Serpents and Snakes

† I. נָחָשׁ n.m. Gn 3:1 serpent (NH id.; Arabic حَنَشٌ serpent, viper (Lane406 anything hunted) is cp. by LagM i. 230; BN 50, 188 BAES 48, but improb.; Arabic نَحِسَ v. sub [נָחַשׁ] infr.; on formation cf. LagBN 50);—abs. נ׳ Am 5:19 +; cstr. נְחָשׁ Nu 21:9 + 2 times; pl. נְחָשִׁים Nu 21:6 Je 8:17;— 1. serpent: a. as biting, Am 5:19 Ec 10:8, in spite of charm (לַחַשׁ) v 11 [cf. Ecclus 12:13], Je 8:17 (+ צִפְעֹנִים; fig. of enemies); so הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים Nu 21:6 (deadly; JE; cf. JacobArab. Dicht. iv. 10 ff.), and sg. v 9, also (coll.) v 7 cf. נ׳ שָׂרָף Dt 8:15 (+ עַקְרָב); נ׳ fig. of oppressor, מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ נָחָשׁ יֵצֵא צֶפַע וּפִרְיוֹ שָׂרָף מְעוֹפֵף Is 14:29; fig. of Dan Gn 49:17 (poem in J; ‖ שְׁפִיפֹן); חֲמַת נ׳ ψ 58:5 (sim. of perniciousness of ungodly), cf. נ׳ 140:4; sim. of effect of wine Pr 23:32 (‖ צִפִעֹנִי). b. rod becomes נ׳ Ex 4:3 (J), cf. 7:15 (E); דֶּרֶךְ נ׳ עֲלֵי צוּר Pr 30:19. c. נ׳ (appar.) as hissing Je 46:22 (in sim., cf. Gie); as eating dust Is 65:25 cf. Mi 7:17 (in sim.; v. also Gn 3:14). d. as crafty tempter Gn 3:1, 2, 4, 13, 14. 2. נ׳ (הַ)נְּחשֶׁת, bronze image of serpent Nu 21:9(×2) 2 K 18:4 (cf. נְחֻשְׁתָּן). 3. mythol. נ׳ בָּרִחַ Jb 26:13 fleeing serpent, of eclipse-dragon (cf. לִוְיָתָן 3:6); also לִוְיָתָן נ׳ בָּרִחַ … לִוְיָתָן נ׳ עֲקַלָּתוֹן Is 27:1 (symbol. of world-powers); נ׳ of sea-monster Am 9:3.—נ׳ c. vb. נָשַׁךְ bite Nu 21:6 + 8 times. On supernat. character of serpents in Arabic belief v. NöZeitschr. für Völkerpsychol. i (1860), 412–416 RSKinship 197; Sem i. 421 f., 2d ed. 442 WeSkizzen iii. 147; Arab. Heid. 2, 152 f. JacobArab. Dicht. iv. 5.

ὄφις, ὁ, genitive ὄφεως, poetry also ὄφεος Refs 5th c.BC+; Doric dialect and Ionic dialect ὄφιος Refs 8th c.BC+:—serpent, αἰόλος Refs 8th c.BC+; ὁ ψυχρὸς ὄ. Refs 3rd c.BC+; equivalent to δράκων in Refs 8th c.BC+ __II like{δράκων}, a serpent-like bracelet, Refs 4th c.BC+; ὄφεις is Attic dialect for ψέλλια accusative to Refs 2nd c.AD+ __II.2 τρικάρηνος ὄ. ὁ χάλκεος dedicated at Delphi (= Refs 5th c.BC+ __III the constellation Refs 4th c.BC+ __IV a creeping plant, Refs 5th c.BC+ __V a kind of fish, see at {ὀφίδιον} Refs __VI guinea-worm (elsewhere δρακόντιον), Refs 2nd c.AD+ __VII ={ὀφίασις} I, Refs 1st c.AD+. [The first syllable is sometimes made long in the older Poets, αἰόλον ὄφιν Refs 8th c.BC+ —The ultima of the _nominative_ and _accusative_ ὄφις, ὄφιν is commonly long, as in Refs 8th c.BC+; short only in later Poets, as Refs 4th c.BC+

