Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/what-are-seraphim-in-the-bible/
Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/
The Hebrew word śārāp̄ appears seven times in the Old Testament and is used to describe both a serpent and a class of supernatural beings (seraph/seraphim).
References to a serpentine figure occur in Numbers 21, Deuteronomy 8, and Isaiah 14/30.
In Numbers 21, the nation of Israel, evidently removed long enough from the miracle of the Exodus to start complaining about God’s provision, are beset by “fiery serpents” (Numbers 21:6, KJV) or “poisonous snakes” (NLT) that mortally wound the rebellious people. In the following verses, Moses is instructed by God to set a likeness of the fiery serpents upon a pole with the assurance that “Those who are bitten will live if they simply look at [the snake/pole]!” (Numbers 21:8, NLT).
In Deuteronomy 8, the word is then used when Moses relays God’s call for the people to remember how they had been faithfully led through the “terrifying wilderness with poisonous snakes and scorpions” (Deuteronomy 8:15, NLT).
The final uses of the words seraph/seraphim are in Isaiah where it is deployed sometimes symbolically, sometimes literally, in three different instances.
This begins in Isaiah 14 where God issues a warning to Philistia, a nation celebrating the death of Judah’s King Ahaz, the term is used to say, “From that snake [meaning Ahaz] a poisonous snake [meaning Hezekiah] will be born, a fiery serpent [seraph] to destroy you!” (Isaiah 14:29, NLT). The nation of Judah had suffered greatly during the unrighteous rule of Ahaz (2 Kings 16) but would be reconciled to God under the rule of Hezekiah who, as prophesied, would conquer the Philistines “as far distant as Gaza and its territory, from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city” (2 Kings 18:8, NLT).
Listen for more...
Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/
Get our Premium podcast feed featuring all the breakout sessions from the RENEW gathering early.
https://reallifetheologypodcast.supercast.com/
Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/
Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!
You can find us on:
Instagram: @the.renew.network
Facebook: Renew.org
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork
Twitter: @therenewnetwork
TikTok: the.renew.network
Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW
