Numbers 21:9 (GNV)

Passage

So Moses made a serpent of brasse, and set it vp for a signe: and when a serpent had bitten a man, then he looked to the serpent of brasse, and liued.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses and said, We haue sinned: for wee haue spoken against the Lord, and against thee: pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from vs: and Moses prayed for the people.

Numbers 21:8 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it vp for a signe, that as many as are bitten, may looke vpon it, and liue.

Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a serpent of brasse, and set it vp for a signe: and when a serpent had bitten a man, then he looked to the serpent of brasse, and liued.

Numbers 21:10 And ye children of Israel departed thence, and pitched in Oboth.

Numbers 21:11 And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in lie-abarim, in the wildernesse, which is before Moab on the Eastside.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "moses", "serpent", "brasse", "signe", "bitten", and "looked". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "moses" and "serpent", 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 vnto Moses Make..." into verse 10's "And ye children of Israel departed thence...", so "moses" and "serpent" 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 "moses" and "serpent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.