Serpent (Hastings' Dictionary)

Eight Heb. words are used for • On the E(tjT>tian ciiatom of Iteeplng a live snake In the laiTjcr lenip'.cs as the representative of the tutelary demon, see Chevne's ■ Isaiah ' in FB u. Vi'J. when the (uuoiu Bla«k Omiite Serpent of Atbribitis is flared. serpent. One Gr. word only (Ix^Sva, 'the viper'), which is not used in the L.XX, occurs in the NT. 1. e'.7J ndhdsh, is supposed by some (identifying roots cm and erni) to mean ' the hisser.' It is generic for a serpent or snake.

The Arab, equivalent luinash is clearly the same word, with a trans- position of the first two radicals. Its meaning is, however, far more general than that of tlie Heb. term. The root signifies 'to hunt or capture.'

Hanash is defined 'anything that is hunted or caught or captured, of birds or flying things, or venomous or noxious reptiles, such as scorpions and serpents, or vermin, such as hedgehogs and lizards, and the rat and mouse, and any animal the head of which resembles that of a serpent.' It even includes the common fly. But, in popular usage at the present day, it is applied to serpents only. 2. I'ii? taymin, plur. D'j'jn tannintm. This, which is usually tr.

'dragon,' sometimes otherwise (see Dragon, 4), is tr. ' serpent ' in AV and RV of Ex -9. 10. 13 [y 10 jjVm ' Heb. tan>}in, any large reptile '], and in RV of Ps 91" (AV ' dragon '). It is inter- esting to note that while P in the above passages of Exodus uses tannin for the creature into which Moses' rod was changed, E in ch. 4^ (cf. 7" [? R]) uses ndhdsh. The LXX tr. tanntn by opdKuu and ndhdsh by di^is. It would have been better if our versions had preserved a similar distinction in terms. 3.

njicc; ''pKeh. The Arab, 'a/'a is defined as ' a certain serpent of a malignant kind, spotted white and black, slender in the neck, broad in tlie head. It is said that it will not quit its place.' There is nothing in this de.scrijition which fixes the species or even genus of the serpent referred to. AV and RV tr. 'epiich in the three places in which it occurs (Job 2U'», Is 30» 59=) 'viper,' LXX {(/.is, dffjrfs, BaaCKUrKos. "Tristram believes that this may be Ecliis arenicola, Boie. 4.

xa;): 'akshitbh, cunrh, aspis (Ps HO*), AV and RV 'adder.' St. Paul, (juoling the passage in Ro 3" according to the LXX, gives d<rTrls=' asp.' 5. ]7ispetlien. This word occurs 6 times (Dt 32", Job 20"- ", AV and RV ' asp ' ; Ps 5S^ AV and RV ' adder,' AVm ' asp' ; 91'" AV and RV 'adder,' AVm 'asp'; Is 11' AV and RV 'asp'). In all of these the LXX has aniris, excejit Job 20" where it gives ip&Kuv, and Ps 91" whore it has paaM<TKos.

These discrepancies of truiislation, ancient and modern, show the uncertainty as to the serpent intended by pclhcn. 'Xanh seems to have been the equivalent in Gr. of more than one species. The repeated mention of the venomousnesa of the pethcn, and the allusion to its being used in the tricks of serpent charmers (Ps5S'), led Tristram to think that the animal intended is the Egyp. cobra, Naj'a haje, L., on the ground that snake charmers usually nave one or more cobras.

It is common to see a cobra, on each side of a winged globe, in the attitude of striking, chiselled over the doors of Egyp. temples. The Eng. 'asp' is derived from the Gr. and Lat. aspis. It is usually understood in those langu.iges of the Vipera axpis, L. 6. i'S'j zcph/i , 'i\\itt ziph'uni. These words occur 5 times (Pr 2,3^- LXX Kipiarr,^, AVand RV 'adder,' AVm 'cockatrice,' RVm 'basilisk'; Is 11" H-'" iKyova ia-rliuv, AV 'cockatrice,' m. 'adder,' RV 'basilisk,' ni.

'adder'; 59* iuiris, AV 'cockatrice,' m. 'adder,' RV 'basilisk,' m. 'adder'; Jer 8" Bava.- ToDi'To! = ' deadly,' AV 'cockatiices,'RV ' ba.silisks,' m. 'adders'). Tlie meaning of the root of the Heb. word is unknown, and hence gives no clue to the species intended. Both cockatrice and basilisk are fabulous. Neither the LXX nor our translators have been able to fix on any species. 7. \\s'!)-4 shi^phiphfin (Gn 49" ' adder,' AVm ' arrow- snake ' [given by RV in Is 34" for /.

ippOz, A V ' great owl ' ; see Owi.l, RVm ' homed snake,' LXX /cua l60 SERPENT SERPENT CHARMING 57i;iiei'(w='one in ambush'). By general consent this serpent has been iilentiHed with Cerastes Hassel- qiiistii, Straucli, the horned serpent, a desert species of the most venomous kind, which hides in depres- sions in the way, as those made by a camel's foot. This would explain the allusion to biting ' the horse's heels.' It is a foot or IS in.

long, of a sandy colour, with bro\vn or blackish spots. It has a pair of hornlike processes above the eves. The Arabs of the desert call it i7(Cj(/««,which, tliough not classical, seems to be a survival of its ancient name. 8. v.' sdraph, ' fiery serjient,' from a Heb. root signifying ' to burn,' hence i)oisonous from intlam- mation.

