BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

How the Serpent in the Garden Became Satan

Adam, Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden

Introduced as “the most clever of all of the beasts of the field that YHWH God had made,” the serpent in the Garden of Eden is portrayed as just that: a serpent. Satan does not make an appearance in Genesis 2–3, for the simple reason that when the story was written, the concept of the devil had not yet been invented. Explaining the serpent in the Garden of Eden as Satan would have been as foreign a concept to the ancient authors of the text as referring to Ezekiel’s vision as a UFO (but Google “Ezekiel’s vision” now, and you’ll see that plenty of people today have made that connection!). In fact, while the word satan appears elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, it is never a proper name; since there is no devil in ancient Israel’s worldview, there can’t yet have been a proper name for such a creature.

adam-eve-and-the-serpent

Depicted here are God the Father, cherubim, angels, Adam, Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden in Domenichino’s painting The Rebuke of Adam and Eve (1626). Photo: Patrons’ Permanent Fund, National Gallery of Art.

The noun satan, Hebrew for “adversary” or “accuser,” occurs nine times in the Hebrew Bible: five times to describe a human military, political or legal opponent, and four times with reference to a divine being. In Numbers 22, the prophet Balaam, hired to curse the Israelites, is stopped by a messenger from Israel’s God YHWH, described as “the satan” acting on God’s behalf. In Job, “the satan” is a member of God’s heavenly council—one of the divine beings, whose role in Job’s story is to be an “accuser,” a status acquired by people in ancient Israel and Mesopotamia for the purposes of particular legal proceedings. In Job’s case, what’s on trial is God’s assertion that Job is completely “blameless and upright” vs. the satan’s contention that Job only behaves himself because God has rewarded him. God argues that Job is rewarded because he is good, and not good because he is rewarded. The satan challenges God to a wager that if everything is taken away from poor Job, he won’t be so good anymore, and God accepts. Though a perception of “the satan” as Satan would make this portrait of God easier to swallow, the story demonstrates otherwise; like Yahweh’s messenger in Numbers 22, this satan acts on YHWH’s instructions (and as a result of God’s braggadocio) and is not an independent force of evil.

In Zechariah 3, the prophet describes a vision of the high priest Joshua standing in a similar divine council, also functioning as a tribunal. Before him stand YHWH’s messenger and the satan, who is there to accuse him. This vision is Zechariah’s way of pronouncing YHWH’s approval of Joshua’s appointment to the high priesthood in the face of adversarial community members, represented by the satan. The messenger rebukes the satan and orders that Joshua’s dirty clothing be replaced, as he promises Joshua continuing access to the divine council. Once again, the satan is not Satan who we read about in the New Testament.

The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1. Is it possible that we finally have Satan here portrayed? 1 Chronicles 21 parallels the story of David’s census in 2 Samuel 24, in which God orders David to “go number Israel and Judah” and then punishes king and kingdom for doing so. The Chronicler changes this story, as he does others, to portray the relationship between God and David as uncompromised; he writes that “a satan stood up against Israel and he provoked David to number Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:6–7; 27:24). Although it is possible to read “Satan” here instead of “a satan” (Hebrew uses neither uppercase letters, nor indefinite articles, e.g., “a”), nothing else in this story or in any texts for another 300 years indicates that the idea of an evil prince of darkness exists in the consciousness of the Israelites.


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So if there’s no Satan in the Hebrew Bible, how does the serpent in the garden become Satan?

The worldview of Jewish readers of Genesis 2–3 profoundly changed in the centuries since the story was first written. After the canon of the Hebrew Bible closed,1 beliefs in angels, demons and a final apocalyptic battle arose in a divided and turbulent Jewish community. In light of this impending end, many turned to a renewed understanding of the beginning, and the Garden of Eden was re-read—and re-written—to reflect the changing ideas of a changed world. Two separate things happened and then merged: Satan became the proper name of the devil, a supernatural power now seen to oppose God as the leader of demons and the forces of evil; and the serpent in the Garden of Eden came to be identified with him. While we begin to see the first idea occurring in texts two centuries before the New Testament, the second won’t happen until later; the serpent in the Garden is not identified with Satan anywhere in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament.

The concept of the devil begins to appear in second and first centuries B.C.E. Jewish texts. In 1 Enoch, the “angel” who “led Eve astray” and “showed the weapons of death to the children of men” was called Gadreel (not Satan). Around the same time, the Wisdom of Solomon taught that “through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who are on his side suffer it.” Though this may very well be the earliest reference to Eden’s serpent as the devil, in neither text, nor in any document we have until after the New Testament, is satan clearly understood as the serpent in Eden. At Qumran, though, Satan is the leader of the forces of darkness; his power is said to threaten humanity, and it was believed that salvation would bring the absence of Satan and evil.

By the first century C.E., Satan is adopted into the nascent Christian movement, as ruler over a kingdom of darkness, an opponent and deceiver of Jesus (Mark 1:13), prince of the devils and opposing force to God (Luke 11:15–19; Matthew 12:24–27; Mark 3:22–23:26); Jesus’ ministry puts a temporary end to Satan’s reign (Luke 10:18) and the conversion of the gentiles leads them from Satan to God (Acts 26:18). Most famously, Satan endangers the Christian communities but will fall in Christ’s final act of salvation, described in detail in the book of Revelation.

But curiously, although the author of Revelation describes Satan as “the ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9; 20:2), there is no clear link anywhere in the Bible between Satan and the serpent in the garden. The ancient Near Eastern combat myth motif, exemplified in the battle between Marduk and Tiamat in Enuma Elish and Baal and Yam/Mot in ancient Canaan, typically depicted the bad guy as a serpent. The characterization of Leviathan in Isaiah 27 reflects such myths nicely:

On that day YHWH will punish
With his hard and big and strong sword
Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
Leviathan the twisted serpent,
And he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.

So the reference in Revelation 12:9 to Satan as “the ancient serpent” probably reflects mythical monsters like Leviathan rather than the clever, legged, talking creature in Eden.

In the New Testament, Satan and his demons have the power to enter and possess people; this is what is said to have happened to Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:27; cf. Mark 5:12–13; Luke 8:30–32). But when Paul re-tells the story of Adam and Eve, he places the blame on the humans (Romans 5:18; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:21–22) and not on fallen angels, or on the serpent as Satan. Still, the conflation begged to be made, and it will seem natural for later Christian authors—Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian, Irenaeus and Augustine, for example—to assume Satan’s association with Eden’s talking snake. Most famously, in the 17th century, John Milton elaborates Satan’s role in the Garden poetically, in great detail in Paradise Lost. But this connection is not forged anywhere in the Bible.


This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on April 8, 2016.


shawna-dolansky Shawna Dolansky is Adjunct Research Professor and Instructor in the program in Religion at the College of Humanities, Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. She coauthored the well-known The Bible Now (Oxford Univ. Press, 2011) with Richard Friedman.

 


Notes:

1. The book of Daniel was the latest book to be included in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and dates to about 162 B.C.E.


Related reading in Bible History Daily:

Who Is Satan?

Should We Take Creation Stories in Genesis Literally?

The Adam and Eve Story: Eve Came From Where?


All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library:

Satan’s Throne
How Did Adam & Eve Make a Living?
Dealing with the Devil
From Eden to Ednah—Lilith in the Garden
Was Eve Made from Adam’s Rib—or His Baculum?
Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today.


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186 Responses

  1. Patrick Tilton says:

    The Hebrew word NaChaSh is usually translated ‘serpent’ or ‘snake’, but its actual literal meaning is ‘Hisser’ and/or ‘Whisperer’. Since a serpent does make hissing sounds, then it qualifies as a ‘Hisser’ or ‘Nachash’ . . . but so does a Whispering Man or ‘god’ or ‘angel’.
    The story in GENESIS is like an Ovidian tale from the METAMORPHOSES, where a Whispering being — a literal ‘Nachash’ — is punished for ‘seducing’ Eve and Adam by being transformed into a different kind of ‘Nachash’, the ‘Hissing’ kind: a literal Serpent.
    The writers of GENESIS considered Snakes and Worms to be essentially the same kind of creature, a limbless tube-shaped slitherer with a head at one end. One of the punishments this ‘Serpent’ is to endure is to eat dust of the earth — which is something that earthworms are thought to do, but actual snakes do NOT do. The author(s) of GENESIS conflate the two types of creatures, in the mistaken belief that a Snake is a kind of ‘dust’-eating Worm and/or vice versa, that earthworms make hissing noises and, thus, can be referred to as ‘Hissers = ‘Serpents’.
    It’s no wonder that medieval bestiaries would refer to a Dragon, too, as a ‘Worm’ or ‘Wyrm’. The English word ‘Vermin’ comes from the same linguistic root.

  2. […] sanctuary dedicated to the god Apollo. According to Greek mythology, Apollo killed the massive snake Python at Delphi. Following his victory, a temple and an oracle was set up on this […]

  3. […] sanctuary dedicated to the god Apollo. According to Greek mythology, Apollo killed the massive snake Python at Delphi. Following his victory, a temple and an oracle was set up on this […]

  4. David Murray says:

    I also as a Bible believing Christian get tired of all the misinformation and derogatory remarks made by these so-called “professors” who all they do is try without effect to discredit and slander the Word of God………….Satan is REAL whether some of you want to believe it or not will be you own failing in the end…………..Christ spoke of the devil throughout the New Testament and specifically in 2 keys moments recorded; the first while he was in the desert for 40 days/nights undergoing Satan’s temptations and secondly while in the Garden of Gethsemane………BUT of you consider those historical events just stories then of course the whole idea behind your research is already biased and flawed…………Their are hundreds of early church writers who wrote specifically on the topic who would have had better historical evidence if you desire than we have today because many of these papers/documents unfortunately were destroyed and burned in countries waring with others over the centuries……..YES indeed we are are worst enemy t most times because in 2023 we are still killing the innocents for needless personal gain but that does not nor ever will dismiss Satan as being our #1 adversary here on earth

    1. Arthur says:

      Exactly. Besides all that, people tend to selectively argue from certain sources that give them either misinformation or disinformation, and then the run with it. They also just make things up out of thin air against the Biblical evidence by saying things like, ” like Yahweh’s messenger in Numbers 22, this satan acts on YHWH’s instructions (and as a result of God’s braggadocio) and is not an independent force of evil.” Yeah, right. The text itself mitigates against such a claim, as a personal, evil, spirit being is having a conversation with another Personal, spirit Being.

      So we can’t take such claims seriously, since they have no sound basis in good exegesis and understanding of the actual text, and seeks to only subvert what the text says and means.

    2. Colin Smith says:

      I agree David. There is this massive attempt to deconstruct the bible to no more than a comic book by scholars who should know better. Also are we to discard the testimony of demonic possession as witnessed by many catholic priests who are highly trained theologians or people who,have witnessed demonic occurences within their home. Why are so many scholars so obsessed with the bible if they believe it largely to be a work of fiction. Because there is potentially big money to be made out of discrediting the bible or doing real work like a priest has to attending to their flock.

    1. Charles Chi Halevi says:

      Folks, let’s remember that the Apocrypha were deliberately not included in Judaism b/c the ancient sages basically said they weren’t inspired by God and therefore not to be trusted.. Ergo, view anything you find there as not always being true.

      Keep in mind those sages were, chronologically, some 2,000 years closer to what was real. The Church fathers who canonized them were not (usually) reliable sources. They had their own agenda and modern scholarship has shown they lied. An example of this is when the Book of Matthew plagiarized Isaiah in that famous “Behold a virgin shall conceive” etc, etc.

      1. Anybody who speaks Hebrew knows that the word “alma” means a young female of child-bearing capability, not a bitula/virgin. Yes, each has a clearly defined meaning. The masculine for alma is “elem”. It is still used this way in Hebrew spoken in Israel and the Diaspora. Modern bibles

      2. Matthew really went off the grid when, in the same verse, he plagiarized Isaiah’s prophecy which said the alma’s son would be called “Emmanuel.” NOWHERE in the Christian Gospels does anyone say, “Thanks for the loaves and fishes, Emmanuel.” NOWHERE in the Gospels does anyone say, “Thank you for your healing me, for raising Lazarus, Emmanuel.” This is yet another proof — from Christian sources, mind you — that whomever wrote the Book of Matthew was hoist on his own petard.

      3. In the original Hebrew, this verse from Isaiah uses the PRESENT text. This means it cannot possibly refer to Jesus, who came about 7 centuries later.

      Toss out your old, inaccurate bible and look up Isaiah 7:14 in “Oxford’s New English Bible.” They too accurately refute the so-called virgin birth translation as I indicated above.

      And know that *all* the scholars who worked upon Oxford’s New English Bible were respected Christians, not Jews.

      1. Beelzebub Adam Schiff says:

        Emmanuel just means, God is with us. When I said the sinners prayer to accept Jesus as my savior from the first word to the very last word the Holy Spirit came on me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head and felt like electricity. It was supernatural and what are the chances this could happen the spit second I opened my mouth on the first word and that electricity stay on me till the very last word that was spoken and then the electricity lifted off of me? My guess is you have a better change of winning the lotto numbers than this happening by some freak accident. So no antichrist or Christ haters can ever convince me Jesus is not God with us. Jesus said whoever has seen me has seen God, is not the father in the son and the son in the father? Emmanuel means, God with us. Matthew 1:23
        John 10:30  I and my Father are one.
        Matthew 27:54 “Surely he was the Son of God!”
        Mark 15:39 “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
        2Pe 1:1 the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ

  5. AA says:

    -Since this site is focused on archeological attributes of religion, you might find a lot that can be interesting and history changer if you direct your attention to the real geo religious history of southern Arabia and its African opposing redsea coast ; nowadays Yemen, saudia Arabia , Oman , eritria, djebouti, Sudan, Somalia …..
    – another thing , you may find in the link to follow answers for most of the perplexities propagated by the Jewish biblical writers and the post Christ birth biblical writers …. the disastrous mix between what remained from the holy devine revelations ( books) to Moses meaning the Tawarah-Torah and Jesus “the Christ ” meaning the Injil-Gospel

  6. […] How The Serpent In The Garden Became Satan […]

  7. Enceladus says:

    In this essay the blogger states that the noun Satan means the adversary or accuser. But that is wrong. The noun Satan means attacker or to attack. Using this noun ” a Satan” can be used for a superhuman intelligence or human intelligence. And “The Satan” means -The Adversary- & -The accuser-. In the Old Testament narrative The Satan was a superhuman intelligence which played a role in the heavenly court, which is where he is recognized as an accuser or prosecutor.

    1. Rich M says:

      It’s a fine essay from a theological/biblical perspective. The problem here is we have a pre-biblical version of Adam and Eve from Ugarit with additional details, like an extra god Horanu. Without considering this original version, I feel that this essay is outdated.

      https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265184845_Review_of_Adam_Eve_and_the_Devil_by_Marjo_Korpel_Johannes_de_Moor_Sheffield_2014

  8. Tom Lucente says:

    The introduction of Milton failed to mention Paradise Lost as a plagiarized Adamo Caduto. The verses are almost word for word translations of the work which Milton read and copied when he visited Southern Italy.

  9. Surely you do not have time to read all these comments I’ll be brief. The Serpent in Genesis may represent human concupiscence James 1:14 the tree of life a personal relationship with God John 17:3 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil the human nature of putting oneself before our Creator. which all happpened in real life on Mount Masius.

  10. Steven L. Sloca says:

    When the Adam & Eve story was written, not only was the concept of Satan unknown, but the story had a very different meaning. The “Tree of Knowledge” was the symbol of Asherah (wife of El, the creator god in the Summerian pantheon) in her guise as Goddess of Wisdom. The serpent was the symbol of Asherah in her other manifestation as the Goddess of Fertility. The priests of Yahweh (Hebrew for El) were in a dogfight with the priestesses of Asherah over whether Yahweh was the “only” god, or whether there were many as Abraham’s followers had believed when they lived in Ur. The story–which is the second version of creation in the Bible–was written to try to stamp out Asherah worship. It didn’t succeed until after the Babylonian exile. Meanwhile, Asherah had become Athena and Aphrodite in the Greek pantheon.

  11. […] There are male and female counterparts, the tree and the fruit in the Edenic setting and even an ominous mention of a snake. It is likely that Longus knew some version of the Genesis story, whether by first or second hand. […]

  12. James says:

    Talking about God the Father and the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ and the author uses BCE and CE instead of BC AND AD.
    REVOLTING AND PAR FOR THE COURSE OF THE LEFT.
    If you change words they believe, well, you get “whatever they want to do to you” and if this happens, people, ALL PEOPLE, should come to their aid.
    But it always just the left allowed to change things , no one else.
    God Bless.
    James

    1. Robert Smith says:

      the New Testament has so many changes from the old one that it bears little resemblance to it. You teach the New Testament, so according to your claim and ONLY the left can make changes… YOU are the left? im confused here, does that mean you despise yourself? please enlighten us all with some more of your twisted hypocrisy.

    2. Rod Tyler says:

      The problem here is that you look to the NT to explain the Hebrew Bible, when it should be the other way around. The Hebrew Bible is what you look to, and only with the Hebrew Bible do you explain the NT. If the NT doesn’t match the concepts or meaning found in the Hebrew Bible, then the NT is wrong. The NT directly claims to be built off of the so-called prophetic texts of the Hebrew Bible. If I wrote a research paper about claims of a new religion and I used the Hebrew Bible as my source, my paper would be the one that would have to be criticized because it is making claims of an earlier already-written source.

      To put it this way: The Hebrew Bible can be true and the NT false, but the NT cannot be true and the Hebrew Bible false.

  13. M Graf says:

    The serpent in the garden, so much fantasy wrapped around a simple allegory. It’s amazing that no one can see the woman deceives the serpent. The key to understanding the meaning of serpent is in the root of the word, brass. This is the brass kingdom. Brass resembles gold when polished. But it’s exposure to the atmosphere causes it to tarnish and darken. God’s kingdom is symbolized as gold, as you know it maintains its sheen. Brass is made up of two models copper and zinc. The copper color represents the clay, and the shiny mirrorlike zinc represents the spirit. There was rebellion in God’s kingdom which brought about the casting out of God’s children the spirits. Now we serve time on earth in clay vessels. Our nature is rebellious against God, our father. It is all summed up in the Lord’s prayer. Our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name (not my name) thy kingdom come (not this kingdom of brass) thy will be done (not my will) on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread (understanding) and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation (God controls all the movements in this world) but deliver us from evil (from ourselves) for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory (we thought we were glorious beings above God we were wrong) forever. The serpent in the garden represents man. We are the most cunning animals God created. The woman represents the apostate churches of man. As brass serpents made of clay we go to our churches and we ask what did God say, teach me the way to regain my life. The churches of man are defiled, they do not seek God’s way, they seek their own way. All of the Christian churches of men or a breakaway of the Roman Catholic Church. This is the mystery in Revelation 17. Babylon the great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Babylon the word Babel, his religious confusion. What does it say in Genesis 11 let us make a name for ourselves. How many different name denominations do we have? In Genesis 11:3 it speaks of the mortar used, slime, the root of this word is wine. Wine represents the understanding of God’s word. It can also represent the misunderstanding. They use brick instead of stone. When building an altar to God, you are to use en honed stone. It is to be natural stone if man puts a chisel to it it is defiled. Churches of man are made of brick and held together by straw the people. When God returns and the truth is revealed the slime that holds the bricks together will melt and the churches will crumble. The story in the garden is about my marriage the woman and her husband. Not Adam and Eve. God’s church is represented by a pure woman that no man can defile. Directed to the Lord is the way to his church. No man can put his hands on the Lord’s pride. All of Christianity are the daughters of the Roman Catholic Church and abomination to the world. All of Christianity have taken with them doctrines of their pagan mother. For example, the first day of the week is not the seventh, Christ is not crucified on the cross, Christmas and Easter come directly out of paganism, there is no Trinity God is One. To mention a few. Returning back to the woman in the garden. The serpent says what did God say tenure eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. The woman replies yes but you cannot touch the tree that is in the midst of the garden and you cannot touch it. The only tree in the garden with the specifier is the tree of life, it is a tree in the midst, and represents Christ. The woman knows if you merely touched the hem of his garment you will be healed. The churches teach the way of Cain. Cain brought to God the fruit of his labor, in today’s terms that would be money. Abel brought the first of the flock and the best portion of the fat. If you examine the word fat in the Hebrew, you will find the root of the word is heart. Abel gave his heart to God, nothing else is acceptable. The account in Exodus were Moses was told to put a brass serpent on a pole, and if anyone was bitten by the venomous serpents in the camp (in this case the venom of man’s tongue) if they would concentrate their eyes on the serpent on the pole they would be healed. The serpent represented the coming of the Lord and his crucifixion. When the Lord put on the flesh by entering the world, he became a brass serpent. Our flesh is symbolically brass, as the earth is the brass kingdom and we now reside in clay vessels. So much for talking snakes. Adam Clarke was the only commentator that seriously researched the word serpent. He concluded it would take a revelation from God to ascertain its meaning. And he was right. The first few chapters of Genesis is not about the creation of the world, but establishing the metaphorical counterparts that would be used later in Scripture. In short, the mind of man is the garden. In the garden you have two trees the tree of life representing Christ and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil representing your own fall in spirit. You have the knowledge of good and evil and you can choose whichever tree you partake from. If you partake of the tree in the midst of the garden you will produce good fruit, these are the deeds towards your fellow man. If you partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this represents you yourself a fallen spirit whose inward nature is enmity towards God. You will produce bad fruit. Christ did not have an earthly father because he was not an impure spirit. He enters the world through hearing, not by seeing. We on the other hand are seed into the world via a waste track through an ejaculation out of the lust of the flesh. Because we are filthy spirits.
    Please excuse any typos or bad English. This was prepared using Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
    There is much more but I believe that’s enough for now. PS I believe you will enjoy the wiles of the wicked woman. In the Dead Sea Scrolls page 272. isbn-10-0-06-076662-x
    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Sea-Scrolls-New-Translation/dp/006076662X
    prostitutes hang out on the corner so they can be seen by more men. Also do churches build on the corners. Spiritual women with slick tongues.

    1. Wanto Warui says:

      You seem as if you are mixing issues. If in your understanding there was no Adam and no woman as you say; they represent other things, how then do you believe in any other name in the Bible? Jesus, David. Mary etc. If the tree of life was Jesus, and the tree of good and evil is me, who then was Adam, Eve and the woman created first?

  14. Stan Hansen says:

    Here are a few facts about satan you missed.

    The first Divine Law was not to mix the Adamic seedline with any of the other trees in the garden. Satan, the wicked one was more subtle, crafty, cunning, than any beast of the field. Eve said to the serpent we may eat of {the fruit} of the trees in the garden. Was it an orange tree, a plum tree, a plum tree, an apple tree, what kind of tree? The Father said you shall not eat or “Aw-Kal”=lay with, neither shall you touch it (Nachash) lest you die. The Father doth know that in the day you eat “AW-KAL”=lay with, your eyes shall be opened. The serpent was pleasing to her eyes because the serpent was a man (Nachash). Eve took of the fruit (seed line) and did “AW-KAL”=lay with the serpent and she gave also unto Adam [the man] and he did eat “AW-KAL”=lay with Lilith the mistress of the serpent/dragon/wicked one. There was no juiced up apple or fruit hanging from a tree. The only thing hanging was two and then four on the ground. Why would The Father punish Eve and all women with pain during child-birth if all she did was eat an apple? Why not just make all of her teeth fall out? Eve said “ The serpent beguiled me. “Naw-Shaw”=wholly seduced me and I did “AW-KAL”=lay with. The first Divine Law had been broken. Jesus The Father said to the serpent because thou has done this, you are cursed above every “beast of the field” including the Enosch/Chevyah=other 2 legged beings/Book of Jonah that had hands and feet that could walk up right, upon by belly shalt though go. Your children will be cursed and cannot grow their own food. I will put enmity or hate between thee (serpent/dragons seedline) = John 8:31, 44,47 and the woman (racial bride of Israel/the mans offspring or seed line) not Israel/the nation. When we turn to the Bible for knowledge and instruction, we are informed that the “beasts of the earth and field” were “created” among the lower “kinds of flesh” to fill their place in the Divine plan where they would be most needed. Their leaders had feathers in their heads.They were given erect posture, well-developed hands and feet, articulate speech; withal, tool-making and tool-handling bipeds (two-footed beasts) – possessing the essential characteristics to fit them for their position as servants.

    The third chapter of Genesis opens with this statement: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which The Alpha & Omega had made.” Here a beast of the field is introduced who is described as “more subtil” than any other of his “kind.” The Hebrew word translated “serpent” is nachash who, among his “kind”, was the most gifted. We have here a genuine “ah ha” moment in full support of the deduction that Nachash, an intelligent beast of the field, was a purebred Negro.

  15. brunov says:

    The Nachash of Genesis is not a snake but a (most certainly) beautiful being – maybe even with wings (according to Egypthian imagery). The first couple was amazed by its appearance.
    You assume that the people then did not know satan (the againster), what I doubt since the know it was not the Lord God speaking. The replacement of God, the nachash, impressed the people then. Footnote : the tree of good and EVIL was in the garden, so the choice was possible and that’s what the human couple did, chosing the side of the one against God. So even if they did not know the name they know the concept. I also think the note on Daniel is not only inapproriate but als misleading (say false – excuse me for the language).

  16. carmenk6 says:

    There is a very good description here: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003845
    The Satan, the spirit/angel that resisted God used the serpent like a ventiloquist. And thats why he is called the “original” serpent in Revelation 12.
    Satan is not a personal name but a title. The same is valid for another title for him: “devil” which means “liar or exactly slanderer”.
    Interesting is that this adversary is never mentionned by any personal name in the bible. And that is logical: whoever wants to use a personal name for a disdained person?

  17. RYAN MCGINNIS says:

    1st, if anyone believes the authors “made up mythology,” one would be stupid to buy into the idea that she knows anything.
    2nd, Shatan is called elsewhere in Scripture, “Heylel, Lewyathan, king of Tyrus, prince of Tyrus, Bel (Baal),” and Job (Yob) was a kinsman to Abraham, they lived in the same time period, so Abraham too, was well learned as to who Heylel really was.
    3rd, Yob’s friend, the Temanite was a distant cousin to Abraham, the book of Yob actually belongs between Genesis 15 and 27.
    4th, anyone that really knows the Hebrew, can verify that the Hebrew texts came before the Sumerian and Akkadian texts, it’s even documented in Genesis 4, that the sons of Seth (Ben Adam) were the first to call upon Yahweh (the Hebrew Name of Elohym), and that nothing in the texts are “myths.” Myths ate what have been “plagiarized ” from the Scriptures, and corrupted into their own stories.

  18. Walter R. Mattfeld says:

    I have written a book (published in 2010) titled _Eden’s Serpent: Its Mesopotamian Origin._ I present various theories as to who Satan is in his pre-biblical form by various scholars (1856-2010). My conclusions: Satan of the New Testament is not modeled after Old Testament Snakes, he is modeled after Hellenistic Greek Demons (after 330 BC). Plato taught that it was wrong to attribute evil to the gods, his followers agreed and blame for evil was cast upon the Demons (Greek: Daimon). That is to say, Christianity is a Hellenized from of Judaism, having accepted certain Hellenistic Greek ideas about the source of evil in the world. AS regards Eden’s Serpent, it is traced to pre-biblical myths that are Sumerian and Babylonian, regarding how man came to lose out at a chance to obtain immortality. The Mesopotamian account blames the god Ea (Sumerian Enki) for man’s loss at a chance to obtain immortality. Enki bore the Sumerian epithet usumgal/ushumgal “great dragon” or “great serpent,” a beast with four legs, two wings, two horns, serpentine body. Enki is famed for being mankind’s creator, and the god of wisdom and knowledge. He boasts of man: “I gave him wisdom but denied him immortality.” My book is available at Amazon.com on the internet. In 2010 I authored a second book titled The Garden of Eden Myth: Its Pre-biblical Origin in Mesopotamian Myths. Sumerian and Babylonian myths about man’s origins were recast by the Hebrews in the Genesis account of man being created in a place called ‘Eden, meaning “delight” in Hebrew. Apparently the Hbrews misunderstood the Sumerian myths about man’s being created in the EDIN, the uncultvated desert wilderness or steppe of modern Iraq, perhaps mishearing it, or mispronouncing it (homophone confusion)? EDIN is not a rare word, it was used as late as Neo-Babylonian Times (539 BC) as a COMMON substitute for seru, “wilderness.” Numerous scholars have noted the parallel between Enkidu and Shamhat in the Epic of Gilgamesh and Adam and Eve, what they missed was that Enkidu and Shamhat encounter each other in the EDIN (EDIN being used as a common logogram substitute for seru). Ea deprives Adapa of a chance to obtain immortality at Eridu, which lies in and is surrounded by the EDIN. My website, http://www.bibleorigins.net explores all this is greater depth.

