Who Are You?
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 NASB
Serpent – “No language is used in 3:1 to suggest that the snake is malevolent or demonic (though that claim has been made since intertestamental times, Wis 2:24; cf. Rev 12:9, 20:2). Moreover, the humans seem to understand the snake in quite innocent terms; they express no fear or wonderment, . . .”[1]
“The snake is an ambivalent symbol in Israel’s world, associated with both life and death. . .”[2] Perhaps we have committed the sin of anachronism in our penchant to assign satanic status to the serpent. Of course, apparently John did the same thing (although it would be worthwhile to investigate his reason for doing so). In our case, I wonder if we aren’t motivated by a desire to shift the blame from us to this demon in disguise. After all, it really was his fault. If he hadn’t started the ball rolling, we would have all escaped the terrible consequences, right?
The role of the nahash in this story is perplexing. As Fretheim notes, “The snake may not tell the whole truth but neither does God.”[3] After all, upon eating the fruit they don’t immediately die and they do have their eyes opened to the experience of good and evil. The issue, as Fretheim notes, is about trust. The real question is whether or not the humans will trust what God said even if they aren’t sure He told them everything. This raises a very delicate point. God’s declares His creation, all of it, good. But that entails that the possibility of mistrust and the misleading of a creature of His own creating is also good! And this implies that creation itself has built within it the potential for disobedience and this too is good. Furthermore, the end of this very unusual story (Genesis 3:22-24) suggests that death was part of the original creation. If that were not so, why was it necessary to have a “Tree of Life?” Perhaps we need to rethink big pieces of this story. Perhaps death and life are as much as part of creation as space and time, and what is in play here is immortality, not living.
This might require us to think of the serpent image in Egyptian terms. The uraeus (the upright cobra headdress of Pharaoh) was a symbol of the ancient gods and represented the divine authority and origin of the one who wore it. Is it possible that the imagery of Genesis recalls the claim of Pharaoh? If the audience for the story is post-Egyptian slaves, wouldn’t the use of nahash immediately portray the untrustworthiness of the Egyptian ruler? Is the story another version of the battle between YHVH and Pharaoh recast in primal terms? There are a lot of very strange elements to this story that we tend of gloss over in our reading. Perhaps we are too quick to jump to John’s view.
Topical Index: serpent, nahash, uraeus, Pharaoh, Genesis 3:1
[1] Terrence Fretheim, God and the World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation, p. 73.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid., p. 74.
Very enlightening. While it is so that Moses found the need to cast the story in terms familiar to his audience, it would not make it any less an accurate recounting of what happened in that Garden. John was a visionary prophet who was shown many, many things – perhaps the only prophet who was shown more could have been Daniel – and John is a descriptive prophet. If he describes the portrayal of the adversary in terms of dragon or serpent, isn’t he most likely just writing about what he was shown? It is for sure that the ancient world understood the god they chose allegiance to was in the form of a dragon or serpent. The snake cults were the earliest religions, so archeology and manuscript writings tell us.
The serpents and dragons were obviously created quite glorious, which was probably the deceiver’s primary interest in using one to cast himself in a positive light.
I like snakes and dragons (except maybe Komodo dragons, which are hard to like), and I can see that they could have been very glorious, but it is sad to me to see what they have to go through to make a living now, after their order got cursed. It is not their fault that they got used: they are just innocent, non-conscious creatures. The deceiver is another issue. He is not innocent and he is extremely conscious, with powers far beyond ours, as he was created at the highest order of heaven, but he was created a covering cherub, not a snake. The snake was just a use job, so I think we should not blame snakes.
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Revelations speaks of a “beast” about forty times yet does anyone believe this “beast” is an animal that looks like a leopard, bear, lion, lamb and speaks like a dragon so that many are convinced to worship it? No, it is symbolic of a certain human, or at least, a human looking creature.
Isa_30:6 The 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.
It would seem that the “beasts” spoken of here are the Egyptians.
Why not think of the serpent or snake the same way? Do we really think Eve was speaking to a walking and talking snake?