It is usually an adjective to other words signifying serpent, as nahdah (Nu 21' LXX Sai-a- TodvTai), but also appears as a substantive (Nu 21, Is \A'^ 30" LXX fi^is, do-iris?) The ' fiery serpents ' (Nu 21"- ), which were sent to torment the Israelites in the desert, may have been any or all of the venomous species of et-Tih, as the cobra, the cerastes or sand snake.

The ' fiery flying serpent ' (Is 14-'" 30"), ^Diyo r\-rf sdraph meOpheph, is probably to be understood of some fabulous serpentine crea- ture with wings, such as are sculptured on Egyptian monuments ; out the expression flijinq may nave been intended to indicate the rapid dartin" with which a venomous snake strikes its prey. One of the snakes of Syria, called by the Arabs 'akd-el- jauz, is also called et-tayy&rah, because of its arrow-like, darting motion. 9.

'Ex'Sya is used only in the NT, and is tr^ ' viper ' (Mt 3' 12^ 23^3, Lk 3', Ac 28^). It is prob- ably generic for poisonous snakes. Tristram thinks that the one which fastened on St. Paul's hand may have been Vipera aspis, L., which, although now extinct in Malta, whence venomous ser[ients have entirely disappeared, may have been there in the apostle's day. A review of the above critical analysis shows (1) that the translators have been at little pains to render the Heb. terms by the same Gr.

and Eng. words in dill'erent places ; (2) that to only one Heb. word, shephiphon, is it possible to give a scientific name with any degree of certainty. Of another, petken, the most probable but not certain equivalent IS the cobra. Of the others, three, 'akshuoh, zephd or ziph'dni, and 'ep/ieh, are wholly uncertain or indefinite ; one, tanntn, had perhaps better be tr^, as elsewhere, ' dragon ' ; one, nd/ihsh, is generic ; and one, sdrdph, is primarily of adjective not sub- stantive force.

The following is a list of the prineip.al venomous serpents in Palestine and Syria and Sinai : Daboia xanthina, Graj', a nocturnal species, lar<;e enough to swallow a hare ; Cerastes Hasselauistii, Straueh, the horned snake ; Naja kaje, L., tlie Egyp. cobra, a very deadly species ; Echis nrenico/a, Boie, also extremely deailly ; Vipera Euphrntira, Martin, and V. ammodt/tas, L., both widely ditl'used and highly poisonous.

Besides the above there are numerous species of non-venomous snakes, among which are Zanienis viridiflavus. Dura, et Bibr., a species of a greenish-yellow to tobacco-leaf colour, often 6 ft. Ion'', the variety '•arionaruM, Bonap., being black ; Z. dahlii, of a bluish colour mottled with black spots, and various species of Ablabes, Coluber, etc.; in all, 27 non-venomous kinds.

It is probable that the Hebrews regarded all snakes with abhorrence, and that the common people supposed most or all of them to be venomous. The reputation of the serpent has alwaj's been double. It was the emblem of Mercury and .,Esculapius. A serpent, to this day, figures on devices and badges pertaining to the healing art. The Phoenicians worshipped the serpent, and the Chinese do so now. The Egyptians also wor- shipped Kneph under this form. They embalmed the bodies of serpents.

The Scripture allusions to the wisdom of the serpent are two : Mt 10", which refers to its caution in avoiding danger, and On 31. 4. i3_ in which guile and malice are plainly in- tended (cf. 2 Co ll^ Rev 12"). Heathen mythology also attributed to the serpent such qualities of diabolism.

And just as Israel came to worship the brazen serpent, which, according to tradition, was made to remind them of the \enom and de- stroying properties of its prototype (2 K IS'), so the heathen have come to worship the creature they most fear. This is not to be wondered at, as all heathen worship is a compound of super- stition and fear. Most of the Scripture allusions to the serpent are to its evil qualities.

It is treacherous (Dan is a serpent in the way, Gn 49"); venomous (Ps SS'') ; skulking (oi? bariah. Job 26'', AV ' crooked,' RV ' swift,' m. ' fleeing ' or ' glid- ing'; Is 27', AV 'piercing,' m. 'crossing like a bar,' RV ' swift,' m. ' gliding ' or 'fleeing ' ; the expression seems to refer to its habit of skulking noiselessly away) ; crooked (pri^SJJ, Is 27', RVm ' winding,' referring to the wavy motion with which he glides out of danger) ; it bites (Pr 2.V, Ec 10'- ", Am 5'^).

Christ compares the scribes and Pharisees to serpents (Mt 23" 6<pei! ; cf. the remarkable phrase yevv-qixnTa ix'^"^" i" Mt 3' 12). The power to take up and tread on serpents un- harmed was promised to the disciples ('Mk' 16", Lk 10"). On the whole subject of the serpent of Gn 3 and the NT reference to that narrative, see artt. Fall and Satan. The mystery of the serpent's motion did not escape Agur (Pr 3u"*), and only in modern times have we fully understood its solution.

The fact that serpents are produced from eggs is also noted (Is 69''). They were tamed (Ja 3'). Sirach alludes to those bitten by serpents, presum- ably poisonous (12'»). G. E. POST.