    1. Juliette Seebe Armer says:

      Satan’s fall from heaven is well described in Ezekiel and Isaiah. The angel of light Lucifer, with other angels made war with the angels of God. His sin was pride. He thought he could be God. He is allowed to roam the earth as described in Job. His name was changed to Satan (adversary)and tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Revelation describes his end. His existence was before the garden of Eden as he was a Heavenly being. Thus he could take any form and beguile God’s creation into disobedience. Additionally the assumption that Sumerian and Babylonian civilization preempted Hebrew civilization is not well founded.

  19. JODA Collins says:

    Since Satan was unknown to Adam and Eve, Satan could not have appeared to them in the Garden. Thus, God does not allow anything or anyone that has not been first identified and clarified to human beings to exist in the lives of human beings. Got it.

  20. GKA says:

    A “borrowing” from contact with Persian Zoroastrians and Babylonian Demonology no doubt during the Hebrew exile in Mesopotamia.

  21. Alfonso says:

    Yo no conocia del pecado hasta que me dijeron eso es pecado y entonces perdí la inocencia .
    Todos hablan de la Biblia como si su Biblia fuera la única.
    Pero en lo que concuerdan no hablan para llevarse la contraria .
    La Biblia en lugar de unirlos los deshune el mismo Dios con diferente cara

  22. Jhan says:

    What are you people on?

    If you just use a little bit of common sense you would KNOW that a serpent, being a creature just like all the other animals, have nothing against God or the humans, would not tempt the humans to do something to sin against God, there’s no reason at all! This is just using common sense. WHY did you go there…

  23. Manny says:

    Romans 16:20 is probably an allusion to Gen 3:15’s serpent and Satan.

  24. DANI says:

    Nothing you have said here is correct. Nothing. The bible, the Authorized King James 1611 identifies the serpent in the garden as “that old serpent called the devil and satan” in Revelation 12:9:

    9 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.

    It is as clear as clear can be to those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

    The devil is not an “invented” creature. He was in the garden of Eden and it was he who tempted first Eve and when she succumbed to his lies, he used her to tempt Adam. There was no literal serpent in the garden and no “talking” serpent; he was simply used as an analogy that we may have something by which we may understand the devil’s character. Satan tempts men and women today in the same way he tempted Eve – by the power of suggestion. By inserting THOUGHTS into our minds.

    The Lord has so created the universe that we may learn spiritual truths by observing nature. Without it we would have no point of reference by which we could understand spiritual things. Unlike his progeny, Adam and Eve were not born. They came into this world as adults. They were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and were holy. They had absolutely NO KNOWLEDGE of evil. Thus they needed some instruction, which is what Adam was getting prior to Eve being made. The serpent was created in just such a way as to have all the characteristics of the devil…that we may understand what he is like. Serpents are, amongst other things:

    Cunning
    Subtil
    Cold-blooded
    Predatory – It is always seeking UNSUSPECTING prey to devour
    They slither – sneaky, lowdown, no boundaries
    Venomous/Poisonous
    It has a forked tongue – duplicitious/deceitful/lying
    Cannot be trusted, will ALWAYS bite you
    It devours its prey whole

    He was once an the anointed cherub responsible for directing worship to God. He was a beautiful angel named Lucifer. Isaiah 14:
    12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou
    cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
    13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
    14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
    15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
    16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
    17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that
    opened not the house of his prisoners?

    TWO
    The devil was in the garden of Eden IN SPIRIT tempting our first parents to sin as is evidenced from Genesis 3. He is a fallen angel, he is a spirit:

    Ephesians 6:10-12
    10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
    11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
    12 For we [Christians] wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS in high places.

    Adam named the animals in Genesis 2. That includes the serpent. How did this come about? God brought the animals to Adam to SEE what he would call them. Why did the Lord want to see what Adam would call the animals?

    Obviously (to those who have the Spirit of the Lord) the Lord had been busy instructing Adam. He had been taught certain characteristics about the devil (amongst other things) and accurately named the serpent based upon those characteristics. You can see proof of this when Adam was presented with his wife. He immediately saw that she was NOT like the animals, she was “bone of his bone” and “flesh of his flesh”. He accurately named her woman…because she was taken out of man. She shared his nature, his capacity for communion with God, his biological aspects (flesh, blood, bone, hair, eyes, etc.) his intelligence, etc.

    THREE
    “……..ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God”. Matthew 22:29

    Satan is indeed an independent force of evil as the above scriptures show. Neither does the Lord have any “braggadocio”. as you ascribe to him in your ignorance. What you do not and cannot see is that God is SOVEREIGN over his creation. Satan is a created being. His evil and his wickedness is his own, just as wicked men are responsible for their evil. God did not make him so anymore than he made man to sin against him in the garden of Eden or causes wicked men to sin against Him in these last days. The bible also speaks of him thus:

    Ezekiel 28:12-19
    12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him,
    Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in
    beauty.
    13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy
    covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the
    jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee IN THE DAY THAT THOU WAS CREATED.
    14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: THOU WAST UPON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF GOD; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
    15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, TILL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN THEE.
    16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with
    violence, AND THOU HAST SINNED: THEREFORE I WILL CAST THEE AS PROFANE OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD: AND I WILL DESTROY THEE, O COVERING CHERUB, FROM THE MIDST OF THE STONES OF FIRE.
    17 THINE HEART WAS LIFTED UP BECAUSE OF THEY BEAUTY, THOU HAST CORRUPTED THY WISDOM BY REASON OF THY BRIGHTNESS: I will
    cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
    18 THOU HAST DEFILED THY SANCTUARIES BY THE MULTITUDE OF THINE INIQUITIES, BY THE INIQUITY OF THY TRAFFICK; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to
    ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
    19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou
    shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

    Job was a righteous man in the estimate of God. Yet something was lacking. This Job needed to see. So God ALLOWED Satan to do what he did in order that He might prove or test the faith of Job. He did it for his own purpose and it wrought in Job that which He foreknew that it would – Increased faith and a higher and greater manifestation of the Lord in Job’s life.

    “But curiously, although the author of Revelation describes Satan as “the ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9; 20:2), there is no clear link anywhere in the Bible between Satan and Eden’s talking snake.”

    There was no snake in the garden, much less a talking one. The serpent is simply a “type” of Satan, a metaphor…an analogy by which we may understand his character. The bible does not call him and “ancient serpent” but an old serpent for it was he who was in the garden and it was he who tempted Eve. The reference in revelation could not be clearer to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Nor is Jesus defeat over Satan “temporary”. Satan is now and forever a defeated foe. He “walketh about like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour”. He knows that his time is short.

    Revelation 12:12
    12 “…… Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is
    come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a
    short time.”

    1. James says:

      Dani, thank you! This is the answer I’ve been looking for. I actually looked up “historical context of the serpent in the bible” to find this article, however I only got a couple paragraphs in and the alarm bells were ringing. I mean, I have only been a Christian for a little over a year and am growing a lot, so I don’t know very much about theology and biblical history or anything, but I am fascinated with knowing more! Especially about the linguistics and meanings of words and symbols and such. I wanted to learn why they use the serpent/what they associate it with; part of the reason that I looked up the context/meaning behind the serpent is because I just read Genesis 3 and I remember reading Mark 16

      Mark 16:15-18 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

      Jesus says that believers will be able to handle snakes. Anyways, perhaps the meaning/association is simple to those who have developed/grown in their faith, but to me I am very curious about the references across the bible of “serpents”. Your answer helped answer some of my questions and then some, so thank you again. I know this is probably a long shot since you posted this comment 5 years ago, but I was hoping you’d be able to help me grow in my faith and help answer some questions I have about this topic. If you read this, please let me know, I would be deeply grateful. Thanks!

  25. Ryan McKernan says:

    While there are some good points made in the essay, which I found quite helpful, overall I found this essay rather confusing. In the absence of any clear text to refute it, I think there are clear enough texts linking the serpent of Eden to Satan. It seems obvious to me that our understanding of Satan, as with many people and concepts in the Bible, developed through progressive revelation. In 2 Corinthians 11 there is a comprehensible link between the serpent who deceived Eve (v3) and Satan who masquerades as an angel of light (v14). Along with Revelation 12:9, I have no problem accepting that the serpent in the garden of Eden was, in fact, one and the same being as Satan, the devil and chief fallen angel (Matt. 25:41). The fact that he gets enchained for a thousand years to prevent him deceiving the nations (Rev. 20:3), and then gets released for that purpose one last time, only to get punished eternally in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10) only increases the already high probability that we are speaking of the same dark, spiritual entity.
    Thank you and may God guide you.

  26. Che Kelvin says:

    Just to say am blessed and inspired by this teaching.
    Am a young preacher of the Gospel, and have always wonder the mission of a serpent, and Jesus even gave us power over serpent, and today the Spirit leaded me here, so, am happy because it will help me a lot.

  27. J.Miles says:

    Dolansky’s presupposition that culture is the derivative of religion makes clear that she is writing this article from an obvious liberal worldview. E.i. “…the concept of the devil had not been invented…”

    Dolansky, like Eve, has believed the lie told by the Serpent in the Garden who calls the Word of God into question, “Surely you will not die…you will eat and your eyes will be open and you will become like God… (Genesis 3).”

    The command by God was simple and clear, “do not eat…” They ate, and at that point they’re communion with their creator had been eternally severed. The spiritual death was immediate and the gradual physical death ensued.

    Thanks be to God that at that time He preached of the deliverance that was to come through the seed of the woman who was destined to bruise the head of the serpent Gen 3:15…The serpent’s seed was to bruise the heal of the woman’s seed.

    Both of these acts told in Gen 3 were manifested and came to fruiton at the cross.

    Repent and believe the Good news! God has provided the Christ, the son of the living God, who both God and Man led a sinless life and willingly offered himself up by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and then by rising from the dead He purchased a place in heaven for those who repent of their sins and trust in Him.

    This truth is plain throughout the Old Testament, which is the New Testament concealed, and the New Tesrament, which is the Old Testament Revealed, that the Love story explained above was planned from the very beggining of creation.

    We don’t invent God, we can only disobey and attempt to be like God, by elevating ourselves above His Word like our mother Eve…

  28. J.T. Smith says:

    Once again we’re looking at Jewish tradition through the wrong lens. There is in fact no Devil properly identified anywhere in the Bible because, while there are various demons, there is no singular demon that rules over them in Jewish tradition. Just as Hell is also not found in Jewish tradition; in fact, Hell is bastardized from Greek traditions.

  29. Cjs says:

    The God of the creation of matter,must have been learning by his mistakes,that’s the reason man is flawed, I was fine being no matter bathed in endless love and the light of the infallible indescribable unnameable,unknowable,immeasurable perfect ,soul, and I will be again

  30. Walter R. Mattfeld says:

    Why the universal Flood according to the Mesopotamian myths? The Epic of Atrahasis provides us with the answer, not the Epic of Gilgamesh, nor the Enuma Elish. In the former Epic, we are informed that the gods have built cities in the Sumerian EDIN to live in, they have bodies of flesh and can starve to death if they don’t have food to eat. They create fruit tree gardens to provide produce to consume, dates, figs, pomengranates, apples, wheat for bread and beer and wine. The senior gods (the Annunaki) task the junior gods (the Igigi) with the gardening chores, planting, weeding, harvesting, building irrigation canals, clearing them of clogging sediments, night and day, for 40 years with no rest at any time. The junior gods object, and for 40 years their clamor/noise is heard and ignored, objecting to having no rest from toil. They rebel at Nippur and threaten to kill En-lil, the chief Annunaki god there. Fearing for his life, he summons EA of Eridu (another Annunaki) who states that the revolt is justified, the junior gods’ clamor has been unjustly ignored for too long. He reaches a solution, EDIN’S gardens will have a new gardening slave, mankind. A junior god is slain, his flesh and blood mixed with EDIN’S clay, animates the clay giving man life. The goddess Mami announces to the Igigi gods (Junior gods) “I have transferred your toil to man, and I have also transferred your CLAMOR/NOISE to mankind too! For over 600 years man’s clamor in Edin’s gardens is for a rest from gardening toil. This is ignored by both Annunaki and Igigi. En-lil of Nippur claims that man’s unceasing clamor denies him rest by day and sleep by night. He will get his rest by killing all of mankind with a flood. The flood is sent and on the SEVENTH DAY all of mankind is dead, drowned in the universal flood waters, except those on a boat, who were warned by the God Ea of Eridu to build a boat and save the seed of man and animal kind for a post-flood restoral of life. On the SEVENTH DAY of the flood all the gods can now rest by day and sleep by night with man’s demise. Here, in the Epic of Atrahasis, is the possible Mesopotamian origin of Yahweh-Elohim’s seventh day of rest. The Hebrews, objected to why a flood, why man’s destruction in a flood, they also objected to why man was made, to be a gardening slave in EDIN’s city-gardens. My book published in 2010, The Garden of Eden Myth: Its Pre-biblical Origin in Mesopotamian Myths, is available at Amazon.com.

  31. Walter R. Mattfeld says:

    I believe Robert is correct, the Serpent is called “the Deceiver” and this fits Satan as portrayed in the New Testament. I have published a book (in 2010) titled Eden’s Serpent: Its Mesopotamian Origins. Illustrated and with maps. It presents various scholars proposals as to what Mesopotamian god is behind Genesis’ Serpent in the Garden of Eden ( proposals from circa 1858-2010, by 40 scholars). The book is available at Amazon.com on the internet. My understanding? The book of Genesis was written between 562-560 BC in the Exile at Babylon. It seeks to refute Babylonian explanations for how man came to be created and why he was destroyed later in a universal flood (motifs found in Genesis). Many scholars, 1858-2010, understand the Hebrews took Mesopotamian myths and recast them into a monotheistic mold. How did an angel called ha-satan, in the Old Testament, and obedient to God’s directives, come to possess the power in the New Testament, to be able to defy God and seek to destroy’s God’s worshippers? The answer: The New Testament was written in Greek, in the first century A.D. By this time Hellenistic Greek ideas about the source of evil in the world, developed by Greek schools of philosophy, had come to be accepted by some Jews (Greeks ruled over Judaea from 332 BC to 65 BC). A common explanation for evil in the world was the Greek DIAMON (English: Demon). A being having the power to defy the gods and lead man into evil acts. Earlier Greek speculations taught good and evil was from the gods, Plato objected. It must be taught that evil is not from the gods, his followers blamed the DAIMONS (DAEMONS) for evil, letting the gods off the hook. The New Testament, written in Greek, blames Demons for evil in the world, and Satan the Devil is the leader of the Demons (Daimons). So the Old Testament’s ha-Satan “accuser” was transformed in Hellenistic times into the prince of Demons, thanks to post-Platonic Hellenistic Greek thought. In Egypt, a Greek-ruled state, like Judaea, the Prince of Daemons was the Sun-god, envisioned as able to take on the form of a human being as well as that of a great serpent. This being was worshipped and implored for help by men, to overcome their enemies. This Daemon or his demonic subordinates could enter the bodies of humans and over power them, causing them to do evil acts. Human sorcerers claimed, for a fee, that they could remove Daemons from afflicted humans and restore their minds and health by invoking magic spells. My book goes into greater detail on all of this. So, the Book of Revelation is, as Robert Alan King noted, correctly identifying Satan and the Devil with the Old Serpent that deceives the whole world (Eden’s Serpent deceived Eve), but this is a post-Platonic, Hellenistic Greek concept about Daemons being the source of evil and discord in the world. I also cover the subject at my website http://www.bibleorigins.net in greater detail. My second book (published 2010) is The Garden of Eden Myth: Its Pre-biblical Origin in Mesopotamian Myths. Once again, various scholars proposals are presented, 1858-2010, on how the Hebrews recast the Sumerian myths about Edin’s motifs on why man was created to care for a god’s garden and why later destroyed in a flood. Ancient Sumer called the desert-like land which was uncultivated wilderness, the EDIN (ancient Sumer is modern Iraq). Two rivers flowed through Edin, the Tigris and Euphrates. Irrigation canals from these two rivers fed the gardens of the gods located at cities built and inhabitated by the gods. Eventually the gods tired of caring for their gardens in the midst of the EDIN and decide to create man to be their gardening slave. Man will care for their gardens of Edin on their behalf.

  32. Roy Boltz says:

    I believe Adam/man is the serpent described in Genesis. I believe this because it was revealed to me in profound way as a practicing “christian”.

    I read scripture, I cannot find reference anywhere that there is not an opentire dor for this interpretation. When one reads of the creation account, it would appear factors of multiply and divide as oposed to addition or subtraction. The event regarding this descriptive nature of “let the earth bring forth or let the waters bring forth”. When the woman was created, she was created in paradise. The man was brought forth from the earth. Just like all the other creatures of the field only for by Thier hand he was made in Their likeness and image before and after they were physically seperated. The two being separated are not the Image of Most High until Most High brings them back together in a covenant of marriage.
    Bonnie the cat in the belly of the whale.

  33. Johan Nel says:

    Check the mythology of serpent and tree in other ancient literature. The Serpent was regarded as a very special creature, a “god”. If the Bible was inspired by God,than it is written for all generations ,with clues that will even make it more comprehensible in our age. (invisible became visible when observed-quantum physics-, earth that hangs on nothing, serpent mythology, indicating a being that can be associated with the tree of knowledge etc.)

  34. Mary Wang says:

    “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.” (Rev 12:9 ASV)

    “And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,” (Rev 20:2 ASV)

    ——The above sentences are enough to make it clear that Satan is the old ancient dragon, the Devil, the dragon, the deceiver of the whole world (looking at what a big proportion of idol-worshipers, atheists and all other non-Christians, you surely know how big the satanic deceiving power is.)
    But it is informative for the writer to offer the etymological concept and expressions of Hebrew language.

  35. Rhonda says:

    Consider Ezekiel 28:13 where it says of the “anointed cherub” (Ezek. 28:14): “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God….” It was he who was to be cast out of the mountain of God, as it says in Ezekiel 28:16. Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Jesus saw that He was cast out.
    Also, in Matthew 4:1 and 3 it reveals that the devil is the “tempter,” and Eve was tempted to sin in the Garden. There is too much evidence recorded in the Bible that points to Satan being the one tempting Eve in the Garden, using the serpent as his vessel. Even if Satan sent one of his demons to do it, he is still the one in authority over the spirits in rebellion to God.
    When Elymas the sorcerer tried to keep the deputy from having faith (Acts 6-13), he was called by Paul the “child of the devil.” In his statement, being filled with the Holy Spirit, he said of the sorcerer, “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil….” The child of the devil was “full of all subtilty,” as the serpent in the garden is described, in Genesis 3:1. Consider that the devil, the old serpent, the great dragon, had his name placed, by the Holy Spirit, in the midst of the accusation towards the sorcerer.
    In Revelation 1:1, it reveals to us that the terms “the great dragon…that old serpent…the Devil, and Satan,” were included in the revelation given by the angel of God, from Jesus, from God. Those terms were revealed by God, and John wrote what he was given in the revelation. Just something to consider.

  36. Robert Alan King says:

    It may be true that the association of the serpent with Satan was slow in coming and not found in the OT. In fact, Philo saw it as metaphorical and Josephus did not associate it with Satan, but with a real talking animal. Nevertheless, this is not surprising, for Adam and Eve probably did not understand who the serpent was themselves since they did not even have a grasp of good and evil when this took place. The way it is told in Genesis may very well be from the perspective of Adam and Eve, describing how they experienced it. In addition, God’s revelation has always been progressive in which he wants mankind to learn one truth before they learn another that build upon that first truth. In this way, what God wishes to teach us is founded upon a firm and logical foundation. For example, God wanted us to first learn that he was only one being, firmly establishing this in the psyche of mankind before revealing the secondary truth that he is one being with three centers of consciousness (what we call “persons”).

    Nevertheless, it is incorrect to assert that the apostles of Christ did not make this association between the serpent and Satan. If one compares all the NT passages about the devil, Satan, etc., there is little doubt that they understood Satan, the devil, and the serpent as all one and the same. For example, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom 16:20 ASV). This is almost certainly referring to Gen 3:15. The Greek word here for “bruise” is not the same Greek word in the LXX of Gen 3:15, but the Hebrew word there (used only 3 times in the OT) is translated elsewhere in Job 9:17 as ἐκτρίβω. In our passage here in Rom 16:20, the Greek word is συντρίβω. Both of these words are compounds using τρίβω, thus showing that Paul may very well have written this with the Hebrew passage in mind.

    In addition, the statement by Dolansky below is not quite telling the whole story:

    “So the reference in Revelation 12:9 to Satan as ‘the ancient serpent’ probably reflects mythical monsters like Leviathan rather than the clever, legged, talking creature in Eden.”

    The relevant Bible verses in Revelation actually read:

    “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.” (Rev 12:9 ASV)

    “And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,” (Rev 20:2 ASV)

    You will note that Dolansky neglects to mention that these passages not only associate Satan with the serpent, but the devil as well. It is quite clear here that the author of Revelation believes that the dragon, the old serpent, the devil, and Satan are one and the same. Also notice the thought of “deceiver of the whole world,” which correlates well with the idea of Satan, the devil and the serpent as a liar and a deceiver as found throughout the NT.

    As admitted by Dolansky, Satan as the serpent was the understanding among the early church fathers, which includes that of Justin Martyr who penned such ideas about 50 years or so after Revelation was written. After reading this article by Dolansky, readers should look up every passage in the NT that mentions the devil, the serpent, and Satan. The association and implication that the serpent in the garden was the devil and Satan is only a short leap of logic that necessitates this as the most probable deduction.

    Pastor Robert Alan King
    Biblecommentator.com

  37. JustSomeGuy says:

    To say that satan was just a way of describing a reptilian part of our brain, is nonsense.
    The bible says Jesus was tempted in every way, yet was without sin, so as He was both fully God and fully man, this idea would assume that Jesus tempted Himself as satan didnt actually exist and was just a figment of His imagination.

    I find the authors ideas equally nonsensical. It is clear and precise to anyone who has read the bible that the connection between the serpent and satan is unmistakeable

  38. peterk51 says:

    The statement ” the concept of the devil had not yet been invented” speaks a volume about the author, for whom the bible is apparently only an ‘invention’ and evolution of ‘human invention’. According to such interpretation the Bible Stories are only fairy tales for the kids to put them to sleep or something to talk about around the camp fire.
    The honorific titles and the field of expertise of the author in the context of this appalling article is reminiscent of the experts in the Pentateuch challenging Jesus about the resurrection (Mt 22:23ff) to whom Jesus replied: “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God”, (Mt 22:29) and quoting from the Pentateuch he refuted their argument.
    The same answer applies to the author.
    What is ‘talking serpent’ if not a metaphor and the very concept of the ‘Satan’ (the chief of fallen angels) who contradicts God and implies God is a liar?
    That it is so is confirmed in Gen 3:15

    15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your seed and her seed;
    he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.

    for the enmity exists not between humanity and snakes, but between humanity and the Satan and all fallen angels.

  39. James Glinski says:

    The name serpent in the garden has several Hebrew meanings and fits the story . Destroyer ….poisoner ….corruptor and fills the bill concerning this spirit inside of flesh .no legs can’t stand up right before god ..poisoner out of the serpents mouth poison.. My belief is that it breathed its spirit in to Cain just like god did to Adam and Jesus did to his students to transfer his holy spirit to them .the serpent did this to corrupt gods work .and till this day humanity has carried this poison around .thats why a spiritual renewal is needed . so man has a duel spirit the two dogs the yen yan the black and white floor squares of the masons lodge the two spirits of budaism ..the call to be born from above by Jesus to remove this problem .if they would have just stayed with the definition it would be clear as to purpose of this creature .but a serpent does come close .jim

  40. Steven says:

    Not a word about what Judaism has to say on the matter? ::::heavy sigh:::: Sadly, the Christian version of Satan is more akin to the Zoroastrian deity, Ahriman (a.k.a. Angra Mainyu). The proto-Rabbinic Jewish Sages attempted to demythologize the “Satan” of Jewish folklore, whom they viewed as being the Prosecuting Attorney in the Heavenly Court, the Messenger (Angel) of Death, and the Evil Imagination (Yetzer Ha-Ra) that exists within each of us.

    This Evil Inclination isn’t “evil” in and of itself, because without it we wouldn’t engage in business, build a home, marry, or have kids. It only becomes evil when we allow our selfish desires to run amok. Basically, our Evil Impulse (our inner-Satan) is little more than our Survival Instinct and Sex Drive, which is linked to our biological clock (i.e., the Angel of Death). There are no cosmic GPS coordinates for the Heavenly Court, which exists within each of us, wherein our Heavenly Father is supposed to be enthroned. In Judaism, Satan is not a fallen angel, because he stands in the Heavenly Court, day and night, accusing mankind before the Throne of G-d.

    Read the following:

    – “Demonic Desires: ‘Yetzer Hara’ and the Problem of Evil in Late Antiquity” by Ishay Rosen-Zvi
    – “Paul and Rabbinic Judaism: Some Rabbinic Elements in Pauline Theology” by W.D. Davies, Chapter 2 – “The Old Enemy: The Flesh and Sin,” pp. 17-35.
    – “Everyman’s Talmud” by A. Cohen, Chapter III – “The Doctrine of Man,” especially, Section IV – “The Two Impulses,” pp. 93-99.
    https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/9243/do-religious-jews-generally-believe-the-serpent-of-garden-of-eden-was-satan

  41. marrians2 says:

    This is Biblical historian who do not believe in the Bible at all! They want to claim very different writers of Genesis. So they came up with THE YAHWIST and THE ELOHIST theory. One of the reason is that the people who call them self Jews are the Hebrew or Israel of ancient time. They are by their own claim Ashkenazi which are German and Mesopotamia descent. This is not Hebrew because their is no DNA on record of the Hebrew people today. So if you don’t believe the serpent you can’t believe that, “Japheth would dwell in the tents of Shem;” Gen 9:27. The word god did not exist in ancient time but both YAH, ELOHIYM, EL, Baal, Dagon did! Ebla, Summer and other ancient people wrote these facts.

    They also rather believe the Babylonian myth, over Moses account and if you look at them both you can easily without any interpretation see the difference.

    Anything you will believe instead acknowledging that YAHWEH, YAHSHUA and THE HOLY SPIRIT are separate INDIVIDUAL SPIRIT BODY BEINGS that created the Universe and man! I am a Biblical Historian and I believe in the Bible that was written in the Phonetician Script which is Afrikan and not Semitic that I stood up for back in college in the 70’s. I can challenge any of these unbelieving writers to the validity of the Bible in its original form and not just the Tyndale or the King James versions!

    1. marrians2 says:

      Correct not the Hebrew or Israel of ancient times.

      Marrian Stinson

    2. Steven says:

      ::::heavy sigh::::

  42. mikeb says:

    One thing is certain, Satan does not have a bifurcated tail or a pitchfork. He is instead attractive and clever. His seductive advice leads to pain and unhappiness. He is rather much like George Clooney, for example.

  43. mikeb says:

    Recall in Genesis 3 that the “serpent” doesn’t become a “serpent” until God takes his legs away (presumably) and forces him to slither on the ground after his deed in the garden. It doesn’t help that Genesis calls the character the “serpent” (in English translations) prior to the “serpent” actually becoming a true “serpent.”

    Conceivably, and reasonably, whatever we call the character, he appeared to Eve in the form of a human man, and was later turned into a snake.

    Conceivably, and less reasonably, the character appeared to Eve in the form of, say, a talking Iguana, and was later turned into a snake. His short legs were removed, but he was a “serpent” both before and after his encounter with Eve.

    There is much to be fleshed out in Genesis 1 through 3, where the truth about the origins of man and the conscious awareness of self and God by man is told using the mechanisms available to the late 3rd century BC writer. The Deceiver-Adversary-Accuser appears throughout the Bible, and he comes in many forms. And he still does. I see him in the news every day.