Gen 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
Did the tribe of Dan turn into literal snakes?
I expect to understand Scripture literally except when there is good reason not to understand it literally because other texts support a different and symbolic meaning. Such is the case for the serpent of Geneses.
A quick look online at Hebrew meanings of words was surprising. The word used for “serpent” could just as well have been translated “shining one,” or “enchanting one.” Now I don’t know Hebrew, but this is interesting. Is this a mistranslation? Or is this a word that could have different meanings?
Pretty interesting stuff Thomas, from a “Hebraic” source, I get a diviner or enchanter also. The interesting thing is that a breakdown of the word into Nun-Chas N CH-S with the nun as an adjective describes one who is being “still” or quiet. Or perhaps “listening” for the still or quiet voice. ( a diviner or enchanter) Either way it seems prudent to keep a guard on what you say, the one listening may be hearing more than you think you’re saying, especially if they aren’t your friend or the friend of your friend! 🙂
“Is it possible that the imagery of Genesis recalls the claim of Pharaoh? If the audience for the story is post-Egyptian slaves, wouldn’t the use of nahash immediately portray the untrustworthiness of the Egyptian ruler?”
How can this be if Genesis was written by Abraham, (Pardes Rimonim 1:1)? If “the snake cults were the earliest religions” however as Laurita says, was that the case for the Abramic Mesopotamians but then what happens to this interpretation?
Genesis written by Abraham? I know of no scholars who would claim that. Even Moses is questioned by some, but at least he would be familiar with Egyptian thought.
I have been reading some “Sefer Yezirah” part of which expounds that Abraham wrote Genesis. The following is from the Jewish Encyclopedia and this may have been what caught my eye;
“The history of the study of the “Sefer Yeẓirah” is one of the most interesting in the records of Jewish literature. With the exception of the Bible, scarcely any other book has been the subject of so much annotation.”
Are there no scholarly exponents of this book today Skip?
Job 38 may declare the creation as well as what occurred there…
The snake having two-forked tongue, is aptly named. in many cultures, snakes are perceived as possessing evil “spirits”, demonic, to be worshipped and feared.
Spiritually, the snake is satan (Ha satan- the adversary) who works closely with God as an integral part of Gods plan for us.
His job is to make choosing good over evil enough of a challenge so that it becomes clear to us that there can be only one meaningful choice.
Contrast with Christianity, which sees Satan as God’s opponent. In Jewish thought, the idea that there exists anything capable of setting itself up as God’s opponent would be considered polytheistic or setting up the devil to be an equally powerful polarity to god or a demigod, when it was a created being, not born as human beings.
In Isaiah 14:12 Ha satan in poor translations named as Lucifer, the bight and morning star, which rightfully goes to Yeshua HaMesiach.
Any translation that says “day star” or “morning star” or “star of the morning” in Isaiah 14:12, like most modern perversions, is bringing confusion. And God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). In Hebrew version, no word of “star” was mentioned.
Many people reading the modern perversions end up asking, “If Lucifer is the morning star and Jesus is the morning star, then is Lucifer Jesus?” The modern translations are simply not clear! Due to many such erroneous translations, some folks out there have posted many Utubes on this topic – Is Jesus Lucifer?; Jesus is satan the morning star.
That is not all. The term translated “Lucifer” does NOT at all mean “morning star” or “star of the morning.” That would be two totally different Hebrew words. The word means “light-bearer.” In Greek it’s “heosphoros,” “light-bearer.” In Latin it’s translated “Lucifer,” light-bearer. Whether you say “heylel,” “heosphoros” or “lucifer,” the meaning is the same: “light-bearer.”
“Perhaps death and life are as much as part of creation as space and time, and what is in play here is immortality, not living.”
Yes, Skip. we are living sojourners towards the goal of immortality!!
WHO ARE YOU??
Do we trust God ? Do we believe what He says about us? Do we trust that He will provide for us? Do we trust that His plans are always good?
The serpent does a good job of putting doubt in Havvah’s mind.
And I would say the adversary does the same to us.
Who do you think you are?