John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 9. And Moses made a serpent of brass , etc.] Which was the most proper metal to make it of, that it might resemble the fiery serpents, whether of a golden or scarlet colour: and Diodorus Siculus speaks of some of the colour of brass, whose bite was immediately followed with death, and by which, if anyone was struck, he was seized with terrible pains, and a bloody sweat flowed all over him; and this was chosen also, because being burnished and bright, could be seen at a great distance, and with this metal Moses might be furnished from Punon, the next station to this, where they now were, Zalmonah, as appears from ( Numbers 33:42) a place famous for brass mines, and which Jerom says, in his time, was a little village, from whence brass metal was dug, by such that were condemned to the mines: and put it upon a pole ; as he was directed: and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived : which was very marvellous, and the more so, if what physicians say is true, as Kimchi relates f315 , that if a man bitten by a serpent looks upon a piece of brass he dies immediately: the lifting up of this serpent on a pole for such a purpose was a figure of the lifting up of Christ, either upon the cross, or in the ministry of the word, that whosoever looks unto him by faith may have healing, (see Gill on “ John 3:14”),where this type or figure is largely explained: the station the Israelites were now at, when this image was made, is called Zalmonah, which signifies an image, shadow, or resemblance, as the brazen serpent was; from Mount Hor, where they were last, to this place, according to Bunting f316 , were twenty eight miles: this serpent did not remain in the place where it was set, but was taken with them, and continued until the days of Hezekiah, ( 2 Kings 18:4).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 4-9 - The children of Israel were wearied by a long march round the land of Edom. They speak discontentedly of what God had done for them, an distrustfully of what he would do. What will they be pleased with, who manna will not please? Let not the contempt which some cast on the wor of God, make us value it less. It is the bread of life, substantia bread, and will nourish those who by faith feed upon it, to eterna life, whoever may call it light bread. We see the righteous judgmen God brought upon them for murmuring. He sent fiery serpents among them which bit or stung many to death. It is to be feared that they woul not have owned the sin, if they had not felt the smart; but they relen under the rod. And God made a wonderful provision for their relief. The Jews themselves say it was not the sight of the brazen serpent tha cured; but in looking up to it, they looked up to God as the Lord tha healed them. There was much gospel in this. Our Saviour declared, Jo 3:14, 15, that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up, that whatsoever believeth in him, shoul not perish. Compare their disease and ours. Sin bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Compare the application of their remedy an ours. They looked and lived, and we, if we believe, shall not perish It is by faith that we look unto Jesus, Heb 12:2. Whosoever looked however desperate his case, or feeble his sight, or distant his place was certainly and perfectly cured. The Lord can relieve us from danger and distresses, by means which human reason never would have devised Oh that the venom of the old serpent, inflaming men's passions, an causing them to commit sins which end in their eternal destruction were as sensibly felt, and the danger as plainly seen, as the Israelites felt pain from the bite of the fiery serpents, and feare the death which followed! Then none would shut their eyes to Christ, or turn from his gospel. Then a crucified Saviour would be so valued, tha all things else would be accounted loss for him; then, without delay and with earnestness and simplicity, all would apply to him in the appointed way, crying, Lord, save us; we perish! Nor would any abus the freeness of Christ's salvation, while they reckoned the price whic it cost him.
Original Hebrew ויעשׂ6213 משׁה4872 נחשׁ5175 נחשׁת5178 וישׂמהו7760 על5921 הנס5251 והיה1961 אם518 נשׁך5391 הנחשׁ5175 את853 אישׁ376 והביט5027 אל413 נחשׁ5175 הנחשׁת5178 וחי׃2425