  44. John Ronning says:

    Where to begin? First, the opening line includes a slightly off translation of Gen 3:1; the serpent is described as “more clever than all the beasts of the field . . .” – doesn’t explicitly call him one of the beasts of the field. Small point, perhaps, because just the word “serpent” seems to be enough to classify him as just an animal, but in context (both before and after genesis 2-3) there are problems. Genesis 1 puts humans over the animals and unique as being God’s images, but in Genesis 3 a supposed animal knows about divine affairs that humans don’t. Who is it that has knowledge of good and evil? God, the serpent, and the cherubim (angels) mentioned at the end of the chapter (but not including Adam and Eve before the temptation), hinting that the animal serpent was simply used by an evil version of the cherubim. Isaiah 6 points in the same direction as the “Seraphim” (a word that elsewhere means “poisonous snakes”) are angelic creatures which look like “pre-cursed” versions of the serpent in Gen 3:14 (they fly, have hands and feet, and most of all call God holy, whereas the serpent crawls on his belly and calls God a liar). Then you have the fulfillment of the enmity predicted in Gen 3:15 not between humans and snakes, but between two types of men, beginning with Cain and Abel. Cain is transparently obviously portrayed as what is meant by the serpent’s offspring, being like the serpent in three obvious ways – a liar, a murderer, and cursed by God, so the “parentage” between Cain and the serpent is obviously not to be taken literally, which means the tempter is not literally a snake, but the snake is a figurehead for the spiritual father of fallen mankind. As the author states, it took a long time before he was named “Satan,” but he is given other names in the OT, such as Rahab and Leviathan, both of whom are called “evil serpent” (Isa 27:1; Job 26:13 – see Cyrus Gordan for this translation); at Ugarit Leviathan was called L-T-N and further described as having seven heads, like we see in the book of Revelation. Psalm 74 describes the crushing of his heads, alluding to the defeat of the Egyptians at the Red Sea, using the language of Genesis 3:15. This and more at: http://postbiblical.info/PDFS/The_Curse_on_the_Serpent.pdf

  45. vinmarkton says:

    i like george cloony’s discription from”brother where art thou”…, with a bifurcated tail and pitchfork…

  46. Caroline Ferris says:

    What if the “ancient serpent” is highly metaphorical, and refers to our ancient reptilian brain, that which causes us to commit acts of violence including fratricide, murder and genocide? Our higher brains, the seat of consciousness and spirituality, must battle with our instinctive reptilian brain in order for us to behave more like angels and less like animals. This conflict occurs within each of us, and should not be taken as a literal talking snake in the garden.

  47. JAMES MORTENSEN says:

    pretty devious to say “no connection”
    between the “ancient serpent” and
    “nachash” in Eden.

  48. Christopher Kou says:

    The article states:

    ‘In Numbers 22, the prophet Balaam, hired to curse the Israelites, is stopped by a messenger from Israel’s God YHWH, described as “the satan” acting on God’s behalf.’

    I believe this is incorrect. The Numbers 22:22 passage does not contain the direct article in reference to the adversary. Rather it reads לְשָׂטָ֣ן ל֑וֹ, which is “to be adversary,” with the preposition לְ. This marks use as most certainly attributive, rather than a designation of rank or name.

  49. robert roberg says:

    Thanks Miss Dolansky,
    this is the best thing I’ve ever read on the topic.
    robertroberg.com

  50. PC1 says:

    PS I would also take issue with the Note, that the book of Daniel dates from 162 BC. There is ample evidence for a much older date.

  51. PC1 says:

    I dont think it is clear that satan and the serpent in Genesis are not connected anywhere in the NT. The fact that satan/devil is referred to as ‘that old serpent’ or ‘who sinned from the beginning’ strongly links them together – I suppose it depends on how one defines ‘clear’. But the serpent in Genesis is clearly sinning ‘from the beginning’ by trying to get the humans to disbelieve God’s words, not to have ‘faith’ or trust in Him. Is that not the basis of sin? Which is why he is also called the ‘deceiver’. I think this is an example of progressive revelation, whereby God does not reveal or explain everything that is going on at the one time.

    It also begs the question, if the serpent in Genesis is NOT satan/devil, what/who is he? Just a talking snake?

  52. Eric Earl says:

    I would have thought that the book of Job should have been mentioned.
    2: 1 On another day the angels[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
    Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
    3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
    It would seem that his revealing was progressive and his plan of thwarting God’s purpose was finally revealed by God’s son at the end of the bible in order to tie the whole book together.
    PC

  53. Rachel says:

    “Once again, the satan is not Satan who we read about in the New Testament.” I and with all due respect ask you a simple question on the quoted sentence from your article. On what evidence do you base this assumption of yours? The New Testament clearly identifies the Satan in both the Old and New Testaments as a real living character in the bible from Genesis to Revelation. To a Christian, the bible is from Genesis to Revelation. In Revelation 12, the identity of that “serpent of old” is revealed for indeed the Greek word “apokalupsis” means to uncover aka to identify.
    The use of definite articles in both Hebrew (Aramaic) and Greek clearly apply to characters, without it, then it is generic, but you seem to accept the opposite understanding—
    “The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1. Is it possible that we finally have Satan here portrayed?”

    God and Jesus “spoke” with a real living character titled Satan and with the definite article added for good measure in both the Old and New Testaments of the bible
    and that is good enough for me. {Sincerely written, R}

  54. Jacob says:

    In the earliest texts of man, from the very 1st documented civilization, there is a story of adamu, which means 1st man. although it is told differently, it has nearly identical pieces of the story that would be considered too coincidental. for instance the mention of man being made from the rib of god is in both stories, this and many other undeniable evidences that prove the story is true. but the older story identifies by name, certain key characters in the creation epic.

    1. Creator of Humans – Ea, AKA Enki, Poseidon, the Serpent in the garden!
    2. Ruler of Earth – Hu, Aka Enlil, (Ea’s younger brother) Zeus, Son of, or Yahweh
    3. Marduk AKA Devil, Ra, Son of Ea
    4. Nannar, Son of Hu, AKA Allah, St Michael
    5. Ninurta, 1st born of Hu, AKA Ares, St Gabriel, Thor
    6. Anu, father of Ea and Hu, Ruler of Heaven (Nibiru)

    Do your research, and you can’t deny these conclusions. I doubt the site would even publish this.. but lets try!

  55. Jody says:

    What about revelation 12:5-9. When I read that it makes sense that the devil didn’t come into play until after Jesus was born. ???

  56. CHAY says:

    Observation of my and multitudes of others behaviour, has left one thought…
    That when the old serpant was tossed out, the followers as well, its hard to deny that the followers are humanity.
    Take a look at how man is to other beings of life, be it human, pets, so called stock, we consume with great glee, leaving other beings of life in misery.
    We rip, rape, poison, and tear apart the very mother we exist apon EARTH, WE DEGRADE LIFE…. GOD CREATES LIFE…WE TAKE AND DESTROY

  57. Spencer says:

    God does not lie as many people thinks he lied when he said to Adam and Eve that “For In The Day You Eat The Forbidden Fruit, You Shall Surely Die”
    And Adam lived 930 years and died..
    The fact is Adam and Eve died the same day they eat the fruit in the eyes of God because in (2 Peter 3 Vs 8) says A thousand years is like one day in the eyes of the lord, so they actually died the same day and no one has ever lived more than a day ever since then.. the oldest man Methuselah lived 969 years and died which is still not up to a day in the eyes of the lord

  58. Robert says:

    Please see the book “Genesis Characters and Events in Ancient Greek Art.”
    http://www.genesisingreekart.com
    The book could have been title “The Serpent’s Side of Eden.”

  59. Isaiah 27:1 says:

    Isaiah 27:1
    In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong,
    Will Punish Leviathan the fleeing SERPENT,
    Leviathan that Twisted SERPENT;
    And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.

  60. AnotherJerry says:

    As far as Isaiah 14 goes, ‘lucifer’ is latin for ‘morning star’, it is not a proper name. The KJV guys didn’t know what to make of the Hebrew, so they simply copied the word from the Vulgate. That’s why modern English translations don’t use ‘Lucifer’.

  61. timewilltell says:

    Jerry I really like that about the NIV being the non inspired version because I am a strict traditional King James Version person! That is most definitely is a thought provoking statement!

  62. jerrym83 says:

    GARDEN OF SIN
    We currently live in a vast high tech powered world absolutely full of sin (Romans, chapter 3: verse 23) and according to a very huge number or majority of Christian people this is mostly all due to Adam and Eve’s harsh and quite stupid disobedience towards our Gods’ willful warnings concerning the forbidden killer tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

    There are yet many of us 21st century Christian’s who are still spiritually dead living on the boundary lines (or dangling and walking atop a fence) shifting back and forth from a secular world to a Christian world, however, being yet sinners from the very beginning of our own physical birth (Ephesians, chapter 2: verses 1 through 2).

    It should now be quite self evident to most people that due to our very own personal state of being in Gods’ perfected eyesight, we are all also currently standing right before that same six thousand year old fourth stage God used on Adam for his best development:
    Genesis, chapter 3: verse 22…..

    22. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

    If this is all true, according to all we’ve come to know up to this point, we still know and we still believe with all of our hearts that Adam did the absolute unspeakable kind of harmful sin, Adam drug all of us offspring children in with him, by willfully disobeying our same Creator, God.

    Also, according to all people of today are concerned, we all have come to understand (up to this point that is) the answers here can only have one resolution on hand, Adam willfully disobeyed God and we people of today have indirectly become a very long ranged unwilling victim of a widespread generational enemy called, spiritual death; much of us extreme high tech minded seekers of our own unanswerable mysteries are still (yet) spiritually dead to Godly will and ways.

    Therefore, we people of today have come to learn from those many long years of church services, sitting constantly under our bulging belt lines of Biblical confusion, according to the strange and often confusing content nature of the Biblical intentions behind our Gods’ reasoning for our existence, Adam sort of did precisely and exactly what God had warned against, and also what God merely assumed Adam would.

    In fact, the churches in our day and time strongly implies God sort of had an assumed idea things at the beginning of physical creation would just work out to be good and ok with mankind, and that mankind would remain morally upright and not sin. It’s time to wake up here folks; this is not exactly the case and it is not exactly what happened at all.

    To be perfectly honest at this time, there’s absolutely no supportive Biblical evidence found anywhere recorded within the Holy Bible, and there’s also absolutely no known theologically based evidence or any proof on public records today permitting and/or allowing any of us mortal being’s to believe and/or to absolutely claim any other Biblical truths or scriptural facts other than what’s already been inspiring enough to proclaim here above and also in the Bible.

    However if anyone here has any doubts over any of the inspired findings recorded here in this Godly inspired book, please take the challenge for yourselves, seek and search it out and see what you can determine for yourselves.

    Seek to discover a much better and/or a more logical answer needed here at this time, an answer needed for best answering any and/or all of these very strange Godly mysteries concerning the Garden of sin, recorded herein, good luck…! Actually, the Holy Scriptures clearly tells all of us God (absolutely) required the extreme adverse opposing services of Satan’s evil existence in the Garden of Eden.

    We’ve come to see these facts in prior paragraphs here. And, also, to give all doubtful Christian’s a much greater working foundation, and a stronger edge of a greater believable leverage, one for fully supporting what is being said here, here is something for all Christian doubters to think about and chew on throughout the remainder of this special Godly inspired audio book.

    If Satan had not been placed in the Garden of Eden by Godly will, and also divinely permitted by God to act upon his evil role as the cunning old evil serpent, while performing on the huge earthly stage of physical life, and while performing his divine Godly assignment on planet earth, further acting as the great adverse evil tempter (Matthew, chapter 4: verse 3), Adam’s divinely intended developments would not have succeeded as it did, not at all.

    In fact, Adam’s primary role in the great performance of life on planet earth would have suffered tremendous failure without Satan’s adverse existence on planet earth. And, old Adam would have also never ever self evolved his very own independence from his Creator’s handiwork, which was directly involved in the many different developmental stages of our early human developments in the Garden of Eden.

    The results of the possible potentials above would then be just as clear as they are stranger still to us today. We people of today would not have ever come to know of the freedom of our own self will, not without the performance of Satan in our world at the time.

    If any of the above is actually true, and the Christian world believes thing should not have turned out as recorded in the Bible, as also strongly suggested by most all Christian leaders today, there would really be no good and/or any apparent logical reasons, nor any common personal need for any of today’s Christian churches to be here.

    In fact, if old Satan was never intended to be within the Garden of Eden, then we yet perfected upright Godly type mortals of today would have never ever come to know the wonderful saving powers of Gods’ deep love for us all, through salvation. Of course, through the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which by the way, was actually never really needed on earth to start with if Adam had refused to disobey God.

    Also, that is if old Satan were never ever allowed by God to properly function on earth with his strong beguiling ways, as a full time working part of mankind’s ever ongoing, ever evolving spiritually based developments, and/or even those needed developments for human life yet to unfold, throughout the forthcoming days ahead, from Adam’s day and time.

    As stated earlier, this is the very point of this Godly inspired book which actually presents the most drastic dangers we all face today, and this is fueled with (of course) extreme impacting damages, but mostly damages placed upon Satan’s evil existence on our planet Earth.

    It’s actually right here where the most spiritually intrepid, the most eager faithful believer will finally come to see exactly who and what Satan truly is, and exactly why our God chose to fashion such a creature and allow him to exist on planet Earth.

    The primary logic being applied here or throughout this particular subject matter or issue of Satan is, if much more people (Christian and/or non-Christian alike) suddenly found out, suddenly uncovered, and/or surprisingly discovered the actual very long overlooked and semi hidden mystery and the highly undiscovered facts concerning that special fallen archangel called, Lucifer.

    And furthermore, I believe if more people of today knew just a little more about exactly why Satan so very suddenly sprung out of the dynamic heavenly emotions of the archangel Lucifer, and then suddenly went forward, straight from the very midsection or the midst of the awesome creative perfection of the Holy realm of God, I absolutely believe (with all my spiritual heart) the entire Christian world will soon begin to take up where Jesus left off some two thousand years ago.

    I believe more Christian’s will then begin to open their eyes unto the true last days gospel, then slowly begin an all out personal salvation crusade, to preach (once again) the Kingdom of God unto all the world, unto all nations, specifically so, for a widespread personal witness unto the true and the absolute authenticated, divine existence of The Most High God.

    If anyone on this planet earth today believes they have a much better way here or a better understanding, and perhaps even a much more creditable and more provable explanation, all concerning the ongoing and highly unresolved mystery, behind the yet adverse existence of Satan currently existing on planet earth today, I really would love to hear about it, please…!

    It’s also at this point one will first come to understand exactly why mortal beings should not be all that overtaken or frightfully overwhelmed by the mysterious existence of Satan and/or be to overly concerned, over this Godly created instrument of spiritual enhancement or destruction of the living soul.

    Frankly speaking, whichever the case may or may not be at this particular point of one’s decision making, it will ultimately be all up to, according to one’s own personal emotional feelings, belief and/or beliefs. I cannot fully understand exactly why the major portion of all churches, or the pulpits, ministers and preachers alike and in general do not see Satan for exactly what he truly is.

    And that God uses the knowledge of good and evil to sift the human race to see which person is going to fully overcome Satan’s evil temptations and start giving all of their believing heart to follow after Gods’ Holy will…?

    In fact, Satan is actually nothing more and nothing less than a specially created motivating tool, one God personally created and also personally placed in our home world in order to help God in the emotional and spiritual development of mankind.

  63. jerrym83 says:

    Timewilltell….
    I do understand your concerns here and I do agree with you on some of your issues. I believe some folks are reading the word of God from the N I V Bible and not understanding that N I V stands for non inspired version of the old original and the official and Traditional (Godly inspired) King James Version Holy Bible…?

    Just a thought…?

  64. timewilltell says:

    I have to ask: When are people going to realize it is not what a person may think or how many degrees they have to put on their walls or even shove in people’s face. I mean it is so simple a child can know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. It is so simple that people scrape right over it as though it doesn’t jump out at them and say here I am. There is no learning on the planet that can teach any human being what they need to know about The Kingdom of God except by the guidance and teaching of The Holy Ghost. And even for that to happen one must first be sincere in their seeking of truth. I know there is no one who will listen to simple so they grapple with complex and confusion and God is not the author of confusion. As far as satan I see that Jerry explained that in depth very well and from that others should catch it until then people will still be stuck in an insane effort to find something that can not be obtained without the right pass key (total spiritual surrender and be transformed {referenced from Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.}). There is no other way and if anyone thinks there is then they will never come to the truth until after this life. by then it will be too late!

  65. jerrym83 says:

    WHY IS SATAN HERE…?

    Now then, can any of us listening to and/or reading this Godly inspired book at this time truly say they are still wondering why we people of earth really need any Godly laws or any moral order to help control us and keep us in moral line, here on good old planet Earth…?
    The archangel Lucifer was indeed the absolute most ideal cutting edge power source perfectly suited for God to use as a most ideal a-moralistic opposing option standing before all of mankind, and to also be used best as a second great contending, extreme alternative, candidate, or a competitor, the best kind of competitor God truly needed for Him to one day finally achieve that very special love and acknowledgment from an extremely gratefully saved sinner (a person), and from a vast collective of human beings who were once all spiritually dead, but had now developed to become spiritually retrieved from a wasted state of absolute eternal damnation in a hellish state of existence.
    WHY IS SATAN ON PLANET EARTH…?
    This newly acquired, but very long overlooked, insightful information recorded herein, concerning spiritual death, eternal salvation, and in also coming to know exactly why Satan is yet alive and doing quite well on planet earth today will perhaps one day work well into the Christian agenda, tarnishing the fear factor created by Satan around the world and it may even completely take away that age old excuse many countless millions of people (Christian and non-Christian alike) have often used throughout the days gone by, excuses such as, “The Devil made me do it.” It actually takes two to tango folks, not merely one.
    God had personally set up any and all of the very special events unfolding before Adam and the entire world of today and all of the particular spiritual developments as well, and also the entire human race has had absolutely no good idea at all (for many thousands of years on end, I mean), exactly how all of these mysterious events and all of these extreme Godly created particulars have all come together and also worked together in total and absolute ongoing relationship with our current day sinful state of human existence.
    This is exactly why any and all kinds of human excuses will absolutely be of very, very little use and also of no real value unto a spiritually lost sinner or a spiritually backslider (Christian believer), necessary for some drummed up defiance strategy, not while standing face to face with God, at the gathering of the big one, the extreme final judgment day.
    Blaming Satan will not work for anyone, blaming any ex-wife or any ex-husbands, blaming any disgruntled family member, any fair weather friends, or any kind and/or any kind of a problem one once experienced between ones own self and perhaps a nagging or unhappy neighbor, claiming or using any of these above possibilities will absolutely not only be tolerated they will be condemned. Folks do not believe the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is gone today or even out of working existence, even down through the many thousands of yeas past, the same tree still stands tall in our super high tech powered home world of today. This very same killer tree may not look like a tree anymore because it has changed in appearance.
    That same forbidden fruit tree still stands right in the very center of all of human activity today.
    It’s covertly covered up by many millions of worldly produced nice and pleasing things to the eyes, it’s also being empowered by extreme technology. God is yet walking in the center of our activities, in the cool of our days; He is speaking out and asking where we are. Will you answer Him, and what will you answer when He comes…?
    Much as in the days of Adam and Eve no human excuse will ever be accepted by Gods’ supreme judgments, not as an optional excuse or even used as a payment for sins against anyone’s own obtuse ignorance of Biblical truths; absolutely nothing will be allowed to be used for one’s own guilty faults of living out a constant and repetitive sinful lifestyle, one recurring year after year in total rejection of the Biblical truths.
    Only divine loving forgiveness applied to one’s sinful eternal soul, absolutely according to achieving salvation through Jesus Christ, will be accepted and permitted to be use as a defense ploy for the lost and sinful soul, and that one factor alone will work good enough to keep the condemned lost sinner from facing the final day of Gods’ extreme judgments.

  66. Cornelius says:

    So in Zechariah an appointed being in communion with God is rebuked for doing his job, trying to instigate punishments against the righteous man. But, no, this is not Satan.

    Many concepts are mentioned only in passing, or merely hinted. Abraham’s worry about his status in the afterlife by not having a son to bury him properly is acknowledged and alleviated by God in Genesis 15 (Speiser, The Anchor Bible Commentary, Genesis, p.115). Samuel’s spirit is communicated with by the medium of Endor (1 Sam. 28). Other than that, there is no mention of the concept until the later prophets in any clear, unambiguous, non-poetic terms.

  67. jerrym83 says:

    SATAN CONFUSION HAS FLOODING OUR HOME WORLD OF TODAY
    Since those long overlook days and times within two thousand years of church history this very same highly frightful unanswerable mystery has slowly evolved to become an extreme challenging mystery to all Christian people; even more so, it has all become a highly unanswerable Godly mystery unto the entire Christian world of our own days and times as well.
    Thereafter resulting in one outcome; this very challenging (widely assumed) “unanswerable” Godly mystery has caused extreme massive amounts of very widespread Biblical confusion over the evil existence of SATAN, confusion gas actually confounded the mere average thinking minds of many, many millions of churchgoing Christian’s and theologians alike, and also extending its Biblical confusions not only throughout all of America, but also all around the Christian based home world of our last days and end times.
    This end result has unfolded in the Christian world because most all churchgoing Christian’s have had no properly (Holy Spirit Powered) developed Christian leadership to accurately unfold any of these Biblical mysteries recorded here in these writings in the past; therefore, strictly due to an extreme lack of Biblical information being offered to the Christian world, the end results can’t be anything but clear; most all average minded churchgoing Christian’s and their leader’s of our day absolutely do not fully understand the extreme deep and dynamic creative plans God had put in store (or in mind) for the entire existence of the earthly existence of the human experience.
    Furthermore, absolutely no one on planet earth today fully understands exactly how it all was first intended to workout for that misunderstood fallen archangel of God called, Lucifer; and also, not many fully understands how God personally chose the archangel Lucifer to personally interact within the deep political, social, and religious affairs of mankind, and Satan was there in the Garden of Eden attempting to strongly motivate (Adam and Eve first) and afterwards all of mankind into gaining that same freedom of self will God had in mind the whole time.
    Folks, here is another very long overlooked Godly mystery for us to consider at this time; God is only seeking loyal favoritism and extreme undying loving acknowledgment from only a “self willing” source, a perfected source with a self will to chose their own ways, a source such as found in the human soul (mankind)…!
    Anyone else have any better ideas here I would love to hear it…? Frankly speaking posting board, without the extreme evil and harsh adverse interactions of old Satan within our home world, from the days of Adam and Eve up until today, the first man Adam would have never ever had the absolute best opportunity to self achieve his own self will, and we people of today would have never ever come to know the express joys of salvation through Jesus Christ, for our extremely needful souls by the way. Furthermore, our God (Himself) would also likely have a very difficult and/or hard time in finding just the right kind of self willing soul to work to supply and fulfill His personal needs to be love and acknowledged as King of king’s and Lord of lord’s, not if Adam and Eve had not disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden and perhaps never gained a human self will at the time.
    The total physical end and absolute destruction of the archangel Lucifer was not the case with the archangel Lucifer, for God to just kill off old Lucifer was absolutely not planned at all by God, not to start with ad not until the end of human life on planet earth,
    God (no doubt) had something else or something much, much more dynamically important in mind for the adverse creation of the archangel, Lucifer. It was absolutely not intended for God to destroy the archangel at that time, and also not at that particular time of Gods’ creative plans on earth anyway.
    Look at the next set of Biblical scriptures and perhaps we can come to better understand exactly why our God personally chose not to destroy Lucifer, not at the time of his iniquitous rebellion towards God.

    REVELATION, CHAPTER 20: VERSES 1 THROUGH 3 1.
    And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2.And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

    Now then, at this particular time it’s hoped anyone reading this can clearly see how our God had already setup the total destruction of the archangel Lucifer, but it was to only unfold at a certain or a very particular God chosen time frame set in order by God Himself.
    That Godly chosen special time-framing, the one for Lucifer’s or Satan’s total and absolute destruction was exclusively prearranged long, long before the very foundation of our planet earth; that same time framing was also scheduled to unfold itself within the ultimate face of the total end of our home world, the planet earth, as many churchgoing Christian people of today have become well aware of, strictly according to the King James Traditional Bible only…!
    But what about the time laps between Adam and Eve and the total destruction of Satan at the complete end of our physical home world…? I is clear by now, Satan is to remain loose and very much active (and alive) throughout the entire times between the day and time of Adam and Eve and the end of our Home world. We are talking about many thousands of earth years of human trials and errors…and testing by the devil. But during those long times, why has God allowed Satan to tempt and influence the entire human race that is the untold mystery our world has remained confuse over for do very long now…?
    Take a good long look in the gospel book of REVELATION, CHAPTER 20: VERSE 1. Even after the mighty archangel of God (Michael) who was holding a great chain in hi hand to bind up Lucifer (Satan) for a thousand years, God still had another task in mind for Lucifer (or Satan) to accomplish on earth, at least before that old fallen archangel was to be totally and absolutely destroyed, once and for all. Also check out the following scripture.

    REVELATION, CHAPTER 20: VERSES 7 THROUGH 10 7.
    And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10.
    And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are , and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. The gospel book of Revelation (CHAPTER 20: VERSE 10) very clearly informs us all directly concerning the exact time, place, and the precise kind of ultimate destruction of that long lived fallen archangel of God called, Lucifer. His end time destruction has already been set in order, determined, allotted, and Godly scheduled to unfold at the absolute end of the world of human existence.

    Since the archangel Lucifer or Satan has been around us here or around human life so very long now there had to be some very good and acceptable Godly reasons for Satan’s existence on planet Earth, among mankind, reasons I will discuss a little later in some of my other writings here. However for now we can also deduce from Satan’s very long lifespan existing here on Planet Earth, and also due to the fact God has not as of yet destroyed him; at last not as of yet; and we must try to understand there is really no known war waging away between God and Satan, nothing like the entire churchgoing Christian world just loves to widely proclaim unto all people who will listen to their confusion; Satan cannot possibly ever stand “toe to toe” with the All Mighty Most High God the same God who created him…! Stop saying there is a spiritual war underway between God and Satan, that idea is childish at its best…! The real spiritual war is waging away between mankind and God…!
    In fact…the real facts are, according to the Holy Scriptures we can clearly see God is in total and absolute control over Satan’s earthly movements and Satan’s earthly existence, and also God must have seriously and honestly needed the extreme evil and wicked services of Satan, existing among the human race the whole time. By these undeniable and irrefutable facts and also by this time I do believe one may have just come to see the exact reason and/or the long overlooked reasons for the angelic existence of that fallen archangel called, Lucifer (Satan).
    It’s also hoped here that by now most anyone here on this posting board today would have also come to see it was Godly intended for Lucifer (Satan) to become exactly who and what he has evolved to become today (Satan), especially when he (Lucifer) was also found by God with iniquitous sin within his angelic members. Attention here, here comes the infallible answers many millions of confused people have sought to discover for many thousands of years now.
    The real facts here can be clear to most anyone today, our home world actually needs an evil adverse Satan moving all around within it; our home world also needs a forgiving and saving God (Jesus Christ) to show us exactly how loving and how absolutely powerful our God can truly be in their lives, and also can forgive all people. One could say this is exactly what our assumed “mysterious” God desires out of mankind, and to be much more honest here, Satan is here to help develop the entire human race into that very badly needed highly useful product our Most High God is constantly seeking out of all of the human race, mankind…!
    The entire Holy Bible is very clear physical evidence on planet earth today of these extremely undeniable and absolute indisputable facts I have written here in this posting board, and those facts listed here and also clearly recorded here above this same paragraph; and also, we should be able to see these same facts from the many pages or from page-to-page of our only Traditional Holy Bible’s; we today can now clearly see Gods’ deep and ever growing divine hunger for human love and human attention, this fact has grown more and more intense with the passing of each and every new upcoming generation of mankind’s Christian struggles just to spiritually develop and spiritually connect with a true Godly Being.
    Satan fear tactics more often works in many mysterious ways and often we limited thinking human being’s can see regretful people, or people who suddenly begin to feel deep feelings of remorse and self sorrows over their often wicked and sinful lifestyles, many by seeing freedom from all of those so-called “mind monsters” moving all about in the shadows of the past, deep within their heads, from there, most anyone could safely say the idea of a Satan existing within their miserable lifestyles begins to push the pass forward, Satan starts to shove the past out into awareness of the day’s, and this my friends also begins to nudge many lost people to seek freedom and salvation from those ugly old “mind monsters,” and some may also start to pray to God seeking relief from a true loving and forgiving Father type Being, one such as God. Folks really think about this real good for awhile…?
    Without that old adverse evil Godly created thing called Satan existing and running all around within our minds and also throughout the entire 21st century home world of today, who today would begin to strive hard to seek out that loving favoritism and total forgiveness from a Godly Being that can free them from their nightmares, a God much like The Most High God…?

  68. jerrym83 says:

    In all my years of communicating with many different people (Christian’s, pulpit leader’s, evangelists, college professors of religion, mounds of theologins, Sunday school teacher’s, street preacher’s, and mostly just anybody out on the street (saved and unsaved) in an interview I purposely setup in order to studie and research deeper into Christianity in America, I do not think I can remember anyone I’ve ever talked with within the past 20 very long years that was so very hungry and so extremely needful for absolute true Biblical truth and understanding as I see going on within most of the people I’ve read about on these postings here…
    I would love to share what God has revealed to me in a VISION (1997) and just see how they all take to the real truth about what they think is factual and true…?
    Nonetheless. my god bless you all anyway…?

