Greek text for Numbers 21:8-9
from the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament that was commonly used in Jesus’ day).
Greek Text – Numbers 21:8-9 (Septuagint)
8 καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν· ποίησον σεαυτῷ ὄφιν χαλκοῦν καὶ θὲς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σημείου, καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν δάκῃ ὄφις ἄνθρωπον, πᾶς ὁ δεδηγμένος ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ζήσεται.
9 καὶ ἐποίησε Μωυσῆς ὄφιν χαλκοῦν καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σημείου· καὶ ἐγένετο ὅταν ἔδακεν ὄφις ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐπέβλεψεν ἐπὶ τὸν ὄφιν τὸν χαλκοῦν καὶ ἔζη.
Transliteration
8 Kai eipe Kyrios pros Mōusēn· Poiēson seautō ophin chalkoun kai thes auton epi sēmeiou, kai estai ean dakē ophis anthrōpon, pas ho dedēgmenos idōn auton zēsetai.
9 Kai epoiēse Mōusēs ophin chalkoun kai estēsen auton epi sēmeiou· kai egeneto hotan edaken ophis anthrōpon, kai epeblepsen epi ton ophin ton chalkoun kai ezē.
English Translation (NKJV)
8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Key Greek Words & Connection to John 3
| Greek Word | Transliteration | Meaning | Connection to John 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ὄφιν χαλκοῦν | ophin chalkoun | “bronze serpent” | The type Jesus refers to |
| ἐπὶ σημείου | epi sēmeiou | “upon a pole / standard” | Parallel to being “lifted up” |
| ἰδὼν αὐτὸν | idōn auton | “looking at it” | The act of faith |
| ζήσεται | zēsetai | “shall live” | Eternal life in John 3:15-16 |
| ἐπέβλεψεν | epeblepsen | “looked upon” | Same concept as “believes in Him” |
How This Connects to John 3:14-15
When Jesus said in John 3:14:
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up…”
He was directly referencing this event. The Greek word ὕψωσεν (hypsōsen = “lifted up”) in John 3:14 echoes the idea of the serpent being set ἐπὶ σημείου (“upon a pole”) in Numbers 21:8-9.
The act of looking in faith to the bronze serpent in the wilderness is the Old Testament picture of believing in the lifted-up Son of Man in John 3.