction.”
They set out from , where had died. They took the road toward the , to go around the land of . Edom had refused to let Israel pass through its land. The journey made the people very discouraged.
The people spoke against God and against . “Why have you brought us up out of to die in the wilderness?” they said. “There’s no bread, and there’s no water, and we’re sick of this disgusting food!”
The Lord sent venomous snakes among the people, and the snakes bit them. Many people of Israel died.
The people came to Moses. “We have sinned,” they said. “We have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, and ask him to take the snakes away from us.” Moses prayed for the people.
The Lord said to Moses, “Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole. Everyone who is bitten will live when he sees it.”
Moses made a snake of bronze and set it on the pole. If a snake had bitten someone and he looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
The Israelites traveled on and camped at Oboth. From Oboth they went on and camped at Iyeabarim, in the wilderness on the east side of . From there they went on and camped in the valley of Zered.
From there they went on and made camp on the far side of the , in the wilderness that stretches out from the border of the . The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
That is why it says in the :
“Vaheb in Suphah, the valleys of the Arnon,the slope of the valleys that go down toward the place where stands,resting against the border of Moab.”
From there they went on to . That is the well the Lord spoke of when he said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”
Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, well! Sing to it,the well the princes dug,the one the nobles of the people dugwith the and with their poles.”
From the wilderness they went on to Mattanah, and then to Nahaliel, and then to Bamoth. From Bamoth they went to the valley in the open country of Moab, to the top of , which looks down on the desert.
Israel sent messengers to , king of the Amorites, to say, “Let us pass through your land. We won’t turn off into any field or vineyard, and we won’t drink the water from the wells. We’ll keep to the until we are past your border.”
But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his land. He gathered all his people together and went out into the wilderness against Israel. He came to , and there he fought against Israel.
Israel struck him down with the sword and took his land from the Arnon to the , right up to the , because the Ammonites’ border was strongly guarded.
Israel took all these cities and lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in and all its villages. Heshbon was the city of Sihon, the king of the Amorites. He had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land from him, as far as the Arnon.
That is why the people who make up sayings say:
“Come to Heshbon!Let the city of Sihon be built up and made strong.A fire has gone out from Heshbon,a flame from the city of Sihon.It has devoured Ar of Moab,the rulers of the high places by the Arnon.
Moab, how terrible for you!You are ruined, people of !He has handed his sons over as runaways,and his daughters into captivityto Sihon king of the Amorites.We have shot at them.Heshbon is ruined, all the way to Dibon.We have wrecked the land as far as Nophah,which reaches to Medeba.”
So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
Moses sent men to spy out . They took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
Then they turned and went up by the road to . , the king of Bashan, went out with all his people to fight them at .
The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him, because I have put him in your power, with all his people and his land. Do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”
So they struck him down, with his sons and all his people, until there were no survivors. And they took his land.