And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Parallel translations
- WEB As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
- BSB Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
- NKJV And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
- NASB And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
- NLT And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. Jesus foretells his saving death on the cross.
Overview
Recalling Numbers 21, where Israelites looked at the lifted serpent and lived, Jesus presents himself as the one who must be 'lifted up'—John's term for the crucifixion (and exaltation). Those bitten by sin find life by looking in faith to the crucified Christ. The 'must' underscores that the cross is God's necessary plan for salvation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Num 21:7–9Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
- John 8:28Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
- John 12:32–34And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
- Luke 24:26–27Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
- Luke 24:44–46And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
- 2 Kgs 18:4He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
- Ps 22:16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
- Acts 2:23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
- Matt 26:54But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
- Acts 4:27–28For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
- Luke 18:31–33Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
- Luke 24:20And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 3:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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