KJV King James Version
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Numbers 21:6
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.
WEB World English Bible
Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died.
ASV American Standard Version
And Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
And Jehovah sendeth among the people the burning serpents, and they bite the people, and much people of Israel die;
Surrounding context — Numbers 21
3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for [there is] no bread, neither [is there any] water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, 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.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
וַיְשַׁלַּ֨חH7971 · sha.lachto send: departיְהוָ֜הH3068 · ye.ho.vahLORDבָּעָ֗םH5971 · ampeopleאֵ֚תH853 · et[Obj.]הַנְּחָשִׁ֣יםH5175 · na.chashserpentהַשְּׂרָפִ֔יםH8314 · sa.raphserpentוַֽיְנַשְּׁכ֖וּH5391 · na.shakhto biteאֶת־H853 · et[Obj.]הָעָ֑םH5971 · ampeopleוַיָּ֥מָתH4191 · mutto dieעַם־H5971 · ampeopleרָ֖בH7227 · ravmanyמִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃H3478 · yis.ra.elIsrael
Cross-references
1 Corinthians 10:9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.Jeremiah 8:17For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which [will] not [be] charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.Deuteronomy 8:15Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, [wherein were] fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where [there was] no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;Amos 9:3-4And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:Isaiah 30:6The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence [come] the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people [that] shall not profit [them].Isaiah 14:29Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit [shall be] a fiery flying serpent.Genesis 3:14-15And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
CLASSIC COMMENTARY & PREACHING
Spurgeon on Numbers 21:6
Read Charles H. Spurgeon material whose primary Scripture is this verse or passage.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Compare classic commentaries on Numbers 21:6
Put Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Calvin, Wesley, Barnes, Jamieson–Fausset–Brown, Aquinas’ Catena and other public-domain sources beside the passage.
Compare commentaries →