Numbers 21:9 (DRB)

Passage

Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:7 Upon which they came to Moses, and said; We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

Numbers 21:8 And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.

Numbers 21:9 Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.

Numbers 21:10 And the children of Israel setting forwards camped in Oboth.

Numbers 21:11 And departing thence they pitched their tents in Jeabarim, in the wilderness, that faceth Moab toward the east.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "healed", "moses", "therefore", "brazen", "serpent", "sign", "bitten", and "looked". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "healed" and "moses", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And the Lord said to him Make..." into verse 10's "And the children of Israel setting forwards...", so "healed" and "moses" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "healed" and "moses" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.