
Complete Bible Study Guide
What Does the Bible Say About Serpents?
38 Scripture references with full text and commentary
Understanding Serpents in the Bible
Discover 38 Bible verses about serpents. This comprehensive collection of Scripture quotes reveals God's wisdom and guidance on serpents, with verses from across the Old and New Testaments.
Top 10 Verses About Serpents
- 1Genesis 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.”
KJV - 2Genesis 3:14
“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:”
KJV - 3Genesis 3:15
“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.”
KJV - 4Genesis 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. an adder: Heb. an arrow-snake”
KJV - 5Exodus 4:3
“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.”
KJV - 6Exodus 7:9
“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.”
KJV - 7Exodus 7:15
“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.”
KJV - 8Numbers 21:6
“And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.”
KJV - 9Numbers 21:8
“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.”
KJV - 10Numbers 21:9
“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.”
KJV
Subtopics of Serpents
Old Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Serpents? (26 Verses)
“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”
“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.”
“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.”
“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”
“By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.”
“Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; like the poison: Heb. according to the likeness, etc adder: or, asp”
“They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.”
“For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”
“At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. an: or, a cockatrice”
“He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.”
“Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better. a babbler: Heb. the master of the tongue”
“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.”
“For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.”
“As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.”
“They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee. worms: or, creeping things”
New Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Serpents? (12 Verses)
“Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?”
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. harmless: or, simple”
“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”
“They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:”
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
“Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.”
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
“For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind : kind: Gr. nature mankind: Gr. nature of man”
“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,”
How to Study What the Bible Says About Serpents
- 1
Begin by reading through every verse listed on this page, noting which ones speak most directly to your current season of life. Write them down and revisit them throughout the week.
- 2
Use a concordance or the search tools on this site to find additional passages about serpents. Look for patterns across both the Old and New Testaments to gain a complete picture of what God reveals on this subject.
- 3
Study the context of each verse. Read the surrounding chapter to understand who was speaking, who the audience was, and what circumstances prompted the passage. Context prevents misapplication.
- 4
Memorise at least one key verse about serpents and meditate on it daily. Scripture memory transforms thinking and equips you to apply God's Word in real-time situations.
Practical Application
Studying what the Bible says about serpents is only the beginning. Scripture is meant to be lived out in daily obedience and faith. Here are practical steps to apply these truths:
Identify one area of your life where the biblical teaching on serpents needs to be applied more consistently. Write a specific, actionable step you can take this week.
Share what you have learned about serpents with a fellow believer or in a small group setting. Teaching others solidifies your own understanding and encourages mutual growth.
Pray through the key verses about serpents, asking God to reveal how His Word applies to your relationships, decisions, and daily habits.
How Well Do You Know What the Bible Says About Serpents?
You have studied 38 verses about serpents. Now test your knowledge with chapter-by-chapter quizzes covering the books where these verses appear.