  69. Tyndale says:

    SATAN
    Folks this heavenly being called Lucifer was an archangel of God who had oddly achieved extremely vast knowledge and extreme superior wisdom; this one particular kind of extreme wisdom and also this extreme knowledge no doubt far superseded and long surpassed any other kind of possible knowledge and/or also any other kind of heard-of wisdom existing under the Most High God, Himself.
    God was in total and absolute possession of the more greater kind of knowledge and wisdom, of course…! According to the scriptures, the archangel Lucifer was next in line as the absolute most knowledgeable and the most wisest angelic being existing under God, more so than any and all of the other host or angelic being’s existing within heaven.
    Furthermore, this kind of extreme wisdom-powered-intellect unfolding from within Lucifer was also far, far beyond any other created angelic host throughout all of heaven; moreover, this kind of super enhanced superior wisdom also worked to endow Lucifer’s psychologically powered knowledge to be capable of knowing everything and anything throughout heaven, and also know of anything the heavenly host was doing and/or saying at all times.
    We can also see here in the scripture God gives the archangel Lucifer many precious stones to ware as a covering garment or perhaps it worked as a breastplate. The last thing recorded in this one particular scripture is also just as clear to us, God personally fashioned and personally created Lucifer strictly according to Gods’ very own personal idea’s, allowing also for Gods’ divine reasons for Lucifer’s created intentions.
    This was further allowing for Gods’ reasoning behind divinely manifesting the archangel Lucifer as he was Biblically recorded to be, and also as he was manifested to become, within the end I mean.
    It doesn’t actually end there. This is not really all our God had planned and long intended to unfold from within the mighty archangel Lucifer, and what Lucifer was to actually evolve to become. This fact is also accounting for the fulfillment of Gods’ ultimate creative plans for all life under Him, and this too according to Gods’ primary personal reasoning behind Lucifer’s angelic creation, which this is being clearly exposed to us right now (today) from within our own Holy Bible’s.
    It’s all clearly recorded within our own Holy Bible’s to see, and not just for our greater benefits as a mere believer in God, it’s clearly recorded for best defining the unique existence of the archangel Lucifer as well; long, long before and also soon after Lucifer’s spiritual demise in heaven or after Lucifer’s ultimate down fall from Gods’ Holy Mountain, suddenly we see a very odd Godly creative action unfolding and coming from Gods’ creative handiwork, and according to the scriptures we see, we can see God personally anointed the archangel Lucifer, God further awarded Lucifer with the honorable task of “covering cherub.”
    God clearly clarifies all of His creative actions there and intentions, and also all that He personally invested within the creation of Lucifer here as well by Biblically proclaiming it was He (God) alone who set these wonderful events in full motion, and He did this by giving all of these special characteristic attributes unto His (top-of-the-creative-line) archangel, along also with all of those personal Godly type gifts.
    God then endorses it all by personally speaking and clearly informing us people of today of this fact, He did so through the writings of His Godly crated Biblical words of extreme Godly authority (The Holy Bible).
    Additionally, God further made it very clear in this same scripture, the archangel Lucifer was fully equipped with the most perfected personality and the absolute best characteristics of perfection necessary, and Lucifer became an accepted and honored Citizen of Gods’ Holy Kingdom. Here it becomes quite clear to us, Lucifer had complete run throughout the Holy Mountain of God; we also see this fact by God telling us Lucifer had the distinct privilege of walking anywhere he wished to go, of course within Gods’ Holy Kingdom.
    Lucifer was even privileged to move all about among the stones of fire (perhaps these burning “stones of fire” were stars floating all above Gods’ seating arrangement…?).
    Take note of the next Biblical Scripture real good. EZEKIEL, CHAPTER 28: VERSE 14 and we see in 14. “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”
    Right here we can now deduce from the lay of the scripture listed above and also from what we’ve learned about from above.
    Now we can work our minds towards putting some logical ideas together, ideas strictly concerning what would be a sound and logical Godly purpose for the idea of the existence of Lucifer moving around deep within Gods’ mindset.
    Also we should explore why God fully intended for the formation and the creation of the archangel Lucifer as becoming a part of Gods’ creative purpose to fashion and create mankind at some time within the coming times on earth, from those times in Gods’ Holy Mountain unto the times mankind was to be fashioned and created on planet earth.
    Which, I’m actually talking about and referring to the Godly granted privileged where God allowed Lucifer to move himself all about and all among the stones of fire, and also a moment God anointed the archangel Lucifer; this moment was at an existing point of Gods’ eternal infinite existence where our physical universe and our planet earth (along also with mankind of course) was not as of yet crafted and created by God.
    This is also talking about a point or a time framing event that happened long before the Biblically recorded events found in the gospel book of Genesis, chapter 1: verse 1 and onward.
    From all of the Biblical information we now have on hand today and all of the particular scriptures listed here in this inspired writing, it is now, today, it is at this time we may come to see some Biblical evidence badly needed to help us best determine exactly why God decided to create the favored archangel called, Lucifer.
    Strictly going on all of the Biblical based evidence we have collected up to this point (and we’ve done this directly from The Traditional King James Holy Bible), we should now begin to see things much more clearly from this point onward, we may now begin to see something special unfolding here as well, something concerning how the archangel Lucifer was exclusively created by God, but for a very particular reason in mind that conflicts with today’s very best theological thinking minds of our times.
    This is exclusively meaning; any created thing which was created by God was not created only for a very important personal purpose of being perfected, or perfected within its very own self existence, but rather is a created thing especially fashioned (by God of course) because of an indistinct Godly motive working quite overtime deep inside of Gods’ mindset (according to Gods’ overall plans for the coming of human life to yet unfold, of course).
    We must also keep in mind here, anything and/or all things created under God was especially crafted (and Lucifer was also endowed with special thinking skills and abilities) but this was all due to a very distinct Godly reason or at least according to a highly distinct purpose in Gods’ mindset.
    This is strictly allowing for an intended Godly purpose of course; all was indeed according to a Godly driven intention or a Godly need for Lucifer’s specially crafted existence, under the Most High God…!
    We may have also come to see Lucifer’s angelic creation was indeed Godly intended here, and that too is according to the outcome of Lucifer’s personal actions while existing in Gods’ Holy Realm or Kingdom. We also see that Lucifer’s creation was no doubt Godly intended.
    But we see Lucifer was to actually serve as a second great existing optional extreme; in other words, God being one great optional extreme (as a contender against Lucifer), and (of course) the archangel Lucifer being the other great optional option (as a contender to God). Please don’t deceive yourselves here.
    The above is absolutely not attempting (not in the least way possible) to suggest the mighty was a equal opponent towards God. But Lucifer was the best God had made to challenge Himself in that great spiritual war to come on earth one day…….

  70. Tyndale says:

    RETRACTION TO ABOVE…….
    Sorry about the mistake in using the correct scriptures above. I said look in John chapter 2…..I actually meant….my God created any and all things in existence………. Which I was actually referring the John, chapter 1…my mistake…sorry folks…?

  71. Tyndale says:

    What and who is Satan
    Have we ever wondered what great super enhanced knowledge and extreme wisdom would actually do to a simple flesh and blood (non-angelic) limited thinking human being…? Far too much of a good thing folks just may not be all that good of a thing after all.
    The actual long overlooked and widely (seldom if ever) recognized fact being presented here is this; since we all basically know (beyond any shadow of a doubt) our God absolutely makes no known creative mistakes and He absolutely makes no creative blundering errors in any of His Godly creative ways, this absolute indisputable fact here alone would or it should logically tell us our all knowing God can truly handle any kind of extreme super enhanced knowledge and also any kind of extremely superior wisdom He currently possesses within Himself; God can do so without any personal problems to Himself, absolutely any whatsoever…!
    Now, here comes the big question many Christian people have really been waiting for throughout their lives, although most all people have not even realized they’ve always had this strange seldom seen questions genetically embedded deep within their most wildest of imaginations since birth, we need to be triggered to them now.
    Exactly where did evil come from; did evil mysteriously come from the mighty archangel Lucifer, or did evil oddly come from the same God who created the mighty archangel, Lucifer, did evil come from our God…? Ouch…! O-boy, there it is folks…!
    This extremely challenging question is indeed a very difficult one to have to answer, and it’s also a very personally challenging question for most anyone (any Christian I mean) to even try to answer correctly. However, think about these next two potentials and likelihoods before offering an answer to the above question(s).
    First; if one were to say or proclaim the adverse existence of evil came from the fallen archangel Lucifer, one would actually be saying, Lucifer is a godly creator himself, and Lucifer also has the same kind of godly abilities and the same supreme creative godly powers to fashion and to create things, things much like the Most High God can.
    God is the very same Almighty God who also once created the archangel Lucifer. In a slight indirect way of course, one would also be saying, there’s two distinct different existing gods’; one would also be saying, there is the Most Holy God, and one would also be saying, there is an most unholy god, a god such as the fallen archangel Lucifer, which is now well known globally as Satan; ouch…!
    We really do not want to say or believe there’s more than one almighty God; this might work to offend the Most High God…! This way is absolutely a no-no taboo-way of Christian thinking, and it should be throughout the entire Christian world, whether past and/or present…!
    Secondly; on the other hand, if one were to say the adverse knowledge of evil was only created by the Almighty or Most Holy God, one would also be saying, our believed good creating Almighty God, not only personally created the existence of evil, God also uses evil and personally deals with human life on planet earth (all of mankind), by subtly exploiting and slightly utilizing both concepts of the knowledge of good and evil…!
    Therefore one would also be saying God uses the adverse powers of evil (as well as the powers of good) in order to develop and expose mankind to.
    At this very moment in earth time the entire Christian world of our day totally rejects and completely refuses for anyone within the inner workings of today’s Christian world to suggest such things as listed above, or to even openly admit their good creating God is also the primary creator and the constant instigator of the power of evil, as in saying the actual Creator of evil is none other than our God.
    Most every Christian churchgoer I’ve ever met within the past 40 to perhaps 45 very long years of constantly researching into Christianity in America absolutely believes their Most High God has absolutely nothing at all or whatsoever to do with the adverse, wicked existence of evil existing throughout our planet earth…!
    Folks, not even one single Christian I’ve ever personally come into contact with believes their perfect creating God created the extreme soul destructive existence of that mentally unhinged, that spiritually deranged, and that extreme egotistical murderer called Satan; o-boy, ouch…!
    Ok, can anyone out there logically tell us exactly where Satan came from or even how Satan came into existence on his own, yet existing under Gods’ powers…? As the story goes, especially throughout the entire 21st century Christian world of our days and times (one could safely say), all Christian believers believe their good creating (only) God has absolutely nothing at all to do with the existence of the evil adverse existence of Satan existing here on our planet earth, absolutely nothing at all…!
    Therefore exactly what are we all left to believe here today; if we were to all go by the majority rule as being proclaimed by the entire Christian world of our day and time, we are only left with but one possible solution to deal with here, God created Satan, emphatically so. Where did he come from and whom do any of us think created old Satan anyway…?

  72. Tyndale says:

    If the all-knowing, all-mighty, and the absolute most super powerful Creator there is in and throughout all of existence , and strangely enough some people have said God is not responsible for the origin of evil. then who or what super creative power source is responsible for the wicked existence of evil…? are there some people who think Satan or Lucifer is just as powerful as his own creator, an evil creator with the exact same godly type powers and abilities to create any and all things out of nothing…like God does…? I just don’t know about this idea, my Bible (in John, chapter 2, clearly tells me God is the one and only creator who created any and all thing in existence, and since evil is absolutely existing on planet earth (in existence) then it becomes clear it was God who created evil and/or the knowledge of evil…look in Genesis it becomes clear Gd created the tree of the knowledge of both good and evil…so we are left with one conclusion here and we must consider the angels of the matter, so then who was it that created evil, Satan, or God…? HELLO…?

  73. jerrym83 says:

    Within the past 45 years alone I have read through the old traditional King James Version Holy Bible no less than 6 times. Now that may not sound like a whole enough to some of our worlds more higher educated folks in Biblical studies but that reading was an extreme lot of very hard work for me, since I spent most of my life (up until I became 43 years old) absolutely very illiterate, which is to say very, very under educated at best; what I am trying to say here is this, until I reached 45 years old I couldn’t even add numbers. subtract numbers. spell words, and read a news paper; why I couldn’t even write my name very well at all.
    Who can rightly explain the wondrous mystery behind my (now) higher understanding into Gods Holy Words or my so-called upgraded manner of understanding and much better education…? Only God knew then and knows now why this exponential learning has unfolded as fast as it did and why it all happened to me within my old age or latter years.
    However, in getting more to the point here, within the past 20 years of my life I can remember starting to read the Bible in my mid 40’s. wet at the time I still had a lot of problems with math, spelling, and reading any other material other than the Traditional King James Holy Bible. Since those very long struggling years attempting to better myself educationally I mean.
    I found myself standing directly in front of a utility mirror in a drug rehab center in the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina and looking at a very, very strange reflective type image playing out within the mirror reflection. Frankly speaking I felt God must have felt it was about time for Him to unpack, undo, and oddly unfold what He had within Godly mind the whole for my life.
    It was the year 1997, it was than that I personally witnessed a very strange, Godly type, inspired (NOT ASPIRED..!) Vision unfolding itself within the utility mirror’s reflection. The vision lasted all night long, from Darkness to Sunup. The Vision itself took me 4 1/2 to a good five years to even come close to understanding its meaning and purpose. I finally come to see it was not just for me but for the entire world. I come to learn after some 5 years had past this same vision was the same vision Biblically predicted to come to our last days world, as is clearly found written and recorded in the gospel book of HABAKKUK, (chapter 2: verses 2 through 7)
    2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. 5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people: 6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! 7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
    I finally discovered this deeply inspired Godly type Vision was offering many long overlooked answers to mankind’s long sought after questions. It also unfolded the exact reason and purpose God unfolded His very official act of creation under Himself. from there God open;y revealed how it was for endless unknown times of Godly existence how He had spent His everlasting existence completely and totally all alone, long, long before unfolding His very first official act of creation under Himself. God revealed to me the moving motivating powers working deep inside of Himself and how it was that strong motivating power source strongly moved and compelled Him to start creating all of the things existing under Himself then, and now (today).
    God also clearly showed me in the vision exactly how the mighty archangel called Lucifer was intentionally created just to do His work and His bidding in far the days to come, on our planet earth. God revealed the mystery of Satan to me and told me one day the world will need to come to see that Satan is merely a tool needed to test and try the human race, to see just how loyal they will be to His honor and His needs to not be all alone again. There is very much more to the Vision but much more than I can put here on these pages.
    The world has it all wrong and God said the Vision should work to set the lost world right again, but it will come only at it appointed time, so wait for it, it will surely come. This is all I have to say now, so good bye for now and go with God in your hearts…

  74. W. Tyndale says:

    Tyndale says…
    After reading through much of the replies posted here I was beginning to see the majority were relating to the many names of Satan, the biblical locations Satan pops up in scripture, and just a massive number of extreme non important aspects and characteristic features all relating to Lucifer and/or Satan. Frankly it appears people here get off on saying words that sounds highly important and well educated lingo. At that I was beginning to see that everyone here was skipping right over the most absolute important long overlooked aspects regarding the true Godly purpose and the true divine reasoning behind the Godly creation of Lucifer and/or also of Satan…Satan’s Godly crafted evil existence has added to our world and to mankind a great service, like God intended from the start. For one folks, all existing things (and please do understand here, I do not personally favor evil, wickedness, Lucifer, or Satan) but if it wasn’t for God Himself putting that evil conning old serpent within Adam and Eve’s earthly living room back then, there would be absolutely no logical need for any churches, any preacher’s, absolutely no Bibles, no prophets, no Moses would have been necessary. along with Peter, Paul, even the mother of Jesus (Marry), nor there could have been a need for Gods son, The Lord Jesus Christ existing in our home world of today. Perhaps you people need to work on it a little bit more here and search much deeper into what motivated God to even start His first create act of Godly creation existing under Himself long before Genesis 1:1…? There is a whole lot more I could add here but hopefully this will be enough for you…?

  75. Krzysztof Ciuba says:

    ups. A mistake. I should be: there is no causal connection between God, Creator, and creatures devilish acts as privations of good.

  76. Krzysztof Ciuba says:

    Genesis 3 did not directly associate a serpent with Satan, but indirectly it says that God is not responsible for the origin of evil (acts). If this Genesis’s part, J source, is from 10th cent.B.C, it fits perfectly with the classical philosophy that evil is a privation of good; therefore not a being (being as oneness, truth, and goodness).Consequently, there is no causal connection between God, Creator, and creatures (beings).Numbers 20:8,”Moses” worshipping a serpent, suggests only that probably a serpent has even different meaning for other people in the different region and different time (of writing).
    Ps.why was my comment removed on “Sinaiticus Codex”? Too abstract for the ignorant in philosophy and logic?

  77. Sikeli says:

    Very Interesting topic. Thanks BAR. I believe it’s the interpretation of the Bible that causes meanings to change. Since we’re we’re all different, so as how we interpret. The Bible is much more about humanity than God and Satan, so let’s interpret accordingly. More studies can wear us out. It’s mystery and only God knows.

  78. Sundar Dhami says:

    Thank you for your sending material I am very blessed.

  79. Michael Garrison says:

    Jesus said, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” (John 8:44-45) Jesus is speaking here of the serpent in the garden, isn’t He? It was at the beginning the serpent (satan) lied to Adam & Eve. The above article is full of doctrinal error.

  80. lemueln says:

    How pathetically sad that supposed learned scholars deny the very existence of a personal devil–and they are “biblical scholars!” Didn’t Jesus Himself believed in a personal devil? My are so many being duped by the adversary even among biblical scholars!

  81. Elizabeth says:

    “Eden’s serpent is not identified with Satan anywhere in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament”

    Yes he is – Rev 12:9

  82. Jparmar says:

    Below is my interpretation of Genesis, I would like to know if it is correct or possible:

    Once it is understood that the Snake in the Bible is actually Time, then the reading of Genesis makes it similar to reading the Greek mythological story of the Pandora’s box.

    Pandora was specifically instructed not to open the box, but Time seduced her and and she opened the box out of curiosity that brought out death and all the evil of the world.

    Eve was specifically instructed not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, but Time seduced her and she ate its fruit out of curiosity that brought death and exile from the garden of eden.

    Thus Time is the Snake and curiosity is the Satan. The curiosity/Satan/Lucifer is the scientific temperament that is opposed to blind faith in the Lord.

    After eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge, man became conscious and thus lost the primitive animal innocence, he came to understand death and other natural and artificial evils like illness, war, jealousy, money etc, before that he was just another animal unaware of the death and other evils. He exiled himself out of the nature into the Civilized world, the artificial villages and cities of the world.

    The Lord cursed Time (the lifetime spent by man on Earth), that it would crawl on its belly and eat dust– The daily grind of the routine work makes us feel like Time is crawling on its belly and nothing lasts forever, youth, beauty, love, money, fame, everything changes to dust in(side) Time, hence Time eats dust.

    The Civilized, knowledgeable, curious Humans have to plan their activities aHEAD of Time (Humans will bruise the Head of Time) and they are forced to run around to perform their duties (Time will bruise the Heel of Man). Thus Humans have to plan the sowing of seeds ahead of time and then as per the plan procure the seeds, actually perform the actions by moving their hands and feet to sow and subsequently harvest the produce. Thus we are intricately bound to the Time as against the innocent Animals who don’t care about planning for the future.

    Quote:
    And the LORD God said: ‘Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.’ Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

    The Civilized man is a pawn, he/she does not have power/control/freedom over his own life (sent him forth from the garden of Eden), he has to work in the society (till the ground), the depressing routine life of the civilized man will drive him to despair and suicide (and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, i.e commit suicide, genocide, murder) unless there is hope and faith in his life.

    In Pandora’s story, hope was left behind inside the box, while in Genesis,

    So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.

    The Lord placed Youth/Innocence (cherubim) at the start of the Life (East of the Garden) where there are positive qualities like open-mindedness, tolerance, love are prominent while negative qualities like bigotry, hatred and death are scarce.

    The Young have Hope (the flaming sword) that can cut through all adversity(turned every way) so that the Human race keeps procreating and bring forth new generations (to keep the way to the tree of life) or else if the young are exposed and corrupted by evils of the scientific knowledge, civilization and society, they will decide that the world is too evil to bring forth the next generation and abstain from procreating and the Human race will die out as is happening in the Developed world due to the low birth rates.

    Genesis is a very advanced scientific and psychological message in this interpretation, shrouded in the secret code of snake, satan, civilization, youth and hope.

  83. Daniel says:

    This is a good article for reminding us of what the Bible does NOT say, which we often assume it perhaps DOES say. I’m confused about Dolansky’s counting of 9 occurrences of satan in the Hebrew Bible. Doing a quick Lemma study in Logos Software, I see 27 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible. Furthermore, the use of ‘satan’ in Numbers 22 does not appear to have the definite article in front of it; this article says it does. Instead, both occurrences there have the preposition לְ – something like “the angel of YHWH stood in the road for a satan for him” or “to be a satan to him”. This doesn’t alter the point she’s making; I’m just not sure why she says these occurrences include the definite article when they do not. But I found the article overall interesting and got me digging, so I’m happy enough.

  84. Tovyya says:

    BTW, ifI donaye, can I choose a specific synagogue?

  85. Tovyya says:

    So I see that you think that you know your Hebrew. Perhaps you should educate people on rmtge difference between “anointed* and “savior.”. Both of these words appear in the Ancient Hebrew lexicon, but many purposely mistranslate the Hebrew word for Announced, Asin King David as Savior. Perhaps you should ask a a rabbi.

  86. Tovyya says:

    I hate autocorrect. Knowing, not mowing.

  87. Tovyya says:

    So you actually used a Holy name of Him in mowing that it could be deleted???! Not a good idea.

  88. Salman Naveed says:

    Short story of a Homo sapiens.
    Oh boy o boy , satan ,I want to be your biggest fan. You are majestic , a celebrity all wise and powerful. I like your pictures but I have some questions about you and I want to know more about you. I am from earth and a hominoid, yes, I am only an ape. Your picture is quite confusing you have horns like you are a herding animal , oh I know, it may be for protecting you and your herd but you have bipedal locomotion and have penta dactyl hands and you have a tool for protection or may be for hunting, oh I get it you are a hybrid between cattle and ape, right? ok back to my questions
    1- Where do you live satan? I mean your abode.
    2- Are you made up of organic molecules? I mean are you a living thing or a non living thing?
    3- Are you a product of evolution like ape and cattle?
    4- Do you have a real selfie, if you have one please upload.
    5- What are your other nick names.
    I am asking all these questions because last night I met one of my dads friend he said that you are nothing more than a metaphor in his testaments , I don’t even know what these are, and you only reside in the brain of Homo sapiens in the form of its innate behavior, you know like envy, lust, pride, gluttony, greed, anger, hate etc. , he said these are your nick names. He cant be right satan, please tell me.

  89. Gary W. Harper says:

    In the context of the times, the Serpent, stood for Knowledge.

    In the Desert of the Moon, the Israelites made a Bronze Serpent — The Nehushtan. If you were bit?

    Before it, you did your thing — And you lived. This is no small matter, in the lands of cobras, of asps.

    The Bronze Serpent was destroyed during the reign of Hezekiah (c.716 to 686 B.C.E.) It was destroyed, because the Israelites were burning incense to it —

    Which means, everyone thinks, that they were idolizing it.

    But I do not think so…

    No mention is made, of them being Satanists.

    2 Kings 18:4: He hath turned aside, the High Places; and broken in pieces, the Standing-Pillars; and cut down, the Shrine —

    And beaten down, the Brazen Serpent that Moshe made —

    For unto these days, were the sons of Israel, making perfume to it. And he calleth it, “a piece of brass.”

    The Stones Set Up, by the Patriarchs?

    Smashed.

    The Groves, wherein these Stones Were Set Up As Altars to YHWH?

    Cut down.

    Even the terebinths, of Mamre…

    The very one, Against Which YHWH Rested, Beneath His Own Created Chuppah, With His Best Friend Abram…

    Destroyed, upon the advice of the control-freak Levites.

    All of the Altars, of the past — Approved of, By YHWH Himself — Were destroyed, by Hezekiah…

    For how could you centralize worship in Jerusalem under the control of the Priesthood — And beneath the watchful eye, of a covetous king — It these YHWH-Approved Altars, were allowed To Remain, all over the place?

    If you read the text critically, you will see, that the issue was not idol worship, nor apostasy, nor the incorporation of foreign gods into the worship of YHWH. The issue, was the control of all YHWH worship in one single location, under the hand of one small familial group, who were descended from Levi and Aharon.

    Levites, as the Priesthood?

    Does not necessarily mean, that they were not to live amongst the people, throughout the land.

    Even some of the Levites — Especially, the descendants of Moshe — Objected, to this abomination of centralization.

    Who can possibly build a man’s house, for He Who Fills the Universe?

    But, go ahead…

    Build it — If you must.

    Now, Who Is the Accuser of His brethren, of His children?

    You have to know what you are reading, within the cultural and historical context of the times, to be able to properly interpret actions — And, more importantly, Within the Mind of YHWH — To Be Able To Understand the motives, which underscore said actions.

    Aharon wanted to centralize worship under their control, in the South. The rest of Israel, including Moshe, resisted — For they wanted to maintain the mode of worship, Which Had So Well Served the Patriarchs. The latter mode, Is the One, Which Speaks of a Far More Intimate Relationship, With YHWH.

    The former mode, Sandwiches YHWH narrowly, Between Two Stone Tablets of Serpentine; it Hides Him, In a Box; and it Buries Him, In a dark back room of a man’s building, To Be Checked Upon once a year —

    To make sure, that She Is behaving properly —

    And to make sure, that the Serpent of Hope, Has not Been Let Out, in the interim.

    I prefer the YHWH who you can kick back with under a tree, in the breezy shade and the grass, by a small flowing stream. A YHWH you can talk to, and can share a drink and a meal and the Deep Dark Secrets, Hidden of the Ages, With.

    A YHWH, Who you Know the Personal Name of. Someone, Who Talks Right Back, To you.

    So you see?

    The Serpent, as Satan?

    Did not even enter into the picture, until after worship was centralized. Until after the Church — Whatever its contemporary guise, throughout the Ages — Stood Within the Way, and prevented the Entry of the Anointed Into the Sanctuary —

    Back, Into Gan Eden.

    They, who Do Not Enter themselves?

    Try to keep the Anointed Chosen of YHWH, from Entering.

    But Beneath the Bush — Beneath, the Horns — Is Found, the Small Door. And the Anointed Enter Within the Sanctuary, in spite of everything that the Church of man does, to prevent it.

    And Who, Is Hiding, Beneath the Chuppah of the Serpentine Green?

    Who, Has Shed His Former Covering?

    Only the Wise amongst men, Truly Know.

  90. matt says:

    Thank you for this article. I appreciate the time it took to dig into this. I will help guide me in my our studies.

  91. TheDarkF00L says:

    Regardless of who this serpent was, consider this: which one lied? God or the serpent?

    Genesis 2:17 – “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

    Genesis 3:5 – “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

    Genesis 5:5 – “Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.”

    Makes you wonder.

  92. Mike Tisdell says:

    This was one of the most disappointing articles I have seen in Biblical Archeological Review. Clearly no one qualified reviewed the article before it was published. Here are just a couple of the factual errors:

    The author states: “In Numbers 22, the prophet Balaam, hired to curse the Israelites, is stopped by a messenger from Israel’s God YHWH, described as “the satan” acting on God’s behalf.”

    However, while some do treat the two instances in Nu. 22 as a noun (wrongly in my opinion), it clearly does not include the article unless one were to reject the pointing in the MT. Furthermore, most scholars would see this as a verbal form and not a noun, and translate it as “and an angel of the Lord stood in the way TO OPPOSE him” rather than “and angel of the stood in the way AS AN ADVERSARY.” Here are some translations that treat this as a verb: “NIV, HCSB, NET, NLT. The ESV is inconsistent i.e. treating as a noun in Num. 22:22, but as a verb (same form in Hebrew) in 22:32.

    ‎ וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֞ב מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ לְשָׂטָ֣ן ל֑וֹ

    The author states: “The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1”

    However, there are a several more instances in Scripture where satan is used without the word “the” in front of it. Two more could be added if we accepted the contention that instances in Nu. 22 were nouns and not verbs.

