Overview
The Bible addresses serpents across 38 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Genesis, Isaiah and Exodus. Closely related themes include Serpent, Reptiles, Salvation and Satan. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Moses, Dan, Aaron and Eve.
Key Bible verses about serpents
Old Testament
Genesis
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Yea: Heb. Yea, because, etc.
And 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:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
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. an adder: Heb. an arrow-snake
Exodus
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
Numbers
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
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.
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.
Deuteronomy
Who 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;
They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. heat: Heb. coals
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Isaiah
Rejoice 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. cockatrice: or, adder
In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. piercing: or, crossing like a bar
They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. cockatrice': or, adder's crushed: or, sprinkled is as if there brake out a viper
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
New Testament
Matthew
John
1 Corinthians
Revelation
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
People in the Bible and serpents
Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.
In the Bible dictionary
Studying serpents for yourself
- Begin with Genesis 3:1, then read the passages below in canonical order.
- Compare how Genesis, Isaiah and Exodus each treat the theme.
- Consider the lives of Moses, Dan and Aaron and how their stories intersect with it.
- Widen the study to related themes: Serpent, Reptiles, Salvation and Satan.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about serpents?
The Bible addresses serpents across 38 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Genesis, Isaiah and Exodus. Closely related themes include Serpent, Reptiles, Salvation and Satan. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Moses, Dan, Aaron and Eve.
How many Bible verses are about serpents?
The Bible references serpents in 38 verses (King James Version).
Where does the Bible first mention serpents?
In canonical order, the first of these passages is Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Yea: Heb. Yea, because, etc.”
Which people in the Bible are associated with serpents?
Moses, Dan, Aaron and Eve.
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