Numbers 21:6-7

21:6 So the Lord sent poisonous ¹  snakes ²  among the people, and they bit the people; many people of Israel died. 21:7 Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he would take away ³  the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

Amos 9:3

9:3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel,

I would hunt them down and take them from there.

Even if they tried to hide from me ⁴  at the bottom of the sea,

from there ⁵  I would command the Sea Serpent ⁶  to bite them.

Mark 16:18

16:18 they will pick up snakes with their hands, and whatever poison they drink will not harm them; ⁷  they will place their hands on the sick and they will be well.”

Luke 10:19

10:19 Look, I have given you authority to tread ⁸  on snakes and scorpions ⁹  and on the full force of the enemy, ¹⁰  and nothing will ¹¹  hurt you.

Acts 28:3-6

28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood ¹²  and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 28:4 When the local people ¹³  saw the creature hanging from Paul’s ¹⁴  hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself ¹⁵  has not allowed him to live!” ¹⁶  28:5 However, ¹⁷  Paul ¹⁸  shook ¹⁹  the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 28:6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up ²⁰  or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited ²¹  a long time and had seen ²²  nothing unusual happen ²³  to him, they changed their minds ²⁴  and said he was a god. ²⁵ 

Romans 3:13

3:13 “Their throats are open graves, ²⁶ 

they deceive with their tongues,

the poison of asps is under their lips.” ²⁷ 

[21:6]  ¹ tn Heb “fiery.”

[21:6]  ² tn The designation of the serpents/ snakes is נְחָשִׁים (nÿkhashim), which is similar to the word for “bronze” (נְחֹשֶׁת, nÿkhoshet). This has led some scholars to describe the serpents as bronze in color. The description of them as fiery indicates they were poisonous. Perhaps the snake in question is a species of adder.

[21:7]  ³ tn The verb is the Hiphil jussive with a vav (ו) consecutive from the verb סוּר (sur); after the imperative this form may be subordinated to become a purpose clause.

[9:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “from before my eyes.”

[9:3]  ⁵ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:3]  ⁶ sn If the article indicates a definite serpent, then the mythological Sea Serpent, symbolic of the world’s chaotic forces, is probably in view. See Job 26:13 and Isa 27:1 (where it is also called Leviathan). Elsewhere in the OT this serpent is depicted as opposing the Lord, but this text implies that even this powerful enemy of God is ultimately subject to his sovereign will.

[16:18]  ⁷ tn For further comment on the nature of this statement, whether it is a promise or prediction, see ExSyn 403-6.

[10:19]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps, “trample on” (which emphasizes the impact of the feet on the snakes). See L&N 15.226.

[10:19]  ⁹ sn Snakes and scorpions are examples of the hostility in the creation that is defeated by Jesus. The use of battle imagery shows who the kingdom fights against. See Acts 28:3-6.

[10:19]  ¹⁰ tn Or “I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and [authority] over the full force of the enemy.” The second prepositional phrase can be taken either as modifying the infinitive πατεῖν (patein, “to tread”) or the noun ἐξουσίαν (exousian, “power”). The former is to be preferred and has been represented in the translation.

[10:19]  ¹¹ tn This is an emphatic double negative in the Greek text.

[28:3]  ¹² tn Or “sticks.”

[28:4]  ¹³ tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:4]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ¹⁵ tn That is, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live. BDAG 250 s.v. δίκη 2 states, “Justice personified as a deity Ac 28:4”; L&N 12.27, “a goddess who personifies justice in seeking out and punishing the guilty – ‘the goddess Justice.’ ἡ δίκη ζῆν οὐκ εἴασεν ‘the goddess Justice would not let him live’ Ac 28:4.” Although a number of modern English translations have rendered δίκη (dikh) “justice,” preferring to use an abstraction, in the original setting it is almost certainly a reference to a pagan deity. In the translation, the noun “justice” was capitalized and the reflexive pronoun “herself” was supplied to make the personification clear. This was considered preferable to supplying a word like ‘goddess’ in connection with δίκη.

[28:4]  ¹⁶ sn The entire scene is played out initially as a kind of oracle from the gods resulting in the judgment of a guilty person (Justice herself has not allowed him to live). Paul’s survival of this incident without ill effects thus spoke volumes about his innocence.

[28:5]  ¹⁷ tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 4 indicates the particle has an adversative sense here: “but, however.”

[28:5]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “shaking the creature off…he suffered no harm.” The participle ἀποτινάξας (apotinaxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ²⁰ tn Or “going to burn with fever.” According to BDAG 814 s.v. πίμπρημι, either meaning (“swell up” or “burn with fever”) is possible for Acts 28:6.

[28:6]  ²¹ tn The participle προσδοκώντων (prosdokwntwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ²² tn The participle θεωρούντων (qewrountwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ²³ tn Grk “happening.” The participle γινόμενον (ginomenon) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ²⁴ tn Grk “changing their minds.” The participle μεταβαλόμενοι (metabalomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ²⁵ sn And said he was a god. The reaction is like Acts 14:11-19 where the crowd wanted to make Paul and Barnabas into gods. The providence of God had protected Paul again.

[3:13]  ²⁶ tn Grk “their throat is an opened grave.”

[3:13]  ²⁷ sn A quotation from Pss 5:9; 140:3.