    ‎ (1 Ki. 5:18 WTT) וְעַתָּ֕ה הֵנִ֙יחַ יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהַ֛י לִ֖י מִסָּבִ֑יב אֵ֣ין שָׂטָ֔ן וְאֵ֖ין פֶּ֥גַע רָֽע׃
    14 וַיָּ֙קֶם יְהוָ֤ה שָׂטָן֙ לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֵ֖ת הֲדַ֣ד הָאֲדֹמִ֑י מִזֶּ֧רַע הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ ה֖וּא בֶּאֱדֽוֹם׃
    (1 Ki. 11:23 WTT) וַיָּ֙קֶם אֱלֹהִ֥ים לוֹ֙ שָׂטָ֔ן אֶת־רְז֖וֹן בֶּן־אֶלְיָדָ֑ע אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּרַ֗ח מֵאֵ֛ת הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־צוֹבָ֖ה אֲדֹנָֽיו׃
    (1 Ki. 11:25 WTT) וַיְהִ֙י שָׂטָ֤ן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כָּל־יְמֵ֣י שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה וְאֶת־הָרָעָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֲדָ֑ד וַיָּ֙קָץ֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּמְלֹ֖ךְ עַל־אֲרָֽם׃ פ
    (1 Chr. 21:1 WTT) וַיַּֽעֲמֹ֥ד שָׂטָ֖ן עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיָּ֙סֶת֙ אֶת־דָּוִ֔יד לִמְנ֖וֹת אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
    (Ps. 109:6 WTT) הַפְקֵ֣ד עָלָ֣יו רָשָׁ֑ע וְ֜שָׂטָ֗ן יַעֲמֹ֥ד עַל־יְמִינֽוֹ׃

    Sloppy scholarship leads to sloppy conclusions, and this article is wrought with both!

  93. Trin says:

    I found this article really interesting. I’d like to know from the author how Lucifer and the fallen angels, as depicted in the book of Isaiah fits in. As Christians we are taught that Lucifer, Satan and the devil are one and the same.

  94. C Smale says:

    Regarding God cursing the serpent to crawl on the ground and what kind of creature was it before it was cursed.
    Is there anything in scripture to indicate that the curse on this creature was just to that individual alone? “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
    “all the days OF YOUR LIFE.”
    Also, might this have been one of their domesticated animals? It would have been even more poignant if it had been.

  95. Sillygoose says:

    Dustin, quick question, how can Eve know that eating the apple is evil, if she only gains the knowledge of good and evil after having eaten it?

  96. Dustin says:

    Dave, your comment is extremely offensive and houses no biblical support.

  97. Dustin says:

    As an exegesic reader of the scriptures, and a believer of His preserved Word, I would have to say that you are heretical. Satan is one of many names given to the fallen angel, just as Savior references Jesus Christ. Is is mentioned, along with evil spirits numerous times in the old and new testiment. He was noted to walk in the garden of Eden until inequity was found in him. Evil and darkness are always the abscence of goodness, not some twisted Mr. Hyde side of God. Please be careful when you post things contrary to God says in His word. The end of Revelations warns you about what may happen. In Christ always,

  98. Maranatha Shalom says:

    “…We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.…”
    [Paul: 1 Corinthians 2:12-14]

    It would do well for all men to first be born again of the Holy Spirit before writing opinions about the Word of God.

  99. Casey says:

    What kind of “satan” tempted Jesus in the desert? Was it the actual “satan” or just an adversary?

  100. Firestone says:

    You know what, the serpent in the garden of Eden could be symbolic for Satan rather than a talking snake? The dragon is also symbolic for Satan but they’re obviously extinct, not unless God was referring to the Komodo dragon? In a way this symbolism would make sense because the animal we all know that spoke like a man was a donkey of the prophet Baalim but then again the strangest things have happened. So Satan might have the power to possess animals by making them talk. Mind you he does with humans. I guess its back to the drawing board.

  101. John Leigh says:

    It is always comical when comments are left instructing the author to “research recent scholarly commentary on these text” when the author is a scholar and has written books, while the comment writer has done nothing but critique. Just because a “Christian” interprets a text a certain way does not justify the interpretation. Just because a term or name like a satan appears in the NT does not mean the people writing “believed” the theology the comment writer accepts.

    Recent scholarship is no proof either. Scholarship can range from the Moody Bible College to Pontifical Biblical Commission. Some so called scholarship ends up being nothing more than someone’s blog. In the end, like the bible, scholarship says what you want it to so.
    It would do well for comment writers to go to school and “Fist Learn, the Form Opinions.

  102. Thomas says:

    This article provides a useful corrective to anachronistic exegesis of Scripture that would import later ideas into earlier texts. That said, one needs to distinguish between the purely historical-critical reading of Scripture practiced in biblical studies and the theological reading of Scripture by the Church. In the former, there is no warrant for linking Satan to the serpent, nor for linking the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) to Jesus Christ. When Genesis is read through the eyes of Christian faith, however, such readings become plausible and legitimate.

    From a biblical studies point of view, the writer overstates the claim that the New Testament does not link Satan with the serpent of Eden. While no NT writer makes a straightforward, direct identification between the two, there are a number of texts where a connection may at least be hinted at — not only Rev. 12:9 and 20:2 but also Rom. 16:20, 2 Cor. 11:3-14, and John 8:44. Note also the claim in 1 John 3:12 that Cain was ‘of the evil one’ – this seems to presuppose that Satan had existed in early Genesis. The author would have done well to research recent scholarly commentary on these texts.

    I also note the author’s error in asserting that 1 Chr. 21:1 is the only place in the Hebrew Bible where the word satan occurs without the article. In fact, Job 1-2 and Zech. 3:1-2 are the only places where the word satan occurs WITH the article.

    A fully developed primeval Satan myth doesn’t appear in Christian literature until the second century, but its absence from the New Testament does not imply that first century Christians held no such ideas.

  103. Murphy says:

    Re: comments, with all your he said/she said & my God is better than your God ideology… Makes everyone look like a fraud! “Your neighbors side of the street looks a lot nicer when you clean your own windows first “. “Faith without work is dead”

  104. Paul Ballotta says:

    In one of the earliest accounts of a vision of Yahweh presiding over the heavenly court that is described by the prophet Micaiah during the 9th century B.C.E., an entity is dispatched by Yahweh to “become a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets” of the Canaanite God Baal (1 Kings 22:22).

  105. MoriYah says:

    Satan was a SERAPHIM- literally meaning, in the Hebrew “Fiery Dragon/Serpent”. He was an ELOHIM, and Angel- not an animal. Thus why he talked.
    It’s very simple.

  106. Paul Ballotta says:

    Despite the many comments attempting to discredit the above article, the fact remains that there are no references In the Old Testament linking the serpent with Satan. The author of Genesis used the symbol of the Egyptian scribal god Thoth as the catalyst for the first parent’s disobedience since they were free to choose from among a variety of texts but chose to fixate instead on one that advocates the selfish mentality where one benefits at the expense of others, as the symbol of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil suggests. The internet is an example of how information can be used for good and evil and how serpentine entities can slither through a hole in the wall, as the immoral influences slipped in to early Christianity that is mentioned in Jude 1:4.

  107. Sid says:

    The article is well-researched and reported as the author has not fallen prey to the common approach of ‘reading into the text’ non-scriptural understandings of ‘satan’ (adversary) and ‘devil’ (false accuser). The introduction of Babylonian and Greek concepts initially into Jewish thought and later into Christian thought led to a belief in a supernatural creature with the capacity to cause humans to sin.

    Careful reading of the texts establishes that God at times is the adversary and the false accuser is those that oppose the spread of the Gospel. Would God create a being that could challenge Him and cause untold misery to humans?

    The quintessential Old Testament chapter on the outcome of behaviour is Deuteronomy 28 with the “if you do this or that” options. In the NewTestament it is Romans 8 with its description of a life in the “flesh” or a life in the “spirit”. If ever reference to coping with ‘satan’ or ‘the devil’ was to be mentioned it would be in these chapters but there is not even a hint of an external influence on behaviour.
    This is because ‘satan’ and ‘devil’ are words used to personify sin that dwells within us rather than to supernatural beings. (James 1:4)

  108. Paul Ballotta says:

    The serpent would be in the category of “creepers” (Gen. 1:24), and “all creepers of the ground (adamah)” (Gen. 1:25), and “all the creepers creeping on the earth (eretz)” (Gen 1:26), but it also mentions in the context of human domination of the planet “all beasts creeping on the earth” (Genesis 1:28) which reminds me of the account of various wild species of animals feeding on mountain vegetation in the Sumerian epic “Lugalbanda and the Mountain Cave.” Lugalbanda, like the would-be King David, was the youngest of 8 sons (1 Samuel 17:12), and on an expedition with his brothers (all of whom are described as leaders of men while Lugalbanda is mentioned as “their eighth one”) the youngest brother falls ill and is provided with sustenance by his brothers in a cave whereupon he recovers and makes offerings to the Sumerian gods using his observations to trap animals for sacrificial burnt offerings which arouse the attention of the “alert snakes.” All the animals are described as nibbling on various plants except for the snakes, who seem to be drawn to the fire on the altar for warmth in the cold night, though the Bible says that “every creeper on the earth” along with the beasts of the earth and the birds of the heaven are eligible to partake of “every green plant” (Gen. 1:30). But then again this first book of Genesis is a priestly account from the 5th century B.C.E. that seems to order the creation category of land animals according to ritual dietary observance, distinguishing between domesticated animals mentioned first (Heb. “behemah,” Gen. 1:24) and wild animals (Heb. “hayot”). The 10th century B.C.E. account of creation in chapter 2 mentions the serpent as being “more crafty than all the beasts (hayot) of the field” (Gen. 3:1) but afterward is more cursed than “all the cattle (behemah) and all the beasts (hayot) of the field” (Gen. 3:14), implying that the serpent’s domain was previously outside the boundaries of civilization but had gotten access to domestic affairs, as it is written; “…just as when a man flees because of the lion, and the bear actually meets him; and as when he went into the house and supported his hand against the wall, and the serpent bit him” (Amos 5:19).
    http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/skilled-craftsmen-not-slaves-smelted-copper-at-timna/

  109. wes says:

    Back around 2009, receiving some religious instruction due to a family member’s decision to become a member of a particular church, I stumbled on this same conundrum which sent me to on line concordances. Sure enough, my discoveries were much as the author describes. Including the anomalous reference in Chronicles in which David is severely reprimanded for taking a census.

    What could I conclude but that during the interlude between the bulk of writing in the OT and NT, the perspective of the writers had significantly changed. But why?
    My intuition is that Persian ( and perhaps Greek) perspectives had been added to the Judean point of view about the human state and the conflicts within creation. My suspect models from elsewhere would be Zoroastrian writings very similar to those in Enoch. The dualistic divide is over truth and falsehood. But how this could have influence beliefs in Judea is difficult to document, if not to surmise. Greek civilization nearly succumbed to the expansion of the Persian Empire since it was relatively poor in resources. But yet our written heritage from Greece is far larger than that of Persia. And there’s the difficulty.

    But still. Whether we use a close reading of the Bible or not, we still have to debate whether all evil in the world is rooted in human nature or (some of it) comes from outside. A jury might be confronted with an individual whose crimes exceed what they would have attribute to the abilities of one limited individual. Even on the question of exorcism, regarding the most famous case on which a Hollywood movie was once based, the two priests in the actual case were of two minds. One was sure that he was dealing with the devil. The other was not sure, save for the fact that there was a young man who needed his help. If I recall correctly, he spent his remaining career as a military chaplain saying that he faced more evil there on the battlefield then he did in that famous incident.

    And then what are to make of the changed Biblical perspective? Or, should we say, in the NT. To a certain degree it is spelled out in Paul’s epistles, saying that Adam’s conduct broke a trust with God and was the reason for a redemption. But at the same time, Paul emphasizes the break between man and God and only mentions “Satan” once or twice and not with respect to his central message of a new covenant or understanding based on the life and acts of Jesus, its model and faith in its foundation.

  110. Lee says:

    Ok, made a mistake…creation of beasts are mentioned in Gen 1 25-26…Anyway. What is interesting about the creation of the Beasts of the Field is that I had always assumed that ‘the beasts of the field’ referred to ‘Lions and Tiger’s and Bear’s..(oh my). But, that is not the case…Lions and other 4 footed, mamilian predators fall under the category of ‘cattle’ in Gen 1…After doing a hebrew word study in Gen 1 some years ago while researching this ‘serpent’ story. I found that the hebrew word translated ‘cattle’ or ‘livestock’ in english versions include ALL four footed animals of the field…The hebrew word translated ‘BEASTS’ denotes something more than just an animal of the field, predator or not…

  111. Lee says:

    so, the author is saying, that at the time, Moses wrote Genesis…The concept of ‘Satan’ did not yet exist…??? really…??? Maybe Moses and Israel did not understand ‘Satan’ in the terms we do…but they certainly where aware of his existence…All the ancient Civilizations where very aware of a conflict between ‘evil and good’…and of Evil and Good, Spiritual ‘god like’ beings. ITs in there writings… What I have always found 2 stand out the most in Gen 3 is the statement that ‘The Serpent was the most subtle BEAST of the field, that the Lord God, had made’…That the Bible calls Satan…a…BEAST of the FIELD…And since Beasts are mentioned in the creation process in Gen 2. IT would suggest, Satan, was not created at the beginning of creation. And that his original ‘estate’ was, this planet…not heaven…

  112. Paul Ballotta says:

    Perhaps the background to the account of the accuser tempting David to take a census for the purpose of imposing a draft on men for the military originally comes from the collective memory of the Canaanites under Egyptian domination as was revealed in a recently discovered grave near Tel Shadud in the Jezreel Valley. A clay anthropoid coffin contained the remains of an Egyptian official’s gold signet ring whose name was Seti, just like the Pharaoh that he served, Seti I. Named so after the Egyptian god Set, this Pharaoh was particularly reviled and singled out from the Pharaohs for his heavy-handed policy of sacrificing the heirs of the Canaanite kings to the god Amon at Thebes (not unlike the Poles under Soviet domination whose military officers were massacred by Stalin).
    http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-Israel/elite-canaanite-burial-discovered-in-the-jezreel-valley/

  113. Terry says:

    I find this article a bit too contradictory to be considered academic. She gives two good examples of Satan as an individual the concludes with, “if Satan isn’t in the Hebrew Bible….”. Really? Some consider Job as the earliest written book of the Bible. If so the Hebrews had an early example of him that was passed down. The account in 1 Chronicles has an individual Satan (not God as she states incorrectly) who talks David into taking a census. Another example is Psalms 109. It identifies Satan and interestingly uses the Hebrew word satan which is translated, adversary,. That the writer uses that word rather than the more common tsar, must give it a higher descriptive meaning. I see no reason why the ancient Israelites wouldn’t connect Satan to the serpent of Eden. He was, after all, an adversary and an accuser.

  114. Born Again Disciple of Iesous/Jesus says:

    First and foremost, i would like to thank the first commenter (“Israel”) who’s comment reveals the depth of why the article writer has already condemned themselves indeed.

    Secondly, the usage of “YHWH/YHVH/JHWH/JHVH/IHVH/IHWH” an “Yah-Weh” / “Yah-shua” and the numerous other corruptions since the late 1800s (you won’t find this invented neologism in any bible commentary before the late 1800s) as the supposed name for the God of the Holy Bible, is an outright academic intellectual historical fraud perpetuated by crypto-diabolists posing as Bible historians/archaeologists etc or are historians/archaeologists etc fooled by crypto-diabolists at the highest levels of academics in these areas, since the claim of such name being God’s name is pure mystic kabbala gnostic witchcraft practice of Talmudists who very much are the synagogue of satan to use “Yah” and “Yah-weh” to fool the goyim into calling on satan believing they are calling on God. “Yah-Weh” is the Kabbalic name for the Devil aka the dragon aka the serpent. Even Phd/Dr Eli Lizorkin Eyzenberg in modern state of Israel and other Paleo-Hebrew teachers know that the 2 words “Yah-Weh” / “Yah-shua” etc are NOT proper P-Hebrew nor is such a name found in the Holy Bible original Hebrew, and NOR is it a “REAL” name. Such a name is recognized by somewhat HONEST scholars as a composite (made up);

    http://www.jesus-messiah.com/studies/yahweh-full-copy.html
    http://spiritoftruth.ca/BibleStudy/Yahweh of Samaria.htm

    Thirdly, after reading the article and all the comments, all 38 of them at this time, which some was review to me while others had some interesting born again insight that the author is blind to which of course she would as an apparent supposed ‘atheist’ (Romans 1:18-25 makes clear no one is an atheist and those who claim they are, lie to themselves, the world and ultimately to God/Jesus) and thus there are at least more than several comments from seeming born again believers (israel, Don, DacidC, Malachi, Waldo, Robert, Scott, John, Rich, Eliza, David, Michael, Ryan, Terrance) who can actually “SEE” by the grace of Jesus the gross errors made by this author which refutes her claims from a born again bible believer point of view (which is why Jesus never stated to trust the scholars more than the Spirit of the Living God (Jesus)), so in the comment section there are a good few people who i’m very glad are not asleep, show they do study more than a bit, and reveal the author of this article to be exactly who the devil himself would have working for him, someone who’s own worldview is formed by the devil himself while being fooled that such a view is not from the devil and thus is a walking contradiction who is the perfect tool to destroy the milk level faith of a new believer in the veracity of the Holy Scriptures/Writ aka God’s (Jesus’) love letter written to mankind in His blood.

    Satan aka The Devil aka Lucifer aka the Dragon etc.. he went to Eve first and not Adam for a reason, because the Devil knew as shown in 1Timothy2:9-15/1Peter 3:7 etc that the woman is a more fragile vessel who’s inherently naive (as a design feature of God for the woman that is safe for her only when she is in a committed marriage) and if the Devil could fool the woman, which he did, the Devil knew then she would pull Adam into sin also because Adam loved the wife God created for Him 2nd to God. Thus Adam’s sin was because instead of obeying God over Eve by questioning Eve if the fruit he was being given by Eve was from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in order for Adam to show obedience to God first and foremost above all else so as to not eat such fruit as they were commanded by God, he instead doesn’t question her where she got the fruit from because obviously he has no reason to think she would do him wrong on purpose and that the fruit he was being given was a suggestion of the serpent, so Adam in 100% trusting love of Eve takes the fruit from her and eats it because obviously at this point in time he has no idea that she’s been fooled by the serpent, and thus commits the sin of obeying the wife over God when God commanded them both to not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

    The major problems this article has for me;

    “The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1… Although it is possible to read “Satan” here instead of “a satan” (Hebrew uses neither uppercase letters, nor indefinite articles, e.g., “a”)”

    But Paleo-Hebrew and modern Hebrew DO use the definite article much more than the author claims, what bible is she reading from? The ‘athiest’ version? E.g. “Ha Mashiach” (with the definite article, is listed many times in the Hebrew Bible) and the above claims by this “scholar” is disingenuous seeing as how they are looking through a corrupted filter thinking it’s not seriously broken.

    “In light of this impending end, many turned to a renewed understanding of the beginning, and the Garden of Eden was re-read—and re-written—to reflect the changing ideas of a changed world”_

    Oh the lies that satan feeds the unbeliever who naively believes they are after hard documented, verifiable truth that is provable but clearly are as Jesus makes clear, are hungry-for-convenient-truths (lies) that the God-denier seeks in order to support a dishonest world view just so the God-denier can take the invented ideas of satan that satan puts into their heads (unknowingly most of the time) and promulgate them as ‘sound bible archaeology understanding of bible history” at their own peril (Hosea 4:6).

    “Eden’s serpent is not identified with Satan anywhere in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament.”

    Pure dishonesty or pure incompetent study. And this is a ‘scholar’ of the Holy Bible? The commenters i listed have more spiritual understanding of the Scriptures then this ‘scholar’ (of course for most scholars are not born again and do not see how crucial it is what they lack in SPIRITUAL discernment). What pure blind willful error from self-condemned according to God Himself (Jesus). This author actually needs to read the Holy Bible PROPERLY since the commenters on this article have clearly shown by citing the Scriptures properly that her claim is untenable and only tenable to the intellectually dishonest.

    “The concept of the devil begins to appear in second and first centuries B.C.E. Jewish texts…”

    Only according to the self-condemned.

    “In 1 Enoch, the “angel” who “led Eve astray” and “showed the weapons of death to the children of men” was called Gadreel (not Satan).”_

    The Ethiopic book of Enoch is a GNOSTIC (heretical corrupted version of bible stories) pseudopigraphica, and contradicts the Holy Bible numerous times historically and spiritually and only sometimes upholds what the Holy Bible states. It’s outrageous the author would attempt to use this source as an attempt to substantiate that satan wasn’t there as the serpent in the garden. Scholars not supposed to be self-deluded but many are for intellectualism doesn’t make up for Spiritual wisdom given by Jesus.

    “…Around the same time, the Wisdom of Solomon taught that “through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who are on his side suffer it.” Though this may very well be the earliest reference to Eden’s serpent as the devil, in neither text, nor in any document we have until after the New Testament, is satan clearly understood as the serpent in Eden”

    Outrageous! The ‘atheist’ is truly willfully blind and dares being that economical with truth? King Solomon was/is considered the 2nd wisest man on earth save Jesus the Christ and yet this article author again publicly promotes outright intellectual dishonesty to claim that she’s right and King Solomon and Jesus are wrong? This is quite angering but quite fitting and expected at the claims this author makes when the God of the Holy Bible makes clear that the very people who deny Him are the very ones who compose and author articles like this to their own destruction, especially women which satan loves going to first since they are so easy to fool with ‘feel good’ lies.

    “In the New Testament, Satan and his demons have the power to enter and possess people; this is what is said to have happened to Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:27; cf. Mark 5:12–13; Luke 8:30–32). But when Paul re-tells the story of Adam and Eve, he places the blame on the humans (Romans 5:18; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:21–22) and not on fallen angels, or on the serpent as Satan.”

    The blame has always been on man/woman for they have free choice. Though the Devil was in Judas, Judas still chose (because he has free choice) to heed extreme sinful carnality since he was being blinded by satan temporarily, and so the author’s claim above that Judas’s case is opposite of what Paul references, is again, false scholarship and false understanding of the spiritual world of the Holy Bible which of course is expected from them whom God calls fools Himself through King David (Psalm 14) and Paul (Romans 1:18-25) as 2 of many examples in the Holy Bible.

    “Still, the conflation begged to be made, and it will seem natural for later Christian authors—Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian, Irenaeus and Augustine, for example—to assume Satan’s association with Eden’s talking snake.”

    Justin “Deathwish” Martyr (who died in vain), Tertullian, Cyprian, Irenaeus and Augustine, to any true born again believer, these men were the very ‘wolves’ that Jesus and the pillars of the early church (Peter, Paul, James, John) warned about with tears for these wolves and their disciples were the wolves who would enter the early church and NOT SPARE the flock by deceiving many in the early church they were true born again saints but were clearly not with their mystery religion views of Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, Egypt, Babylon etc aka doctrines of devils they were disseminating which were purposely being merged with the early church new testament views which had much more success only until after the last Apostle (John) died. When a site like this has authors that hold men like Justin, Tertullian etc in high regard as supposed ‘true born again early church members” … when to Jesus and the Apostles they would have ex-communicated these wolves like the Apostles did Simon Magus, this is an immediate sign that such authors are either knowingly or unwittingly proving they do not work for the truth of the Holy Bible, but rather work for the original infiltrating wolves of the early church which the Holy Bible warned of profusely teaching how to tell who they are. Anyone who mentions these men as supposed ‘truly early church believers’, exposes themselves as not being true Acts 17 Berean born again believers but either lukewarm nominal ‘believers’ or deliberate infiltrating wolves working for SATAN to attempt to destroy the truth of Jesus and the truth of what His Holy written words are actually stating.

    “…Most famously, in the 17th century, John Milton elaborates Satan’s role in the Garden poetically, in great detail in Paradise Lost. But this connection is not forged anywhere in the Bible.”

    Utter blindness, what utter dishonesty. The author seems only to be qualified in repeating the countless lies of satan which satan sells to them who love themselves more than the Creator who created them.

    “But curiously, although the author of Revelation describes Satan as “the ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9; 20:2), there is no clear link anywhere in the Bible between Satan and Eden’s talking snake.”

    More outright utter willful blindness aka intellectual and spiritual dishonesty. This author gives more credibility to the stories that were copied in a corrupted manner from the Holy Bible than giving the Holy Bible 100% credibility as the book that all pagans and heathens stole from. What serious intellectual dishonesty.

    “By the first century C.E., Satan is adopted into the nascent Christian movement,”

    Jesus nor the Apostles taught anyone to call themselves “Christians” since the word firstly is a word that existed 200 years before Jesus incarnated, which was term for members of the Greco-Egypto “SERAPIS” cult. This is why the word is known to HONEST linguists as a punitive diminutive. Even when the Emperor of Rome, Emperor Hadrian wrote from the area that Alexander conquered he said;

    *”Those who worship Serapis are *Christianos* (Christians) and those who call themselves Bishops of “Christ” are vowed to Serapis (S..ap..) a Graceo-Egyptian God.”

    Emperor Hadrian’s own quote in time shortly after Jesus ascended, reveals one of the most successful historical scams by the infiltrators of the early church to get Jesus believers calling themselves by an very insulting adjective thinking it was a noun and nothing wrong with using this word to self-identify with Jesus, which is already diabolic monstrous lies and which is already improper grammar since it’s not a noun which is what we use to call ourselves by, not insulting adjectives which are not nouns

    The use of “C.E.” also shows that such who use this form of chronological nomenclature, expose themselves as enemies of Jesus seeing as how the reason why we use BC and AD is to remember it was JESUS that changed the world more than anyone else in history thus we mark the timing of history like this, but the GOD-deniers will use BCE and CE of course because they are liars to themselves, the world and most importantly to the God that actually created them while the very dishonourable self-professed “athiest” shakes their fist at that same God giving them the breath in the first place so they can shake their fist at God in their God-given free choice to follow God or not.

    Truly this author has condemned themselves (Romans 1:18-25/Galatians 1:6-10 etc).

  115. Desmond says:

    I have heard one professor interpreting the story of Eve and the serpent as a clash between the ‘World of Freedom’ created by God and the ‘World of Appetite’ which is contrary to God. Man refuses Freedom and chooses to operate on a world of Appetite and hence goes against God, or sins and inherits suffering and death. Serpent in the Garden of Eden represents the World of Appetite. I like to know more about this interpretation.

  116. Terrance Ross says:

    An interesting study drawing patently erroneous conclusions. You want the reader to infer that your conclusions prove an invented “Satan”…however the scriptures are very clear regarding Lucifer, who rebelled and took one third of the hosts of heaven with him and was cast down and given the earth to rule….Whether the serpent was an instrument of Lucifer or an embodiment or literary construct, the elemental truth conveyed is that he beguiled the innocent to sin and they became aware …

    Oh and to Ilan, his tongue was forever split – divided- and can never tell the truth, he is the father of lies and told the first lie to the innocent….

  117. ilanb says:

    Why is it that God never took away the one aspect of the creatures abilities that were his most potent weapon. His ability to speak? Motion and Nourishment both were redone to punish him, but apparently he kept his tongue. Why is that ?

  118. Jaime Farias says:

    I don’t care what name you may give to the Evil One, The problem is how do we interpret the Scriptures. God’s Word purpose is to teach, instruct, correct, and to equip believers for obedience and service to God. The explanation about the Serpent in the Garden of Eden is just a way to see how sin and evil worked to make humankind accountable to the Lord for all conscious acts. “What have you done?” was the kay question God made to Adam and Eve. Still it is the way we all are accountable to our Maker and the answer will be our own judgment.

  119. Fred says:

    The group Christadelphians are the only christian group that I know of that doesn’t believe in a supernatural, literal devil/Satan. Google their teachings regarding this subject, its quite interesting and informative.

  120. Steve Sloca says:

    The serpent was the symbol of the goddess Asherah in her role as Goddess of Fertility. Similarly, her symbol as the Goddess of Wisdom (the Greeks’ Athena was modeled after her) was the Tree of Knowledge. In the thousand years from 1500 to 500 BCE, the Israelis worshiped Asherah as well as YHWH–despite the efforts of the YHWH priesthood and the prophets to stamp out her worship. The real meaning of the Adam and Eve and the apple story is to portray Asherah worship as the reason for the Fall of Man and exile from Paradise. Read Professor Ackerman’s important book on the subject, “Under Every Green Tree,” in which she analyses the Biblical and other writings (like clay tablets from contemporaneous sources), archeological evidence and historical evidence of Asherah worship in Israel.

  121. Ryan says:

    Satan appears 23 times in the Aleppo Codex, and NEVER with “ha [the]” in front of it. I think the author is loco, and basing her info off of some heretical sect that has “altered their English version,” which is NOT scripture. Scripture is the ORIGINAL texts that Yahwehs Voice was written down upon. English “translations” are exactly that, “translations.”

    Websters definition of “Translation:” interpretation, a view of the writer, change or conversion to another form, appearance, etc.; transformation.

    A “translation” is a persons “version” of what they are reading, or “how they read something.” It is NOT taking “one language and bringing it over to another language,” that is called TRANS-LITERATION!

  122. Michael says:

    The bible prophets spoke in “parables,” not myths. Many words in the bible have parabolic meaning. A parable has literal application, but is not literal. Good luck with your studies.