† תַּנִּין (erron. תַּנִּים) n.m. Ez 29:3 serpent, dragon, sea-monster (NH id. (rare); Arabic تَنِّينٌ, loan-word from Aramaic תַּנִּינָא, ܬܰܢܺܝܢܳܐ Frä123; Ethiopic ተመን );—abs. ת׳ Ex 7:9 +, ים— Ez 29:3; 32:2 (by confusion with pl. of [תַּן]); pl. תַּנִּינִם Gn 1:21, etc.;— 1. serpent, Dt 32:33 (venomous), ψ 91:13 (‖ פֶּתֶן), Ex 7:9, 10, 12 (P). 2. dragon, as devourer (sim.) Je 51:34; עֵין הַתּ׳ Ne 2:13, near Jerus. 3. sea- (or river-) monster, Gn 1:21 (P); fig. Jb 7:12 ψ 74:13 (i.e. Egyptians), Is 27:1; 51:9 (‖ רַהַב mythol. personif. of chaos) Ez 29:3; 32:2; called to praise י׳ ψ 148:7 (‖ תְּהֹמוֹת).—Vid. CheEncy. Bib. dragon GunkSchöpfung 69 ff. BartonJAOS xv. 1(1891), 23 f.; personif. of water-spout RSSem i. 161; 2nd ed. 176; cf. Gk. fish-name θύννος LewyFremdw. 15.

† פֶּ֫תֶן n.m. ψ 58:5 a venomous serpent, perhaps cobra (פתן Ecclus 39:30; Aramaic פִּתְנָא, ܦܰܬܳܢܳܐ, whence perhaps Arabic بَثَنٌ );—only poet.: pl. רֹאשׁ פְּתָנִים Dt 32:33 (‖ חֲמַת תַּנִּינִם), Jb 20:16, מְרוֹרַת פ׳ v 14; sg. פֶּ֫תֶן ψ 91:13 (‖ תַּנִּין), פ׳ חֵרֵשׁ 58:5, חֻר פָּ֑תֶן Is 11:8.

ἔχιδν-α, ἡ, (ἔχις) viper, Refs 5th c.BC+; probably of a constrictor snake, NT+5th c.BC+; ἱματισμένη ἔ., of woman, Refs 2nd c.AD+; γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν brood of vipers, term of reproach, in NT __II proper name of a monster, Refs 8th c.BC+

† II. [שָׂרָף] n.m. Is 6:2 pl. שְׂרָפִים seraphim (prob. akin to i. שׂ׳, as beings orig. mythically conceived with serpents’ bodies (serpent-deities, cf. Is 14:29; 30:6), or (CheComm.) personif. of lightning, cf. arts. Seraphim, StrachanHast. DB. CheEncy. Bib.; Di Marti al. cp. also Egyptian guardian-griffins, called Šerref; v. also כְּרוּב; on Assyrian Šarrapu, epith. of god Nergal, connected by DlWB; with √ שָׂרַף, v. שָׂרָב, ZimKAT.3 415);—in OT. majestic beings with six wings, and human hands and voices, attendant upon י׳ Is 6:2, 6.

ἀσπίς, ίδος, ἡ, shield, εὔκυκλοςRefs 8th c.BC+; opposed to Thracian πέλτη and Persian γέρρον, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀσπίδα ῥῖψαι, ἀποβαλεῖν, Refs 6th c.BC+: to estimate a victory, ἀσπίδας ἔλαβον ὡς διακοσίαςRefs 5th c.BC+ __2 collective, body of men-at-arms, ὀκτακισχιλίη ἀ.Refs 5th c.BC+ __3 military phrases, ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδας πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι τάξασθαι to be drawn up twenty-five deep or in file, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπὶ μιᾶς ἀσπίδος in single line, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδα, παρ᾽ ἀσπίδα (opposed to ἐπὶ δόρυ), on the left, towards or to the left, because the shield was on the left arm, Refs 5th c.BC+; but παρ᾽ ἀσπίδα, literally, beside the shield, Refs 8th c.BC+; παρ᾽ ἀ. στῆναι stand in battle, Refs 5th c.BC+; παρ᾽ ἀ. βεβηκέναιRefs; ἀσπίδας συγκλείειν (compare συγκλείω); ἀσπίδα τίθεσθαι serve in the ranks, Refs 5th c.BC+; but θέσθαι τὰς ἀ. pile shields, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπειδὰν ἀ. ψοφῇ when the shields ring, i.e. when two bodies of men meet in a charge, Refs; ἀσπίδα ἀναδέξαι, ἆραι, as a signal, Refs 5th c.BC+ __4 of a round, flat bowl, Refs 4th c.BC+ __5 boss on a door, Refs __II asp, Egyptian cobra, Coluber haié, Refs 5th c.BC+; a play on signff. I and II, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II.2 ornament in this form, Refs

† קִפּוֹז n.f. arrow-snake (Arabic قِفَّازَةٌ, so BoHieroz. Pars post. iii. cap. 11 (citing Avicenna ii. 139, 16, cf. Thes LagBN 89), and most moderns; cf. Dozyii. 383 PS1375 ad fin.; = ἀκοντίας AelianHist. Anim. vi. 18, viii. 13, called ק׳ as leaping from trees on passers-by; but ag. this v. Houghton Acad. Apr. 24, 1886, 292 f. (arrow-snake does not incubate) PostHast.DB iii. 637 who conj. an owl (as AV));—Is 34:15, token of desolation.