  123. Michael says:

    Revelation 20:2
    He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

  124. jamesh298 says:

    Arthur are you serious? Does it matter if the author is an atheist? Did I read that right? So who are you going to go to for Biblical insight an author who doesn’t believe in God or an author who does?

  125. Neville Smith says:

    The KJV says: from heaven they came:
    RE: a says; I ask; do you live with your head in the sand, are you a western
    blind Christian? Every nation past and present has reports of UFO’s. 1561 Nuremberg, the residents see a giant battle of UFO’s, it is reported by the local paper, carved on a wood plate.
    Burrit college tenn: 6-1-1853 students and an officer report a large UFO
    Feb. 25, 1942 California Coast guard fires over 14,000 rounds at hundreds of UFO’s over L A coast.
    Jan. 3 1957 Texas war veteran and over 15 others report a large UFO over Levelland Tx
    Dec. 9 1965 US air force confiscated an object that crashed in Penn. Citizens stated that it was saucer shaped and giving off a green glow
    Maer. 24 1983 Hundreds of people including police officers reported city sized UFO’s over Hudson Valley
    Jun.14 2001 NJ Turnpike officers report large UFO gliding over turnpike
    Jan. 8 2008 Police officers and over 40 citizens reported several city sized UFO’s some described as 1/2 mile wide and one mile long.
    THE CREATOR WAS A SPACE ALIEN; YES OR NO. TAKE YOUR CHOICE BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS.

  126. John says:

    Amazing that so many think these insights are new. This is the view of academics even at places most would consider conservative. Academically, I’m disappointed that it stops with the discussion of how the adversary (God’s agent) became His opponent and does not go on to show how demons (Greek: daemons) are not properly understood and also became entities. From a faith perspective, I’m disappointed with how many of the commenters are unwilling to consider that maybe they have misunderstood what God is trying to say–no where does the Bible encourage blind acceptance of what is taught by men, but regularly encourages close inspection, wisdom, and discernment. He who has ears to hear……

  127. David says:

    Not having read much of the comments. I reply to the article only:
    Simply you miss the point that you have made. In a single phrase: satin is the – Test – of humanity.
    The measure of each life will be discovered through the purification of fire. I submit to be: The second death.
    humanity, self appointing judgment, burning people to death. God alone is the Judge, shown in Daniel. The three were NOT cast into the fire as a test, they were cast in for annulation; God found them righteous in representing His Glory, a light for others to Truth. Had nothing to do with proving the man as king was righteous, which would be the intent of burning a person to death to assert their judgement was correct. Falsely elevating themselves or attempting to bring God down to their understanding.

  128. Sylvia says:

    Notice the difference between the articles “the” and “a”. Those articles apply two very different meanings to the following noun. “The” implies only one – period, “a” implies one of many.

    This is an important aspect of a statement when defining the meaning of texts.

  129. Arthur Pigg says:

    Quite frankly, I’m in sympathy with the much maligned author of this piece. I do not, however, exactly agree with him/her (long way to top of page to find out which). First of all, this article relies almost exclusively on canonical scripture … and the badly abridged Hebrew version too. Any discussion of understanding such a text, including even the works of Shakespeare, must consider more the literature both contemporary and preceding its compilation. In older texts, also, derivative literatures can aid in illuminating the subject texts. Therefore, I’d suggest looking at some other sources.
    To begin, folks often quickly dismissing New Testament evidence of Jewish belief. The Qumran materials, however, demonstrate that the Christian view if the Satan mythos is clearly shared among other Jewish denominations. Jewish folk tales and commentary also support this image.
    Next, poetic language is quite plastic. Describing something as a dragon in one place and a serpent in another is clearly well within the range of such imagery.
    Then there is the prophetic passage which compares one ruler to Satan … who begins as God’s most splendid creation but whose hubris has cast him lower than an animal.
    Another important evidence can be derived from the Ebla materials. From the few articles which appeared before the Syrian dictator demanded they stop, it seems that Satan, as a unique character hostile to El/Yah and humanity some thousands of years PRIOR to Jesus.
    For me, on the other hand, the idea central to the article is proposing that people are constantly reviewing their concepts. Just as the modern writer is beleaguered by the need to keep upgrading his software, humans seem always to be engaged in upgrading their understanding of heavenly things. That seems to be a fairly viable concept!
    Regards.
    PS … what does it matter whether the author is an atheist or Luther reincarnated? Is the data correct and is the argument logical? I think the data set here is too small.

  130. Raj kumar says:

    Science and faith are two different ideas one should not try to hurt the faith of faithful people by giving their scientific logic

  131. Dillard says:

    @Paul, I enjoyed reading your #9. Thought provoking and 10 times more information than the lady writing this article.
    It is sad to see atheists writing for anything biblical. What can we expect with Satan attempting to destroy a anything good.

  132. Eliza says:

    I concur with everything you stated Rich.

  133. Rich says:

    Something that just “blows” my mind is all this “new teachings” you all seem to come up with; so much so, that it becomes more obvious NONE of your authors have ever read the Bible, especially when it comes to women authors. Not to mention that NO ONE there seems to have read Paul’s teaching on someone teaching a different Gospel, that they be “eternally condemned” (Gal 1:6-10). I am sick and tired of reading articles that start out by telling all about the education of that author. And according to 1 teacher, it matters NOT to how many letters or numbers one has before or after their name. Unless one has Yeshua in their life as Lord and Savior, their education is meaningless; and I agree with that teacher. Something I have also noticed over the years. You are suppose to be the “Biblical Archaeology Society” and “Bible History Daily”. How does either sever the purpose of supporting Scripture, when your authors are heretics?

  134. Mark Strauss says:

    What about Romans 16:20, where Paul identifies Satan with a likely allusion to Genesis 3:15?

  135. DR WERNER says:

    So the article purports to say that “a satan” was actually an accuser sent by God to test Adam and Eve and not Satan himself? This is what I gather from the reading here. It does make sense if this is the intended purpose and claim of this article.

  136. Andy says:

    Interesting that you mention Ezekiel’s vision being associated with ufos today. Even though ufos (by which i presume you mean flying saucers) are not proven to exist, have no credible evidence for their existence, and the way we view them is solely an invention of Hollywood.
    Strange then that you accuse the Biblical authors of referring to myths when you mention nothing more than a modern myth yourself by way of rebuttal. And you’re a professor?
    PS your field of study is listed as religion. my dear, that’s all well and good but in your studies please look beyond the religion and see what Jesus had to say about those who rely on religious traditions.

  137. Paul D says:

    For reasons I have never understood these issues are very hard to sort through. The Apostle Paul lays the blame for wrong decisions directly on the heads of those who made them, no outside influences needed. But elsewhere in Scripture we see allusions made that sound contradictory in certain ways.

    I think there are translation problems arising from definitions of ancient Hebrew & Greek languages to the languages & their definitions we use in the world today & we may never be able to 100% restore those ancient definitions……we can on;y do our best.

  138. John Hunt says:

    Merely anti-Christian propaganda. The lack of validity to the claims in this article has already been shown by previous posts, so I will add nothing more.

  139. Reagan Steele says:

    I would like to understand the point to which you are elluding to. I won’t assume to know it. A couple of things that occur to me are the many examples, in both OT and NT where God’s people didn’t understand Him, the historical events they were part of, nor His timeline. So to say that there was no clear indication of the being modern day Jews and Christians know as Lucifer, ha Satan, or the devil; is not necessarily an indication that the being is not real, or that the modern understanding is not based on revelation. I wonder to which alternative reality you, the author, is leaning towards.

  140. Alien Species says:

    And you believe in god? If I am to believe in such a fictitious character, my god would be the Sun…;)

  141. Scott says:

    Revelation 12:9.

  142. Robert Ireland says:

    I am not as ‘critical’ as some of the previous… obviously your approach is pure academic and, sadly, lacks faith. I suppose we get used to that these days. While I was a bit put off by your using the word ‘braggadocio’ in connection with G*d [as I say: I have come to expect such], the saddest part for me is your position that the Book of Daniel was written in 162 BCE. Since much of the prophecy of Daniel was fulfilled by the Selucid emperor, Antiochus Epiphanes, you condemn the idea of ‘pre-cognition’ and presume the text to be written after the fact. Although Academe may require such a jaded view, you are missing a great deal of the dynamic of the Scriptures, whether it be the Tanakh or the NT, and thus you miss all the depth within. I am sad for you – but perhaps hope still abounds.

  143. Paul Ballotta says:

    @Waldo #7; In addition to the sources cited in the above article, Dante’s “Divine Comedy” makes reference to the tempter from the biblical narrative in “Purgatorio” chapter 8:
    “There was a snake, on that side, where the little valley has no barrier, perhaps such a one as gave Eve the bitter fruit. The evil reptile slid through the grass and flowers, now and again, twisting its head towards its tail, licking like a beast grooming itself.”
    When I first read this decades ago I was high one night while listening to a classic rock radio station and I could perceive an entity behind the scenes whose skin was covered with scales consisting of compact disks (since they had become vogue at the time) even though this radio station’s format included music that was custom-made for vinyl and sounded better scratchy. I would refer this phenomenon as the “having the form of Godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5) approach to introducing a style of music based on cutting-edge technology that tries to disguise that it’s not purely a marketing strategy. It was only 3 decades ago when a rock band depicted the record companies on album art as soulless artificial humanoids wearing business suits as they extend whatever record they’re promoting at any given time with endless radio play. Now-a-days an artist can simply rehash old music with a digitally remastered box set.

  144. Paul Ballotta says:

    The ancient Egyptians possessed books on magic in which every known reptile was drawn from snakes to lizards all the way up the chain to crocodiles and this seems to have been known to the author of the book of Exodus where Moses throws down his staff in a dress rehearsal and it became a serpent (Heb. “nahas,” Exodus 4:3), but in the actual confrontation with the Pharaoh’s magicians it is Aaron who throws down his staff and it became a dragon (Heb. “tannin,” Exodus 7:9-12) that ate the dragons of the Pharaoh’s magicians. Afterward, Moses is instructed to take his staff that turned into a serpent and meet the Pharaoh at the edge of the Nile (Exodus 7:15) because the contest of the magicians involved the crocodile god Sobek which was a symbol of the Pharaoh’s control over the Nile which was ultimately the source of his power. In Genesis 10:7 the fifth son of Cush is Sab’te-ca, who was Pharaoh Shabitqo of the 25th Dynasty (702-690 B.C.E.) and whose name contains the name of the god Sobek, like Shabitqo’s brother and predecessor on the throne, Shabaqo (716-702 B.C.E.). In the “Shabaqo Stone,” (also known as the “Memphite Theology of Creation”) an effort was made by this Pharaoh to preserve an ancient writing “which the ancestors made but was worm-eaten,” during a period when the Memphite god Ptah was in the ascendant during the Old Kingdom. The text emphasis the plurality of the Egyptian gods who maintain the checks and balances necessary to restore civility following the murder of the god Osiris at the hands of the god Set (the biblical Satan) and the ensuing rivalry between Set and the offspring of the deceased Osiris, the god Horus, whose quarreling caused Egypt to be divided between north and south. So it really speaks volumes when Pharaoh Shabaqo the Crocodile-in-Chief endorses the rule of law especially when you consider the unflattering portrait of a Pharaoh about a century later in Ezekiel 29:3 that calls him “Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon sprawling amidst his streams.” These streams or canals dominated by a dragon symbolize the demonic realm in the mystical book of Zohar that was written in the 13th century C.E., and this network of waterways is but a reflection of the heavenly realm as it is written, “…a well watered region…like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt” (Genesis 13:10). From the Nag Hammadi library dating to the mid-4th century C.E. we have a book named after the greek god of healing, “Asclepius,” whose symbol is a snake entwined around a pole like the bronze serpent of Moses (Numbers 21:9, John 3:14-15) and the book states that “Egypt is (the) image heaven…the dwelling place of heaven and all the forces that are in heaven,” and thus the forces that sustain creation are not unlike the gods of the Egyptians which are not really gods but divine qualities that are described in the Shabaqo Stone as emanating from the creator god Ptah-Tatenan, that is none other than the primordial word or “logos” of God in the prologue to the gospel of John:
    “(Thus) it happened that the heart and tongue gained control over [every] (other) member of the body, by teaching that he [Ptah, as heart and tongue] is in every body and in every mouth of all gods, all men, [all] cattle, all creeping things, and (everything) that lives, by thinking and commanding everything that he wishes” (“The Ancient Near East, Vol. 1; An Anthology of Texts and Pictures” by James B. Pritchard, p.2).
    “The Logos of the Gospel according to John is a term which has many meanings: Word, Intellect, Reason, and others. It is generally (and especially in literature) taken to mean ‘word’ (verbum), but it would be more exact to relate it to the term ‘weaving’ in its traditional symbolic sense. It stands for the intersection of complementary notions, as in the craft of weaving where intersection gives form to two threads which by themselves cannot be situated” (“Sacred Science; The King of Pharaonic Theocracy” by R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz, 167).

  145. True Covenant Quotes and More says:

    You obviously have never even looked at Strongs Concordance for the word, “serpent” of Genesis.
    http://comparet.christogenea.org/content/adam-was-not-first-man

  146. Waldo says:

    I wonder how many of these people live in the real world

  147. malachig says:

    satan is NOT a snake. He is a DRAGON!! That crap image is from Renaissance Art, not Biblical text.At the time the Bible was translated into KJ English, the word “serpent” was synonymous with “dragon.” Dragon is simply an ancient word for “dinosaur” which literally means, ” Terrible or terrifying serpent or lizard.”a term which wasn’t coined until the mid 1700s.
    What this lady deems as “mythological” animals were real creatures. It is the world’s modern view of evolution and dinosaurs that has deceived these past recent generations into believing that dragons were never real, even though history amongst all peoples and nations has recorded them since the beginning of time.
    Just go look at a pictorial glossary of known Dinosaurs. They ALL have their bellies off the ground, both quadrupeds and bipeds. But what do we see today with lizards? all their bellies are on the ground when they walk. Not just snakes.
    “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:”
    Regardless of what our early Judaic fathers knew of satan, the Bible is clear that he was ALWAYS the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
    Revelation 12;9 – 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.’
    Can it be any more clear or straightforward than that?
    A proper realization of the pre-flood world and the union of Angels with humans in Genesis 6 that created the gods and heros of ancient so-called “myth” puts many things into a place of relevant understanding. Dragons were real, and large, and majestic. Google Marco Polo’s account with dragons. They are clearly what people regard today as dinosaurs. And their are many other “myths” of talking Dragons throughout history, which would make sense if the first recorded dragon in history could talk, that its offspring would have that ability too.
    satan is a was/is a dragon, just like the Scriptures tell us.

  148. shafia says:

    The Leviathan of Job (41) is a beast that lives in the water, considered by many the hippopotamus of the Nile, and not merely a serpent (as in Isaiah) though they seem to share some physical features. In Job, it’s a behemoth – fearsome, ugly, vicious and recalcitrant. It would serve as a potent political metaphor for Hobbes many centuries later. “The accuser” in Job is a heavenly creature who appears in the company of YHWH. To conflate “the accuser” with Leviathan is a wild stretch of the imagination.

    To understand the evolution of the devil as Satan is inalienable from our understanding of the evolution of evil in the two bibles (Old and New). The same is true of God. In Genesis he goes for a walk in the afternoon breeze. Clearly a very physical presence. Later, he would become only a name, so holy that people wouldn’t even utter it.

    It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that as time passed and the Israelites gave shape to their myths in the light of their faith, newer concepts and images emerged to attribute identity and name to things that were nameless before.

  149. Brad says:

    I disagree, but am interested. The serpent speaks to Eve in the Bible, showing it is not an average animal. Then there is the prophecy of Eve’s offspring in Genesis 3:15, saying that a descendant of Eve will crush the head of the serpent and that the serpent will bruise his heel. If this is a prophecy of Jesus, and it seems to be, then it isn’t talking about a normal snake, but about Satan.
    Satan’s appearance before God in the book of Job seems to be an exception rather than the normal routine, so much so that not only does the author say that the angels came and Satan came too, but that God confronted him specifically.
    The serpent, dragon, etc imagery of and in the book of Revelation is clearly not hearkening back to prehistoric monsters or myths. Read in context it is clearly not some random, massive animal or sea monster, but an enemy of God and the spiritual order God has set up.
    In short the author brings up problems, but not insurmountable ones. And we should never be surprised when our names for beings don’t match ones from thousands of years ago or that we have a name for something that once was not named, or was only mentioned obliquely. Further, the Bible is a book that focuses on the chosen people’s relationship with God, and not their relationship with his enemies.

  150. DacidC says:

    Just wondering: Strong’s Concordance shows #4567 (Satan) 36 times.
    Original Word: Σατανᾶς, ᾶ, ὁ
    Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
    Transliteration: Satanas
    Phonetic Spelling: (sat-an-as’)
    Short Definition: an adversary, Satan
    Definition: an adversary, Satan.
    Word Origin
    of Hebrew origin satan
    Definition
    the adversary, Satan, i.e. the devil
    NASB Translation
    Satan (35), Satan’s (1).

  151. Don W. says:

    I’m curious about a couple of statements in this article. First, this one:

    The noun satan, Hebrew for “adversary” or “accuser,” occurs nine times in the Hebrew Bible

    And this one:

    The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1.

    My Bible software (Accordance) shows 27 occurrences of satan, 19 of which have the article ha.
    Would like to know how the author arrived at her statistics.

  152. Israel Quinones says:

    “braggadocio” I see that you are an atheist. This site has a cadre of atheists running it. Sorry but you have condemned yourselves. You are without excuse.

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186 Responses

  1. Patrick Tilton says:

    The Hebrew word NaChaSh is usually translated ‘serpent’ or ‘snake’, but its actual literal meaning is ‘Hisser’ and/or ‘Whisperer’. Since a serpent does make hissing sounds, then it qualifies as a ‘Hisser’ or ‘Nachash’ . . . but so does a Whispering Man or ‘god’ or ‘angel’.
    The story in GENESIS is like an Ovidian tale from the METAMORPHOSES, where a Whispering being — a literal ‘Nachash’ — is punished for ‘seducing’ Eve and Adam by being transformed into a different kind of ‘Nachash’, the ‘Hissing’ kind: a literal Serpent.
    The writers of GENESIS considered Snakes and Worms to be essentially the same kind of creature, a limbless tube-shaped slitherer with a head at one end. One of the punishments this ‘Serpent’ is to endure is to eat dust of the earth — which is something that earthworms are thought to do, but actual snakes do NOT do. The author(s) of GENESIS conflate the two types of creatures, in the mistaken belief that a Snake is a kind of ‘dust’-eating Worm and/or vice versa, that earthworms make hissing noises and, thus, can be referred to as ‘Hissers = ‘Serpents’.
    It’s no wonder that medieval bestiaries would refer to a Dragon, too, as a ‘Worm’ or ‘Wyrm’. The English word ‘Vermin’ comes from the same linguistic root.

  2. […] sanctuary dedicated to the god Apollo. According to Greek mythology, Apollo killed the massive snake Python at Delphi. Following his victory, a temple and an oracle was set up on this […]

  3. […] sanctuary dedicated to the god Apollo. According to Greek mythology, Apollo killed the massive snake Python at Delphi. Following his victory, a temple and an oracle was set up on this […]

  4. David Murray says:

    I also as a Bible believing Christian get tired of all the misinformation and derogatory remarks made by these so-called “professors” who all they do is try without effect to discredit and slander the Word of God………….Satan is REAL whether some of you want to believe it or not will be you own failing in the end…………..Christ spoke of the devil throughout the New Testament and specifically in 2 keys moments recorded; the first while he was in the desert for 40 days/nights undergoing Satan’s temptations and secondly while in the Garden of Gethsemane………BUT of you consider those historical events just stories then of course the whole idea behind your research is already biased and flawed…………Their are hundreds of early church writers who wrote specifically on the topic who would have had better historical evidence if you desire than we have today because many of these papers/documents unfortunately were destroyed and burned in countries waring with others over the centuries……..YES indeed we are are worst enemy t most times because in 2023 we are still killing the innocents for needless personal gain but that does not nor ever will dismiss Satan as being our #1 adversary here on earth

    1. Arthur says:

      Exactly. Besides all that, people tend to selectively argue from certain sources that give them either misinformation or disinformation, and then the run with it. They also just make things up out of thin air against the Biblical evidence by saying things like, ” like Yahweh’s messenger in Numbers 22, this satan acts on YHWH’s instructions (and as a result of God’s braggadocio) and is not an independent force of evil.” Yeah, right. The text itself mitigates against such a claim, as a personal, evil, spirit being is having a conversation with another Personal, spirit Being.

      So we can’t take such claims seriously, since they have no sound basis in good exegesis and understanding of the actual text, and seeks to only subvert what the text says and means.

    2. Colin Smith says:

      I agree David. There is this massive attempt to deconstruct the bible to no more than a comic book by scholars who should know better. Also are we to discard the testimony of demonic possession as witnessed by many catholic priests who are highly trained theologians or people who,have witnessed demonic occurences within their home. Why are so many scholars so obsessed with the bible if they believe it largely to be a work of fiction. Because there is potentially big money to be made out of discrediting the bible or doing real work like a priest has to attending to their flock.

    1. Charles Chi Halevi says:

      Folks, let’s remember that the Apocrypha were deliberately not included in Judaism b/c the ancient sages basically said they weren’t inspired by God and therefore not to be trusted.. Ergo, view anything you find there as not always being true.

      Keep in mind those sages were, chronologically, some 2,000 years closer to what was real. The Church fathers who canonized them were not (usually) reliable sources. They had their own agenda and modern scholarship has shown they lied. An example of this is when the Book of Matthew plagiarized Isaiah in that famous “Behold a virgin shall conceive” etc, etc.

      1. Anybody who speaks Hebrew knows that the word “alma” means a young female of child-bearing capability, not a bitula/virgin. Yes, each has a clearly defined meaning. The masculine for alma is “elem”. It is still used this way in Hebrew spoken in Israel and the Diaspora. Modern bibles

      2. Matthew really went off the grid when, in the same verse, he plagiarized Isaiah’s prophecy which said the alma’s son would be called “Emmanuel.” NOWHERE in the Christian Gospels does anyone say, “Thanks for the loaves and fishes, Emmanuel.” NOWHERE in the Gospels does anyone say, “Thank you for your healing me, for raising Lazarus, Emmanuel.” This is yet another proof — from Christian sources, mind you — that whomever wrote the Book of Matthew was hoist on his own petard.

      3. In the original Hebrew, this verse from Isaiah uses the PRESENT text. This means it cannot possibly refer to Jesus, who came about 7 centuries later.

      Toss out your old, inaccurate bible and look up Isaiah 7:14 in “Oxford’s New English Bible.” They too accurately refute the so-called virgin birth translation as I indicated above.

      And know that *all* the scholars who worked upon Oxford’s New English Bible were respected Christians, not Jews.

      1. Beelzebub Adam Schiff says:

        Emmanuel just means, God is with us. When I said the sinners prayer to accept Jesus as my savior from the first word to the very last word the Holy Spirit came on me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head and felt like electricity. It was supernatural and what are the chances this could happen the spit second I opened my mouth on the first word and that electricity stay on me till the very last word that was spoken and then the electricity lifted off of me? My guess is you have a better change of winning the lotto numbers than this happening by some freak accident. So no antichrist or Christ haters can ever convince me Jesus is not God with us. Jesus said whoever has seen me has seen God, is not the father in the son and the son in the father? Emmanuel means, God with us. Matthew 1:23
        John 10:30  I and my Father are one.
        Matthew 27:54 “Surely he was the Son of God!”
        Mark 15:39 “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
        2Pe 1:1 the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ

  5. AA says:

    -Since this site is focused on archeological attributes of religion, you might find a lot that can be interesting and history changer if you direct your attention to the real geo religious history of southern Arabia and its African opposing redsea coast ; nowadays Yemen, saudia Arabia , Oman , eritria, djebouti, Sudan, Somalia …..
    – another thing , you may find in the link to follow answers for most of the perplexities propagated by the Jewish biblical writers and the post Christ birth biblical writers …. the disastrous mix between what remained from the holy devine revelations ( books) to Moses meaning the Tawarah-Torah and Jesus “the Christ ” meaning the Injil-Gospel

  6. […] How The Serpent In The Garden Became Satan […]

  7. Enceladus says:

    In this essay the blogger states that the noun Satan means the adversary or accuser. But that is wrong. The noun Satan means attacker or to attack. Using this noun ” a Satan” can be used for a superhuman intelligence or human intelligence. And “The Satan” means -The Adversary- & -The accuser-. In the Old Testament narrative The Satan was a superhuman intelligence which played a role in the heavenly court, which is where he is recognized as an accuser or prosecutor.

    1. Rich M says:

      It’s a fine essay from a theological/biblical perspective. The problem here is we have a pre-biblical version of Adam and Eve from Ugarit with additional details, like an extra god Horanu. Without considering this original version, I feel that this essay is outdated.

      https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265184845_Review_of_Adam_Eve_and_the_Devil_by_Marjo_Korpel_Johannes_de_Moor_Sheffield_2014

  8. Tom Lucente says:

    The introduction of Milton failed to mention Paradise Lost as a plagiarized Adamo Caduto. The verses are almost word for word translations of the work which Milton read and copied when he visited Southern Italy.

  9. Surely you do not have time to read all these comments I’ll be brief. The Serpent in Genesis may represent human concupiscence James 1:14 the tree of life a personal relationship with God John 17:3 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil the human nature of putting oneself before our Creator. which all happpened in real life on Mount Masius.

  10. Steven L. Sloca says:

    When the Adam & Eve story was written, not only was the concept of Satan unknown, but the story had a very different meaning. The “Tree of Knowledge” was the symbol of Asherah (wife of El, the creator god in the Summerian pantheon) in her guise as Goddess of Wisdom. The serpent was the symbol of Asherah in her other manifestation as the Goddess of Fertility. The priests of Yahweh (Hebrew for El) were in a dogfight with the priestesses of Asherah over whether Yahweh was the “only” god, or whether there were many as Abraham’s followers had believed when they lived in Ur. The story–which is the second version of creation in the Bible–was written to try to stamp out Asherah worship. It didn’t succeed until after the Babylonian exile. Meanwhile, Asherah had become Athena and Aphrodite in the Greek pantheon.

  11. […] There are male and female counterparts, the tree and the fruit in the Edenic setting and even an ominous mention of a snake. It is likely that Longus knew some version of the Genesis story, whether by first or second hand. […]

  12. James says:

    Talking about God the Father and the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ and the author uses BCE and CE instead of BC AND AD.
    REVOLTING AND PAR FOR THE COURSE OF THE LEFT.
    If you change words they believe, well, you get “whatever they want to do to you” and if this happens, people, ALL PEOPLE, should come to their aid.
    But it always just the left allowed to change things , no one else.
    God Bless.
    James

    1. Robert Smith says:

      the New Testament has so many changes from the old one that it bears little resemblance to it. You teach the New Testament, so according to your claim and ONLY the left can make changes… YOU are the left? im confused here, does that mean you despise yourself? please enlighten us all with some more of your twisted hypocrisy.

    2. Rod Tyler says:

      The problem here is that you look to the NT to explain the Hebrew Bible, when it should be the other way around. The Hebrew Bible is what you look to, and only with the Hebrew Bible do you explain the NT. If the NT doesn’t match the concepts or meaning found in the Hebrew Bible, then the NT is wrong. The NT directly claims to be built off of the so-called prophetic texts of the Hebrew Bible. If I wrote a research paper about claims of a new religion and I used the Hebrew Bible as my source, my paper would be the one that would have to be criticized because it is making claims of an earlier already-written source.

      To put it this way: The Hebrew Bible can be true and the NT false, but the NT cannot be true and the Hebrew Bible false.

  13. M Graf says:

    The serpent in the garden, so much fantasy wrapped around a simple allegory. It’s amazing that no one can see the woman deceives the serpent. The key to understanding the meaning of serpent is in the root of the word, brass. This is the brass kingdom. Brass resembles gold when polished. But it’s exposure to the atmosphere causes it to tarnish and darken. God’s kingdom is symbolized as gold, as you know it maintains its sheen. Brass is made up of two models copper and zinc. The copper color represents the clay, and the shiny mirrorlike zinc represents the spirit. There was rebellion in God’s kingdom which brought about the casting out of God’s children the spirits. Now we serve time on earth in clay vessels. Our nature is rebellious against God, our father. It is all summed up in the Lord’s prayer. Our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name (not my name) thy kingdom come (not this kingdom of brass) thy will be done (not my will) on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread (understanding) and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation (God controls all the movements in this world) but deliver us from evil (from ourselves) for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory (we thought we were glorious beings above God we were wrong) forever. The serpent in the garden represents man. We are the most cunning animals God created. The woman represents the apostate churches of man. As brass serpents made of clay we go to our churches and we ask what did God say, teach me the way to regain my life. The churches of man are defiled, they do not seek God’s way, they seek their own way. All of the Christian churches of men or a breakaway of the Roman Catholic Church. This is the mystery in Revelation 17. Babylon the great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Babylon the word Babel, his religious confusion. What does it say in Genesis 11 let us make a name for ourselves. How many different name denominations do we have? In Genesis 11:3 it speaks of the mortar used, slime, the root of this word is wine. Wine represents the understanding of God’s word. It can also represent the misunderstanding. They use brick instead of stone. When building an altar to God, you are to use en honed stone. It is to be natural stone if man puts a chisel to it it is defiled. Churches of man are made of brick and held together by straw the people. When God returns and the truth is revealed the slime that holds the bricks together will melt and the churches will crumble. The story in the garden is about my marriage the woman and her husband. Not Adam and Eve. God’s church is represented by a pure woman that no man can defile. Directed to the Lord is the way to his church. No man can put his hands on the Lord’s pride. All of Christianity are the daughters of the Roman Catholic Church and abomination to the world. All of Christianity have taken with them doctrines of their pagan mother. For example, the first day of the week is not the seventh, Christ is not crucified on the cross, Christmas and Easter come directly out of paganism, there is no Trinity God is One. To mention a few. Returning back to the woman in the garden. The serpent says what did God say tenure eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. The woman replies yes but you cannot touch the tree that is in the midst of the garden and you cannot touch it. The only tree in the garden with the specifier is the tree of life, it is a tree in the midst, and represents Christ. The woman knows if you merely touched the hem of his garment you will be healed. The churches teach the way of Cain. Cain brought to God the fruit of his labor, in today’s terms that would be money. Abel brought the first of the flock and the best portion of the fat. If you examine the word fat in the Hebrew, you will find the root of the word is heart. Abel gave his heart to God, nothing else is acceptable. The account in Exodus were Moses was told to put a brass serpent on a pole, and if anyone was bitten by the venomous serpents in the camp (in this case the venom of man’s tongue) if they would concentrate their eyes on the serpent on the pole they would be healed. The serpent represented the coming of the Lord and his crucifixion. When the Lord put on the flesh by entering the world, he became a brass serpent. Our flesh is symbolically brass, as the earth is the brass kingdom and we now reside in clay vessels. So much for talking snakes. Adam Clarke was the only commentator that seriously researched the word serpent. He concluded it would take a revelation from God to ascertain its meaning. And he was right. The first few chapters of Genesis is not about the creation of the world, but establishing the metaphorical counterparts that would be used later in Scripture. In short, the mind of man is the garden. In the garden you have two trees the tree of life representing Christ and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil representing your own fall in spirit. You have the knowledge of good and evil and you can choose whichever tree you partake from. If you partake of the tree in the midst of the garden you will produce good fruit, these are the deeds towards your fellow man. If you partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this represents you yourself a fallen spirit whose inward nature is enmity towards God. You will produce bad fruit. Christ did not have an earthly father because he was not an impure spirit. He enters the world through hearing, not by seeing. We on the other hand are seed into the world via a waste track through an ejaculation out of the lust of the flesh. Because we are filthy spirits.
    Please excuse any typos or bad English. This was prepared using Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
    There is much more but I believe that’s enough for now. PS I believe you will enjoy the wiles of the wicked woman. In the Dead Sea Scrolls page 272. isbn-10-0-06-076662-x
    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Sea-Scrolls-New-Translation/dp/006076662X
    prostitutes hang out on the corner so they can be seen by more men. Also do churches build on the corners. Spiritual women with slick tongues.

    1. Wanto Warui says:

      You seem as if you are mixing issues. If in your understanding there was no Adam and no woman as you say; they represent other things, how then do you believe in any other name in the Bible? Jesus, David. Mary etc. If the tree of life was Jesus, and the tree of good and evil is me, who then was Adam, Eve and the woman created first?

  14. Stan Hansen says:

    Here are a few facts about satan you missed.

    The first Divine Law was not to mix the Adamic seedline with any of the other trees in the garden. Satan, the wicked one was more subtle, crafty, cunning, than any beast of the field. Eve said to the serpent we may eat of {the fruit} of the trees in the garden. Was it an orange tree, a plum tree, a plum tree, an apple tree, what kind of tree? The Father said you shall not eat or “Aw-Kal”=lay with, neither shall you touch it (Nachash) lest you die. The Father doth know that in the day you eat “AW-KAL”=lay with, your eyes shall be opened. The serpent was pleasing to her eyes because the serpent was a man (Nachash). Eve took of the fruit (seed line) and did “AW-KAL”=lay with the serpent and she gave also unto Adam [the man] and he did eat “AW-KAL”=lay with Lilith the mistress of the serpent/dragon/wicked one. There was no juiced up apple or fruit hanging from a tree. The only thing hanging was two and then four on the ground. Why would The Father punish Eve and all women with pain during child-birth if all she did was eat an apple? Why not just make all of her teeth fall out? Eve said “ The serpent beguiled me. “Naw-Shaw”=wholly seduced me and I did “AW-KAL”=lay with. The first Divine Law had been broken. Jesus The Father said to the serpent because thou has done this, you are cursed above every “beast of the field” including the Enosch/Chevyah=other 2 legged beings/Book of Jonah that had hands and feet that could walk up right, upon by belly shalt though go. Your children will be cursed and cannot grow their own food. I will put enmity or hate between thee (serpent/dragons seedline) = John 8:31, 44,47 and the woman (racial bride of Israel/the mans offspring or seed line) not Israel/the nation. When we turn to the Bible for knowledge and instruction, we are informed that the “beasts of the earth and field” were “created” among the lower “kinds of flesh” to fill their place in the Divine plan where they would be most needed. Their leaders had feathers in their heads.They were given erect posture, well-developed hands and feet, articulate speech; withal, tool-making and tool-handling bipeds (two-footed beasts) – possessing the essential characteristics to fit them for their position as servants.

    The third chapter of Genesis opens with this statement: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which The Alpha & Omega had made.” Here a beast of the field is introduced who is described as “more subtil” than any other of his “kind.” The Hebrew word translated “serpent” is nachash who, among his “kind”, was the most gifted. We have here a genuine “ah ha” moment in full support of the deduction that Nachash, an intelligent beast of the field, was a purebred Negro.

  15. brunov says:

    The Nachash of Genesis is not a snake but a (most certainly) beautiful being – maybe even with wings (according to Egypthian imagery). The first couple was amazed by its appearance.
    You assume that the people then did not know satan (the againster), what I doubt since the know it was not the Lord God speaking. The replacement of God, the nachash, impressed the people then. Footnote : the tree of good and EVIL was in the garden, so the choice was possible and that’s what the human couple did, chosing the side of the one against God. So even if they did not know the name they know the concept. I also think the note on Daniel is not only inapproriate but als misleading (say false – excuse me for the language).

  16. carmenk6 says:

    There is a very good description here: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003845
    The Satan, the spirit/angel that resisted God used the serpent like a ventiloquist. And thats why he is called the “original” serpent in Revelation 12.
    Satan is not a personal name but a title. The same is valid for another title for him: “devil” which means “liar or exactly slanderer”.
    Interesting is that this adversary is never mentionned by any personal name in the bible. And that is logical: whoever wants to use a personal name for a disdained person?

  17. RYAN MCGINNIS says:

    1st, if anyone believes the authors “made up mythology,” one would be stupid to buy into the idea that she knows anything.
    2nd, Shatan is called elsewhere in Scripture, “Heylel, Lewyathan, king of Tyrus, prince of Tyrus, Bel (Baal),” and Job (Yob) was a kinsman to Abraham, they lived in the same time period, so Abraham too, was well learned as to who Heylel really was.
    3rd, Yob’s friend, the Temanite was a distant cousin to Abraham, the book of Yob actually belongs between Genesis 15 and 27.
    4th, anyone that really knows the Hebrew, can verify that the Hebrew texts came before the Sumerian and Akkadian texts, it’s even documented in Genesis 4, that the sons of Seth (Ben Adam) were the first to call upon Yahweh (the Hebrew Name of Elohym), and that nothing in the texts are “myths.” Myths ate what have been “plagiarized ” from the Scriptures, and corrupted into their own stories.

  18. Walter R. Mattfeld says:

    I have written a book (published in 2010) titled _Eden’s Serpent: Its Mesopotamian Origin._ I present various theories as to who Satan is in his pre-biblical form by various scholars (1856-2010). My conclusions: Satan of the New Testament is not modeled after Old Testament Snakes, he is modeled after Hellenistic Greek Demons (after 330 BC). Plato taught that it was wrong to attribute evil to the gods, his followers agreed and blame for evil was cast upon the Demons (Greek: Daimon). That is to say, Christianity is a Hellenized from of Judaism, having accepted certain Hellenistic Greek ideas about the source of evil in the world. AS regards Eden’s Serpent, it is traced to pre-biblical myths that are Sumerian and Babylonian, regarding how man came to lose out at a chance to obtain immortality. The Mesopotamian account blames the god Ea (Sumerian Enki) for man’s loss at a chance to obtain immortality. Enki bore the Sumerian epithet usumgal/ushumgal “great dragon” or “great serpent,” a beast with four legs, two wings, two horns, serpentine body. Enki is famed for being mankind’s creator, and the god of wisdom and knowledge. He boasts of man: “I gave him wisdom but denied him immortality.” My book is available at Amazon.com on the internet. In 2010 I authored a second book titled The Garden of Eden Myth: Its Pre-biblical Origin in Mesopotamian Myths. Sumerian and Babylonian myths about man’s origins were recast by the Hebrews in the Genesis account of man being created in a place called ‘Eden, meaning “delight” in Hebrew. Apparently the Hbrews misunderstood the Sumerian myths about man’s being created in the EDIN, the uncultvated desert wilderness or steppe of modern Iraq, perhaps mishearing it, or mispronouncing it (homophone confusion)? EDIN is not a rare word, it was used as late as Neo-Babylonian Times (539 BC) as a COMMON substitute for seru, “wilderness.” Numerous scholars have noted the parallel between Enkidu and Shamhat in the Epic of Gilgamesh and Adam and Eve, what they missed was that Enkidu and Shamhat encounter each other in the EDIN (EDIN being used as a common logogram substitute for seru). Ea deprives Adapa of a chance to obtain immortality at Eridu, which lies in and is surrounded by the EDIN. My website, http://www.bibleorigins.net explores all this is greater depth.

    1. Juliette Seebe Armer says:

      Satan’s fall from heaven is well described in Ezekiel and Isaiah. The angel of light Lucifer, with other angels made war with the angels of God. His sin was pride. He thought he could be God. He is allowed to roam the earth as described in Job. His name was changed to Satan (adversary)and tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Revelation describes his end. His existence was before the garden of Eden as he was a Heavenly being. Thus he could take any form and beguile God’s creation into disobedience. Additionally the assumption that Sumerian and Babylonian civilization preempted Hebrew civilization is not well founded.

  19. JODA Collins says:

    Since Satan was unknown to Adam and Eve, Satan could not have appeared to them in the Garden. Thus, God does not allow anything or anyone that has not been first identified and clarified to human beings to exist in the lives of human beings. Got it.

  20. GKA says:

    A “borrowing” from contact with Persian Zoroastrians and Babylonian Demonology no doubt during the Hebrew exile in Mesopotamia.

  21. Alfonso says:

    Yo no conocia del pecado hasta que me dijeron eso es pecado y entonces perdí la inocencia .
    Todos hablan de la Biblia como si su Biblia fuera la única.
    Pero en lo que concuerdan no hablan para llevarse la contraria .
    La Biblia en lugar de unirlos los deshune el mismo Dios con diferente cara

  22. Jhan says:

    What are you people on?

    If you just use a little bit of common sense you would KNOW that a serpent, being a creature just like all the other animals, have nothing against God or the humans, would not tempt the humans to do something to sin against God, there’s no reason at all! This is just using common sense. WHY did you go there…

  23. Manny says:

    Romans 16:20 is probably an allusion to Gen 3:15’s serpent and Satan.

  24. DANI says:

    Nothing you have said here is correct. Nothing. The bible, the Authorized King James 1611 identifies the serpent in the garden as “that old serpent called the devil and satan” in Revelation 12:9:

    9 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.

    It is as clear as clear can be to those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

    The devil is not an “invented” creature. He was in the garden of Eden and it was he who tempted first Eve and when she succumbed to his lies, he used her to tempt Adam. There was no literal serpent in the garden and no “talking” serpent; he was simply used as an analogy that we may have something by which we may understand the devil’s character. Satan tempts men and women today in the same way he tempted Eve – by the power of suggestion. By inserting THOUGHTS into our minds.

    The Lord has so created the universe that we may learn spiritual truths by observing nature. Without it we would have no point of reference by which we could understand spiritual things. Unlike his progeny, Adam and Eve were not born. They came into this world as adults. They were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and were holy. They had absolutely NO KNOWLEDGE of evil. Thus they needed some instruction, which is what Adam was getting prior to Eve being made. The serpent was created in just such a way as to have all the characteristics of the devil…that we may understand what he is like. Serpents are, amongst other things:

    Cunning
    Subtil
    Cold-blooded
    Predatory – It is always seeking UNSUSPECTING prey to devour
    They slither – sneaky, lowdown, no boundaries
    Venomous/Poisonous
    It has a forked tongue – duplicitious/deceitful/lying
    Cannot be trusted, will ALWAYS bite you
    It devours its prey whole

    He was once an the anointed cherub responsible for directing worship to God. He was a beautiful angel named Lucifer. Isaiah 14:
    12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou
    cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
    13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
    14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
    15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
    16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
    17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that
    opened not the house of his prisoners?

    TWO
    The devil was in the garden of Eden IN SPIRIT tempting our first parents to sin as is evidenced from Genesis 3. He is a fallen angel, he is a spirit:

    Ephesians 6:10-12
    10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
    11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
    12 For we [Christians] wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS in high places.

    Adam named the animals in Genesis 2. That includes the serpent. How did this come about? God brought the animals to Adam to SEE what he would call them. Why did the Lord want to see what Adam would call the animals?

    Obviously (to those who have the Spirit of the Lord) the Lord had been busy instructing Adam. He had been taught certain characteristics about the devil (amongst other things) and accurately named the serpent based upon those characteristics. You can see proof of this when Adam was presented with his wife. He immediately saw that she was NOT like the animals, she was “bone of his bone” and “flesh of his flesh”. He accurately named her woman…because she was taken out of man. She shared his nature, his capacity for communion with God, his biological aspects (flesh, blood, bone, hair, eyes, etc.) his intelligence, etc.

    THREE
    “……..ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God”. Matthew 22:29

    Satan is indeed an independent force of evil as the above scriptures show. Neither does the Lord have any “braggadocio”. as you ascribe to him in your ignorance. What you do not and cannot see is that God is SOVEREIGN over his creation. Satan is a created being. His evil and his wickedness is his own, just as wicked men are responsible for their evil. God did not make him so anymore than he made man to sin against him in the garden of Eden or causes wicked men to sin against Him in these last days. The bible also speaks of him thus:

    Ezekiel 28:12-19
    12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him,
    Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in
    beauty.
    13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy
    covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the
    jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee IN THE DAY THAT THOU WAS CREATED.
    14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: THOU WAST UPON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF GOD; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
    15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, TILL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN THEE.
    16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with
    violence, AND THOU HAST SINNED: THEREFORE I WILL CAST THEE AS PROFANE OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD: AND I WILL DESTROY THEE, O COVERING CHERUB, FROM THE MIDST OF THE STONES OF FIRE.
    17 THINE HEART WAS LIFTED UP BECAUSE OF THEY BEAUTY, THOU HAST CORRUPTED THY WISDOM BY REASON OF THY BRIGHTNESS: I will
    cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
    18 THOU HAST DEFILED THY SANCTUARIES BY THE MULTITUDE OF THINE INIQUITIES, BY THE INIQUITY OF THY TRAFFICK; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to
    ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
    19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou
    shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

    Job was a righteous man in the estimate of God. Yet something was lacking. This Job needed to see. So God ALLOWED Satan to do what he did in order that He might prove or test the faith of Job. He did it for his own purpose and it wrought in Job that which He foreknew that it would – Increased faith and a higher and greater manifestation of the Lord in Job’s life.

    “But curiously, although the author of Revelation describes Satan as “the ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9; 20:2), there is no clear link anywhere in the Bible between Satan and Eden’s talking snake.”

    There was no snake in the garden, much less a talking one. The serpent is simply a “type” of Satan, a metaphor…an analogy by which we may understand his character. The bible does not call him and “ancient serpent” but an old serpent for it was he who was in the garden and it was he who tempted Eve. The reference in revelation could not be clearer to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Nor is Jesus defeat over Satan “temporary”. Satan is now and forever a defeated foe. He “walketh about like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour”. He knows that his time is short.

    Revelation 12:12
    12 “…… Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is
    come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a
    short time.”

    1. James says:

      Dani, thank you! This is the answer I’ve been looking for. I actually looked up “historical context of the serpent in the bible” to find this article, however I only got a couple paragraphs in and the alarm bells were ringing. I mean, I have only been a Christian for a little over a year and am growing a lot, so I don’t know very much about theology and biblical history or anything, but I am fascinated with knowing more! Especially about the linguistics and meanings of words and symbols and such. I wanted to learn why they use the serpent/what they associate it with; part of the reason that I looked up the context/meaning behind the serpent is because I just read Genesis 3 and I remember reading Mark 16

      Mark 16:15-18 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

      Jesus says that believers will be able to handle snakes. Anyways, perhaps the meaning/association is simple to those who have developed/grown in their faith, but to me I am very curious about the references across the bible of “serpents”. Your answer helped answer some of my questions and then some, so thank you again. I know this is probably a long shot since you posted this comment 5 years ago, but I was hoping you’d be able to help me grow in my faith and help answer some questions I have about this topic. If you read this, please let me know, I would be deeply grateful. Thanks!

  25. Ryan McKernan says:

    While there are some good points made in the essay, which I found quite helpful, overall I found this essay rather confusing. In the absence of any clear text to refute it, I think there are clear enough texts linking the serpent of Eden to Satan. It seems obvious to me that our understanding of Satan, as with many people and concepts in the Bible, developed through progressive revelation. In 2 Corinthians 11 there is a comprehensible link between the serpent who deceived Eve (v3) and Satan who masquerades as an angel of light (v14). Along with Revelation 12:9, I have no problem accepting that the serpent in the garden of Eden was, in fact, one and the same being as Satan, the devil and chief fallen angel (Matt. 25:41). The fact that he gets enchained for a thousand years to prevent him deceiving the nations (Rev. 20:3), and then gets released for that purpose one last time, only to get punished eternally in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10) only increases the already high probability that we are speaking of the same dark, spiritual entity.
    Thank you and may God guide you.

  26. Che Kelvin says:

    Just to say am blessed and inspired by this teaching.
    Am a young preacher of the Gospel, and have always wonder the mission of a serpent, and Jesus even gave us power over serpent, and today the Spirit leaded me here, so, am happy because it will help me a lot.

  27. J.Miles says:

    Dolansky’s presupposition that culture is the derivative of religion makes clear that she is writing this article from an obvious liberal worldview. E.i. “…the concept of the devil had not been invented…”

    Dolansky, like Eve, has believed the lie told by the Serpent in the Garden who calls the Word of God into question, “Surely you will not die…you will eat and your eyes will be open and you will become like God… (Genesis 3).”

    The command by God was simple and clear, “do not eat…” They ate, and at that point they’re communion with their creator had been eternally severed. The spiritual death was immediate and the gradual physical death ensued.

    Thanks be to God that at that time He preached of the deliverance that was to come through the seed of the woman who was destined to bruise the head of the serpent Gen 3:15…The serpent’s seed was to bruise the heal of the woman’s seed.

    Both of these acts told in Gen 3 were manifested and came to fruiton at the cross.

    Repent and believe the Good news! God has provided the Christ, the son of the living God, who both God and Man led a sinless life and willingly offered himself up by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and then by rising from the dead He purchased a place in heaven for those who repent of their sins and trust in Him.

    This truth is plain throughout the Old Testament, which is the New Testament concealed, and the New Tesrament, which is the Old Testament Revealed, that the Love story explained above was planned from the very beggining of creation.

    We don’t invent God, we can only disobey and attempt to be like God, by elevating ourselves above His Word like our mother Eve…

  28. J.T. Smith says:

    Once again we’re looking at Jewish tradition through the wrong lens. There is in fact no Devil properly identified anywhere in the Bible because, while there are various demons, there is no singular demon that rules over them in Jewish tradition. Just as Hell is also not found in Jewish tradition; in fact, Hell is bastardized from Greek traditions.

  29. Cjs says:

    The God of the creation of matter,must have been learning by his mistakes,that’s the reason man is flawed, I was fine being no matter bathed in endless love and the light of the infallible indescribable unnameable,unknowable,immeasurable perfect ,soul, and I will be again

  30. Walter R. Mattfeld says:

    Why the universal Flood according to the Mesopotamian myths? The Epic of Atrahasis provides us with the answer, not the Epic of Gilgamesh, nor the Enuma Elish. In the former Epic, we are informed that the gods have built cities in the Sumerian EDIN to live in, they have bodies of flesh and can starve to death if they don’t have food to eat. They create fruit tree gardens to provide produce to consume, dates, figs, pomengranates, apples, wheat for bread and beer and wine. The senior gods (the Annunaki) task the junior gods (the Igigi) with the gardening chores, planting, weeding, harvesting, building irrigation canals, clearing them of clogging sediments, night and day, for 40 years with no rest at any time. The junior gods object, and for 40 years their clamor/noise is heard and ignored, objecting to having no rest from toil. They rebel at Nippur and threaten to kill En-lil, the chief Annunaki god there. Fearing for his life, he summons EA of Eridu (another Annunaki) who states that the revolt is justified, the junior gods’ clamor has been unjustly ignored for too long. He reaches a solution, EDIN’S gardens will have a new gardening slave, mankind. A junior god is slain, his flesh and blood mixed with EDIN’S clay, animates the clay giving man life. The goddess Mami announces to the Igigi gods (Junior gods) “I have transferred your toil to man, and I have also transferred your CLAMOR/NOISE to mankind too! For over 600 years man’s clamor in Edin’s gardens is for a rest from gardening toil. This is ignored by both Annunaki and Igigi. En-lil of Nippur claims that man’s unceasing clamor denies him rest by day and sleep by night. He will get his rest by killing all of mankind with a flood. The flood is sent and on the SEVENTH DAY all of mankind is dead, drowned in the universal flood waters, except those on a boat, who were warned by the God Ea of Eridu to build a boat and save the seed of man and animal kind for a post-flood restoral of life. On the SEVENTH DAY of the flood all the gods can now rest by day and sleep by night with man’s demise. Here, in the Epic of Atrahasis, is the possible Mesopotamian origin of Yahweh-Elohim’s seventh day of rest. The Hebrews, objected to why a flood, why man’s destruction in a flood, they also objected to why man was made, to be a gardening slave in EDIN’s city-gardens. My book published in 2010, The Garden of Eden Myth: Its Pre-biblical Origin in Mesopotamian Myths, is available at Amazon.com.

  31. Walter R. Mattfeld says:

    I believe Robert is correct, the Serpent is called “the Deceiver” and this fits Satan as portrayed in the New Testament. I have published a book (in 2010) titled Eden’s Serpent: Its Mesopotamian Origins. Illustrated and with maps. It presents various scholars proposals as to what Mesopotamian god is behind Genesis’ Serpent in the Garden of Eden ( proposals from circa 1858-2010, by 40 scholars). The book is available at Amazon.com on the internet. My understanding? The book of Genesis was written between 562-560 BC in the Exile at Babylon. It seeks to refute Babylonian explanations for how man came to be created and why he was destroyed later in a universal flood (motifs found in Genesis). Many scholars, 1858-2010, understand the Hebrews took Mesopotamian myths and recast them into a monotheistic mold. How did an angel called ha-satan, in the Old Testament, and obedient to God’s directives, come to possess the power in the New Testament, to be able to defy God and seek to destroy’s God’s worshippers? The answer: The New Testament was written in Greek, in the first century A.D. By this time Hellenistic Greek ideas about the source of evil in the world, developed by Greek schools of philosophy, had come to be accepted by some Jews (Greeks ruled over Judaea from 332 BC to 65 BC). A common explanation for evil in the world was the Greek DIAMON (English: Demon). A being having the power to defy the gods and lead man into evil acts. Earlier Greek speculations taught good and evil was from the gods, Plato objected. It must be taught that evil is not from the gods, his followers blamed the DAIMONS (DAEMONS) for evil, letting the gods off the hook. The New Testament, written in Greek, blames Demons for evil in the world, and Satan the Devil is the leader of the Demons (Daimons). So the Old Testament’s ha-Satan “accuser” was transformed in Hellenistic times into the prince of Demons, thanks to post-Platonic Hellenistic Greek thought. In Egypt, a Greek-ruled state, like Judaea, the Prince of Daemons was the Sun-god, envisioned as able to take on the form of a human being as well as that of a great serpent. This being was worshipped and implored for help by men, to overcome their enemies. This Daemon or his demonic subordinates could enter the bodies of humans and over power them, causing them to do evil acts. Human sorcerers claimed, for a fee, that they could remove Daemons from afflicted humans and restore their minds and health by invoking magic spells. My book goes into greater detail on all of this. So, the Book of Revelation is, as Robert Alan King noted, correctly identifying Satan and the Devil with the Old Serpent that deceives the whole world (Eden’s Serpent deceived Eve), but this is a post-Platonic, Hellenistic Greek concept about Daemons being the source of evil and discord in the world. I also cover the subject at my website http://www.bibleorigins.net in greater detail. My second book (published 2010) is The Garden of Eden Myth: Its Pre-biblical Origin in Mesopotamian Myths. Once again, various scholars proposals are presented, 1858-2010, on how the Hebrews recast the Sumerian myths about Edin’s motifs on why man was created to care for a god’s garden and why later destroyed in a flood. Ancient Sumer called the desert-like land which was uncultivated wilderness, the EDIN (ancient Sumer is modern Iraq). Two rivers flowed through Edin, the Tigris and Euphrates. Irrigation canals from these two rivers fed the gardens of the gods located at cities built and inhabitated by the gods. Eventually the gods tired of caring for their gardens in the midst of the EDIN and decide to create man to be their gardening slave. Man will care for their gardens of Edin on their behalf.

  32. Roy Boltz says:

    I believe Adam/man is the serpent described in Genesis. I believe this because it was revealed to me in profound way as a practicing “christian”.

    I read scripture, I cannot find reference anywhere that there is not an opentire dor for this interpretation. When one reads of the creation account, it would appear factors of multiply and divide as oposed to addition or subtraction. The event regarding this descriptive nature of “let the earth bring forth or let the waters bring forth”. When the woman was created, she was created in paradise. The man was brought forth from the earth. Just like all the other creatures of the field only for by Thier hand he was made in Their likeness and image before and after they were physically seperated. The two being separated are not the Image of Most High until Most High brings them back together in a covenant of marriage.
    Bonnie the cat in the belly of the whale.

  33. Johan Nel says:

    Check the mythology of serpent and tree in other ancient literature. The Serpent was regarded as a very special creature, a “god”. If the Bible was inspired by God,than it is written for all generations ,with clues that will even make it more comprehensible in our age. (invisible became visible when observed-quantum physics-, earth that hangs on nothing, serpent mythology, indicating a being that can be associated with the tree of knowledge etc.)

  34. Mary Wang says:

    “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.” (Rev 12:9 ASV)

    “And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,” (Rev 20:2 ASV)

    ——The above sentences are enough to make it clear that Satan is the old ancient dragon, the Devil, the dragon, the deceiver of the whole world (looking at what a big proportion of idol-worshipers, atheists and all other non-Christians, you surely know how big the satanic deceiving power is.)
    But it is informative for the writer to offer the etymological concept and expressions of Hebrew language.

  35. Rhonda says:

    Consider Ezekiel 28:13 where it says of the “anointed cherub” (Ezek. 28:14): “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God….” It was he who was to be cast out of the mountain of God, as it says in Ezekiel 28:16. Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Jesus saw that He was cast out.
    Also, in Matthew 4:1 and 3 it reveals that the devil is the “tempter,” and Eve was tempted to sin in the Garden. There is too much evidence recorded in the Bible that points to Satan being the one tempting Eve in the Garden, using the serpent as his vessel. Even if Satan sent one of his demons to do it, he is still the one in authority over the spirits in rebellion to God.
    When Elymas the sorcerer tried to keep the deputy from having faith (Acts 6-13), he was called by Paul the “child of the devil.” In his statement, being filled with the Holy Spirit, he said of the sorcerer, “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil….” The child of the devil was “full of all subtilty,” as the serpent in the garden is described, in Genesis 3:1. Consider that the devil, the old serpent, the great dragon, had his name placed, by the Holy Spirit, in the midst of the accusation towards the sorcerer.
    In Revelation 1:1, it reveals to us that the terms “the great dragon…that old serpent…the Devil, and Satan,” were included in the revelation given by the angel of God, from Jesus, from God. Those terms were revealed by God, and John wrote what he was given in the revelation. Just something to consider.

  36. Robert Alan King says:

    It may be true that the association of the serpent with Satan was slow in coming and not found in the OT. In fact, Philo saw it as metaphorical and Josephus did not associate it with Satan, but with a real talking animal. Nevertheless, this is not surprising, for Adam and Eve probably did not understand who the serpent was themselves since they did not even have a grasp of good and evil when this took place. The way it is told in Genesis may very well be from the perspective of Adam and Eve, describing how they experienced it. In addition, God’s revelation has always been progressive in which he wants mankind to learn one truth before they learn another that build upon that first truth. In this way, what God wishes to teach us is founded upon a firm and logical foundation. For example, God wanted us to first learn that he was only one being, firmly establishing this in the psyche of mankind before revealing the secondary truth that he is one being with three centers of consciousness (what we call “persons”).

    Nevertheless, it is incorrect to assert that the apostles of Christ did not make this association between the serpent and Satan. If one compares all the NT passages about the devil, Satan, etc., there is little doubt that they understood Satan, the devil, and the serpent as all one and the same. For example, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom 16:20 ASV). This is almost certainly referring to Gen 3:15. The Greek word here for “bruise” is not the same Greek word in the LXX of Gen 3:15, but the Hebrew word there (used only 3 times in the OT) is translated elsewhere in Job 9:17 as ἐκτρίβω. In our passage here in Rom 16:20, the Greek word is συντρίβω. Both of these words are compounds using τρίβω, thus showing that Paul may very well have written this with the Hebrew passage in mind.

    In addition, the statement by Dolansky below is not quite telling the whole story:

    “So the reference in Revelation 12:9 to Satan as ‘the ancient serpent’ probably reflects mythical monsters like Leviathan rather than the clever, legged, talking creature in Eden.”

    The relevant Bible verses in Revelation actually read:

    “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.” (Rev 12:9 ASV)

    “And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,” (Rev 20:2 ASV)

    You will note that Dolansky neglects to mention that these passages not only associate Satan with the serpent, but the devil as well. It is quite clear here that the author of Revelation believes that the dragon, the old serpent, the devil, and Satan are one and the same. Also notice the thought of “deceiver of the whole world,” which correlates well with the idea of Satan, the devil and the serpent as a liar and a deceiver as found throughout the NT.

    As admitted by Dolansky, Satan as the serpent was the understanding among the early church fathers, which includes that of Justin Martyr who penned such ideas about 50 years or so after Revelation was written. After reading this article by Dolansky, readers should look up every passage in the NT that mentions the devil, the serpent, and Satan. The association and implication that the serpent in the garden was the devil and Satan is only a short leap of logic that necessitates this as the most probable deduction.

    Pastor Robert Alan King
    Biblecommentator.com

  37. JustSomeGuy says:

    To say that satan was just a way of describing a reptilian part of our brain, is nonsense.
    The bible says Jesus was tempted in every way, yet was without sin, so as He was both fully God and fully man, this idea would assume that Jesus tempted Himself as satan didnt actually exist and was just a figment of His imagination.

    I find the authors ideas equally nonsensical. It is clear and precise to anyone who has read the bible that the connection between the serpent and satan is unmistakeable

  38. peterk51 says:

    The statement ” the concept of the devil had not yet been invented” speaks a volume about the author, for whom the bible is apparently only an ‘invention’ and evolution of ‘human invention’. According to such interpretation the Bible Stories are only fairy tales for the kids to put them to sleep or something to talk about around the camp fire.
    The honorific titles and the field of expertise of the author in the context of this appalling article is reminiscent of the experts in the Pentateuch challenging Jesus about the resurrection (Mt 22:23ff) to whom Jesus replied: “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God”, (Mt 22:29) and quoting from the Pentateuch he refuted their argument.
    The same answer applies to the author.
    What is ‘talking serpent’ if not a metaphor and the very concept of the ‘Satan’ (the chief of fallen angels) who contradicts God and implies God is a liar?
    That it is so is confirmed in Gen 3:15

    15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your seed and her seed;
    he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.

    for the enmity exists not between humanity and snakes, but between humanity and the Satan and all fallen angels.

  39. James Glinski says:

    The name serpent in the garden has several Hebrew meanings and fits the story . Destroyer ….poisoner ….corruptor and fills the bill concerning this spirit inside of flesh .no legs can’t stand up right before god ..poisoner out of the serpents mouth poison.. My belief is that it breathed its spirit in to Cain just like god did to Adam and Jesus did to his students to transfer his holy spirit to them .the serpent did this to corrupt gods work .and till this day humanity has carried this poison around .thats why a spiritual renewal is needed . so man has a duel spirit the two dogs the yen yan the black and white floor squares of the masons lodge the two spirits of budaism ..the call to be born from above by Jesus to remove this problem .if they would have just stayed with the definition it would be clear as to purpose of this creature .but a serpent does come close .jim

  40. Steven says:

    Not a word about what Judaism has to say on the matter? ::::heavy sigh:::: Sadly, the Christian version of Satan is more akin to the Zoroastrian deity, Ahriman (a.k.a. Angra Mainyu). The proto-Rabbinic Jewish Sages attempted to demythologize the “Satan” of Jewish folklore, whom they viewed as being the Prosecuting Attorney in the Heavenly Court, the Messenger (Angel) of Death, and the Evil Imagination (Yetzer Ha-Ra) that exists within each of us.

    This Evil Inclination isn’t “evil” in and of itself, because without it we wouldn’t engage in business, build a home, marry, or have kids. It only becomes evil when we allow our selfish desires to run amok. Basically, our Evil Impulse (our inner-Satan) is little more than our Survival Instinct and Sex Drive, which is linked to our biological clock (i.e., the Angel of Death). There are no cosmic GPS coordinates for the Heavenly Court, which exists within each of us, wherein our Heavenly Father is supposed to be enthroned. In Judaism, Satan is not a fallen angel, because he stands in the Heavenly Court, day and night, accusing mankind before the Throne of G-d.

    Read the following:

    – “Demonic Desires: ‘Yetzer Hara’ and the Problem of Evil in Late Antiquity” by Ishay Rosen-Zvi
    – “Paul and Rabbinic Judaism: Some Rabbinic Elements in Pauline Theology” by W.D. Davies, Chapter 2 – “The Old Enemy: The Flesh and Sin,” pp. 17-35.
    – “Everyman’s Talmud” by A. Cohen, Chapter III – “The Doctrine of Man,” especially, Section IV – “The Two Impulses,” pp. 93-99.
    https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/9243/do-religious-jews-generally-believe-the-serpent-of-garden-of-eden-was-satan

  41. marrians2 says:

    This is Biblical historian who do not believe in the Bible at all! They want to claim very different writers of Genesis. So they came up with THE YAHWIST and THE ELOHIST theory. One of the reason is that the people who call them self Jews are the Hebrew or Israel of ancient time. They are by their own claim Ashkenazi which are German and Mesopotamia descent. This is not Hebrew because their is no DNA on record of the Hebrew people today. So if you don’t believe the serpent you can’t believe that, “Japheth would dwell in the tents of Shem;” Gen 9:27. The word god did not exist in ancient time but both YAH, ELOHIYM, EL, Baal, Dagon did! Ebla, Summer and other ancient people wrote these facts.

    They also rather believe the Babylonian myth, over Moses account and if you look at them both you can easily without any interpretation see the difference.

    Anything you will believe instead acknowledging that YAHWEH, YAHSHUA and THE HOLY SPIRIT are separate INDIVIDUAL SPIRIT BODY BEINGS that created the Universe and man! I am a Biblical Historian and I believe in the Bible that was written in the Phonetician Script which is Afrikan and not Semitic that I stood up for back in college in the 70’s. I can challenge any of these unbelieving writers to the validity of the Bible in its original form and not just the Tyndale or the King James versions!

    1. marrians2 says:

      Correct not the Hebrew or Israel of ancient times.

      Marrian Stinson

    2. Steven says:

      ::::heavy sigh::::

  42. mikeb says:

    One thing is certain, Satan does not have a bifurcated tail or a pitchfork. He is instead attractive and clever. His seductive advice leads to pain and unhappiness. He is rather much like George Clooney, for example.

  43. mikeb says:

    Recall in Genesis 3 that the “serpent” doesn’t become a “serpent” until God takes his legs away (presumably) and forces him to slither on the ground after his deed in the garden. It doesn’t help that Genesis calls the character the “serpent” (in English translations) prior to the “serpent” actually becoming a true “serpent.”

    Conceivably, and reasonably, whatever we call the character, he appeared to Eve in the form of a human man, and was later turned into a snake.

    Conceivably, and less reasonably, the character appeared to Eve in the form of, say, a talking Iguana, and was later turned into a snake. His short legs were removed, but he was a “serpent” both before and after his encounter with Eve.

    There is much to be fleshed out in Genesis 1 through 3, where the truth about the origins of man and the conscious awareness of self and God by man is told using the mechanisms available to the late 3rd century BC writer. The Deceiver-Adversary-Accuser appears throughout the Bible, and he comes in many forms. And he still does. I see him in the news every day.

  44. John Ronning says:

    Where to begin? First, the opening line includes a slightly off translation of Gen 3:1; the serpent is described as “more clever than all the beasts of the field . . .” – doesn’t explicitly call him one of the beasts of the field. Small point, perhaps, because just the word “serpent” seems to be enough to classify him as just an animal, but in context (both before and after genesis 2-3) there are problems. Genesis 1 puts humans over the animals and unique as being God’s images, but in Genesis 3 a supposed animal knows about divine affairs that humans don’t. Who is it that has knowledge of good and evil? God, the serpent, and the cherubim (angels) mentioned at the end of the chapter (but not including Adam and Eve before the temptation), hinting that the animal serpent was simply used by an evil version of the cherubim. Isaiah 6 points in the same direction as the “Seraphim” (a word that elsewhere means “poisonous snakes”) are angelic creatures which look like “pre-cursed” versions of the serpent in Gen 3:14 (they fly, have hands and feet, and most of all call God holy, whereas the serpent crawls on his belly and calls God a liar). Then you have the fulfillment of the enmity predicted in Gen 3:15 not between humans and snakes, but between two types of men, beginning with Cain and Abel. Cain is transparently obviously portrayed as what is meant by the serpent’s offspring, being like the serpent in three obvious ways – a liar, a murderer, and cursed by God, so the “parentage” between Cain and the serpent is obviously not to be taken literally, which means the tempter is not literally a snake, but the snake is a figurehead for the spiritual father of fallen mankind. As the author states, it took a long time before he was named “Satan,” but he is given other names in the OT, such as Rahab and Leviathan, both of whom are called “evil serpent” (Isa 27:1; Job 26:13 – see Cyrus Gordan for this translation); at Ugarit Leviathan was called L-T-N and further described as having seven heads, like we see in the book of Revelation. Psalm 74 describes the crushing of his heads, alluding to the defeat of the Egyptians at the Red Sea, using the language of Genesis 3:15. This and more at: http://postbiblical.info/PDFS/The_Curse_on_the_Serpent.pdf

  45. vinmarkton says:

    i like george cloony’s discription from”brother where art thou”…, with a bifurcated tail and pitchfork…

  46. Caroline Ferris says:

    What if the “ancient serpent” is highly metaphorical, and refers to our ancient reptilian brain, that which causes us to commit acts of violence including fratricide, murder and genocide? Our higher brains, the seat of consciousness and spirituality, must battle with our instinctive reptilian brain in order for us to behave more like angels and less like animals. This conflict occurs within each of us, and should not be taken as a literal talking snake in the garden.

  47. JAMES MORTENSEN says:

    pretty devious to say “no connection”
    between the “ancient serpent” and
    “nachash” in Eden.

  48. Christopher Kou says:

    The article states:

    ‘In Numbers 22, the prophet Balaam, hired to curse the Israelites, is stopped by a messenger from Israel’s God YHWH, described as “the satan” acting on God’s behalf.’

    I believe this is incorrect. The Numbers 22:22 passage does not contain the direct article in reference to the adversary. Rather it reads לְשָׂטָ֣ן ל֑וֹ, which is “to be adversary,” with the preposition לְ. This marks use as most certainly attributive, rather than a designation of rank or name.

  49. robert roberg says:

    Thanks Miss Dolansky,
    this is the best thing I’ve ever read on the topic.
    robertroberg.com

  50. PC1 says:

    PS I would also take issue with the Note, that the book of Daniel dates from 162 BC. There is ample evidence for a much older date.

  51. PC1 says:

    I dont think it is clear that satan and the serpent in Genesis are not connected anywhere in the NT. The fact that satan/devil is referred to as ‘that old serpent’ or ‘who sinned from the beginning’ strongly links them together – I suppose it depends on how one defines ‘clear’. But the serpent in Genesis is clearly sinning ‘from the beginning’ by trying to get the humans to disbelieve God’s words, not to have ‘faith’ or trust in Him. Is that not the basis of sin? Which is why he is also called the ‘deceiver’. I think this is an example of progressive revelation, whereby God does not reveal or explain everything that is going on at the one time.

    It also begs the question, if the serpent in Genesis is NOT satan/devil, what/who is he? Just a talking snake?

  52. Eric Earl says:

    I would have thought that the book of Job should have been mentioned.
    2: 1 On another day the angels[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
    Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
    3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
    It would seem that his revealing was progressive and his plan of thwarting God’s purpose was finally revealed by God’s son at the end of the bible in order to tie the whole book together.
    PC

  53. Rachel says:

    “Once again, the satan is not Satan who we read about in the New Testament.” I and with all due respect ask you a simple question on the quoted sentence from your article. On what evidence do you base this assumption of yours? The New Testament clearly identifies the Satan in both the Old and New Testaments as a real living character in the bible from Genesis to Revelation. To a Christian, the bible is from Genesis to Revelation. In Revelation 12, the identity of that “serpent of old” is revealed for indeed the Greek word “apokalupsis” means to uncover aka to identify.
    The use of definite articles in both Hebrew (Aramaic) and Greek clearly apply to characters, without it, then it is generic, but you seem to accept the opposite understanding—
    “The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1. Is it possible that we finally have Satan here portrayed?”

    God and Jesus “spoke” with a real living character titled Satan and with the definite article added for good measure in both the Old and New Testaments of the bible
    and that is good enough for me. {Sincerely written, R}

  54. Jacob says:

    In the earliest texts of man, from the very 1st documented civilization, there is a story of adamu, which means 1st man. although it is told differently, it has nearly identical pieces of the story that would be considered too coincidental. for instance the mention of man being made from the rib of god is in both stories, this and many other undeniable evidences that prove the story is true. but the older story identifies by name, certain key characters in the creation epic.

    1. Creator of Humans – Ea, AKA Enki, Poseidon, the Serpent in the garden!
    2. Ruler of Earth – Hu, Aka Enlil, (Ea’s younger brother) Zeus, Son of, or Yahweh
    3. Marduk AKA Devil, Ra, Son of Ea
    4. Nannar, Son of Hu, AKA Allah, St Michael
    5. Ninurta, 1st born of Hu, AKA Ares, St Gabriel, Thor
    6. Anu, father of Ea and Hu, Ruler of Heaven (Nibiru)

    Do your research, and you can’t deny these conclusions. I doubt the site would even publish this.. but lets try!

  55. Jody says:

    What about revelation 12:5-9. When I read that it makes sense that the devil didn’t come into play until after Jesus was born. ???

  56. CHAY says:

    Observation of my and multitudes of others behaviour, has left one thought…
    That when the old serpant was tossed out, the followers as well, its hard to deny that the followers are humanity.
    Take a look at how man is to other beings of life, be it human, pets, so called stock, we consume with great glee, leaving other beings of life in misery.
    We rip, rape, poison, and tear apart the very mother we exist apon EARTH, WE DEGRADE LIFE…. GOD CREATES LIFE…WE TAKE AND DESTROY

  57. Spencer says:

    God does not lie as many people thinks he lied when he said to Adam and Eve that “For In The Day You Eat The Forbidden Fruit, You Shall Surely Die”
    And Adam lived 930 years and died..
    The fact is Adam and Eve died the same day they eat the fruit in the eyes of God because in (2 Peter 3 Vs 8) says A thousand years is like one day in the eyes of the lord, so they actually died the same day and no one has ever lived more than a day ever since then.. the oldest man Methuselah lived 969 years and died which is still not up to a day in the eyes of the lord

  58. Robert says:

    Please see the book “Genesis Characters and Events in Ancient Greek Art.”
    http://www.genesisingreekart.com
    The book could have been title “The Serpent’s Side of Eden.”

  59. Isaiah 27:1 says:

    Isaiah 27:1
    In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong,
    Will Punish Leviathan the fleeing SERPENT,
    Leviathan that Twisted SERPENT;
    And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.

  60. AnotherJerry says:

    As far as Isaiah 14 goes, ‘lucifer’ is latin for ‘morning star’, it is not a proper name. The KJV guys didn’t know what to make of the Hebrew, so they simply copied the word from the Vulgate. That’s why modern English translations don’t use ‘Lucifer’.

  61. timewilltell says:

    Jerry I really like that about the NIV being the non inspired version because I am a strict traditional King James Version person! That is most definitely is a thought provoking statement!

  62. jerrym83 says:

    GARDEN OF SIN
    We currently live in a vast high tech powered world absolutely full of sin (Romans, chapter 3: verse 23) and according to a very huge number or majority of Christian people this is mostly all due to Adam and Eve’s harsh and quite stupid disobedience towards our Gods’ willful warnings concerning the forbidden killer tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

    There are yet many of us 21st century Christian’s who are still spiritually dead living on the boundary lines (or dangling and walking atop a fence) shifting back and forth from a secular world to a Christian world, however, being yet sinners from the very beginning of our own physical birth (Ephesians, chapter 2: verses 1 through 2).

    It should now be quite self evident to most people that due to our very own personal state of being in Gods’ perfected eyesight, we are all also currently standing right before that same six thousand year old fourth stage God used on Adam for his best development:
    Genesis, chapter 3: verse 22…..

    22. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

    If this is all true, according to all we’ve come to know up to this point, we still know and we still believe with all of our hearts that Adam did the absolute unspeakable kind of harmful sin, Adam drug all of us offspring children in with him, by willfully disobeying our same Creator, God.

    Also, according to all people of today are concerned, we all have come to understand (up to this point that is) the answers here can only have one resolution on hand, Adam willfully disobeyed God and we people of today have indirectly become a very long ranged unwilling victim of a widespread generational enemy called, spiritual death; much of us extreme high tech minded seekers of our own unanswerable mysteries are still (yet) spiritually dead to Godly will and ways.

    Therefore, we people of today have come to learn from those many long years of church services, sitting constantly under our bulging belt lines of Biblical confusion, according to the strange and often confusing content nature of the Biblical intentions behind our Gods’ reasoning for our existence, Adam sort of did precisely and exactly what God had warned against, and also what God merely assumed Adam would.

    In fact, the churches in our day and time strongly implies God sort of had an assumed idea things at the beginning of physical creation would just work out to be good and ok with mankind, and that mankind would remain morally upright and not sin. It’s time to wake up here folks; this is not exactly the case and it is not exactly what happened at all.

    To be perfectly honest at this time, there’s absolutely no supportive Biblical evidence found anywhere recorded within the Holy Bible, and there’s also absolutely no known theologically based evidence or any proof on public records today permitting and/or allowing any of us mortal being’s to believe and/or to absolutely claim any other Biblical truths or scriptural facts other than what’s already been inspiring enough to proclaim here above and also in the Bible.

    However if anyone here has any doubts over any of the inspired findings recorded here in this Godly inspired book, please take the challenge for yourselves, seek and search it out and see what you can determine for yourselves.

    Seek to discover a much better and/or a more logical answer needed here at this time, an answer needed for best answering any and/or all of these very strange Godly mysteries concerning the Garden of sin, recorded herein, good luck…! Actually, the Holy Scriptures clearly tells all of us God (absolutely) required the extreme adverse opposing services of Satan’s evil existence in the Garden of Eden.

    We’ve come to see these facts in prior paragraphs here. And, also, to give all doubtful Christian’s a much greater working foundation, and a stronger edge of a greater believable leverage, one for fully supporting what is being said here, here is something for all Christian doubters to think about and chew on throughout the remainder of this special Godly inspired audio book.

    If Satan had not been placed in the Garden of Eden by Godly will, and also divinely permitted by God to act upon his evil role as the cunning old evil serpent, while performing on the huge earthly stage of physical life, and while performing his divine Godly assignment on planet earth, further acting as the great adverse evil tempter (Matthew, chapter 4: verse 3), Adam’s divinely intended developments would not have succeeded as it did, not at all.

    In fact, Adam’s primary role in the great performance of life on planet earth would have suffered tremendous failure without Satan’s adverse existence on planet earth. And, old Adam would have also never ever self evolved his very own independence from his Creator’s handiwork, which was directly involved in the many different developmental stages of our early human developments in the Garden of Eden.

    The results of the possible potentials above would then be just as clear as they are stranger still to us today. We people of today would not have ever come to know of the freedom of our own self will, not without the performance of Satan in our world at the time.

    If any of the above is actually true, and the Christian world believes thing should not have turned out as recorded in the Bible, as also strongly suggested by most all Christian leaders today, there would really be no good and/or any apparent logical reasons, nor any common personal need for any of today’s Christian churches to be here.

    In fact, if old Satan was never intended to be within the Garden of Eden, then we yet perfected upright Godly type mortals of today would have never ever come to know the wonderful saving powers of Gods’ deep love for us all, through salvation. Of course, through the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which by the way, was actually never really needed on earth to start with if Adam had refused to disobey God.

    Also, that is if old Satan were never ever allowed by God to properly function on earth with his strong beguiling ways, as a full time working part of mankind’s ever ongoing, ever evolving spiritually based developments, and/or even those needed developments for human life yet to unfold, throughout the forthcoming days ahead, from Adam’s day and time.

    As stated earlier, this is the very point of this Godly inspired book which actually presents the most drastic dangers we all face today, and this is fueled with (of course) extreme impacting damages, but mostly damages placed upon Satan’s evil existence on our planet Earth.

    It’s actually right here where the most spiritually intrepid, the most eager faithful believer will finally come to see exactly who and what Satan truly is, and exactly why our God chose to fashion such a creature and allow him to exist on planet Earth.

    The primary logic being applied here or throughout this particular subject matter or issue of Satan is, if much more people (Christian and/or non-Christian alike) suddenly found out, suddenly uncovered, and/or surprisingly discovered the actual very long overlooked and semi hidden mystery and the highly undiscovered facts concerning that special fallen archangel called, Lucifer.

    And furthermore, I believe if more people of today knew just a little more about exactly why Satan so very suddenly sprung out of the dynamic heavenly emotions of the archangel Lucifer, and then suddenly went forward, straight from the very midsection or the midst of the awesome creative perfection of the Holy realm of God, I absolutely believe (with all my spiritual heart) the entire Christian world will soon begin to take up where Jesus left off some two thousand years ago.

    I believe more Christian’s will then begin to open their eyes unto the true last days gospel, then slowly begin an all out personal salvation crusade, to preach (once again) the Kingdom of God unto all the world, unto all nations, specifically so, for a widespread personal witness unto the true and the absolute authenticated, divine existence of The Most High God.

    If anyone on this planet earth today believes they have a much better way here or a better understanding, and perhaps even a much more creditable and more provable explanation, all concerning the ongoing and highly unresolved mystery, behind the yet adverse existence of Satan currently existing on planet earth today, I really would love to hear about it, please…!

    It’s also at this point one will first come to understand exactly why mortal beings should not be all that overtaken or frightfully overwhelmed by the mysterious existence of Satan and/or be to overly concerned, over this Godly created instrument of spiritual enhancement or destruction of the living soul.

    Frankly speaking, whichever the case may or may not be at this particular point of one’s decision making, it will ultimately be all up to, according to one’s own personal emotional feelings, belief and/or beliefs. I cannot fully understand exactly why the major portion of all churches, or the pulpits, ministers and preachers alike and in general do not see Satan for exactly what he truly is.

    And that God uses the knowledge of good and evil to sift the human race to see which person is going to fully overcome Satan’s evil temptations and start giving all of their believing heart to follow after Gods’ Holy will…?

    In fact, Satan is actually nothing more and nothing less than a specially created motivating tool, one God personally created and also personally placed in our home world in order to help God in the emotional and spiritual development of mankind.

  63. jerrym83 says:

    Timewilltell….
    I do understand your concerns here and I do agree with you on some of your issues. I believe some folks are reading the word of God from the N I V Bible and not understanding that N I V stands for non inspired version of the old original and the official and Traditional (Godly inspired) King James Version Holy Bible…?

    Just a thought…?

  64. timewilltell says:

    I have to ask: When are people going to realize it is not what a person may think or how many degrees they have to put on their walls or even shove in people’s face. I mean it is so simple a child can know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. It is so simple that people scrape right over it as though it doesn’t jump out at them and say here I am. There is no learning on the planet that can teach any human being what they need to know about The Kingdom of God except by the guidance and teaching of The Holy Ghost. And even for that to happen one must first be sincere in their seeking of truth. I know there is no one who will listen to simple so they grapple with complex and confusion and God is not the author of confusion. As far as satan I see that Jerry explained that in depth very well and from that others should catch it until then people will still be stuck in an insane effort to find something that can not be obtained without the right pass key (total spiritual surrender and be transformed {referenced from Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.}). There is no other way and if anyone thinks there is then they will never come to the truth until after this life. by then it will be too late!

  65. jerrym83 says:

    WHY IS SATAN HERE…?

    Now then, can any of us listening to and/or reading this Godly inspired book at this time truly say they are still wondering why we people of earth really need any Godly laws or any moral order to help control us and keep us in moral line, here on good old planet Earth…?
    The archangel Lucifer was indeed the absolute most ideal cutting edge power source perfectly suited for God to use as a most ideal a-moralistic opposing option standing before all of mankind, and to also be used best as a second great contending, extreme alternative, candidate, or a competitor, the best kind of competitor God truly needed for Him to one day finally achieve that very special love and acknowledgment from an extremely gratefully saved sinner (a person), and from a vast collective of human beings who were once all spiritually dead, but had now developed to become spiritually retrieved from a wasted state of absolute eternal damnation in a hellish state of existence.
    WHY IS SATAN ON PLANET EARTH…?
    This newly acquired, but very long overlooked, insightful information recorded herein, concerning spiritual death, eternal salvation, and in also coming to know exactly why Satan is yet alive and doing quite well on planet earth today will perhaps one day work well into the Christian agenda, tarnishing the fear factor created by Satan around the world and it may even completely take away that age old excuse many countless millions of people (Christian and non-Christian alike) have often used throughout the days gone by, excuses such as, “The Devil made me do it.” It actually takes two to tango folks, not merely one.
    God had personally set up any and all of the very special events unfolding before Adam and the entire world of today and all of the particular spiritual developments as well, and also the entire human race has had absolutely no good idea at all (for many thousands of years on end, I mean), exactly how all of these mysterious events and all of these extreme Godly created particulars have all come together and also worked together in total and absolute ongoing relationship with our current day sinful state of human existence.
    This is exactly why any and all kinds of human excuses will absolutely be of very, very little use and also of no real value unto a spiritually lost sinner or a spiritually backslider (Christian believer), necessary for some drummed up defiance strategy, not while standing face to face with God, at the gathering of the big one, the extreme final judgment day.
    Blaming Satan will not work for anyone, blaming any ex-wife or any ex-husbands, blaming any disgruntled family member, any fair weather friends, or any kind and/or any kind of a problem one once experienced between ones own self and perhaps a nagging or unhappy neighbor, claiming or using any of these above possibilities will absolutely not only be tolerated they will be condemned. Folks do not believe the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is gone today or even out of working existence, even down through the many thousands of yeas past, the same tree still stands tall in our super high tech powered home world of today. This very same killer tree may not look like a tree anymore because it has changed in appearance.
    That same forbidden fruit tree still stands right in the very center of all of human activity today.
    It’s covertly covered up by many millions of worldly produced nice and pleasing things to the eyes, it’s also being empowered by extreme technology. God is yet walking in the center of our activities, in the cool of our days; He is speaking out and asking where we are. Will you answer Him, and what will you answer when He comes…?
    Much as in the days of Adam and Eve no human excuse will ever be accepted by Gods’ supreme judgments, not as an optional excuse or even used as a payment for sins against anyone’s own obtuse ignorance of Biblical truths; absolutely nothing will be allowed to be used for one’s own guilty faults of living out a constant and repetitive sinful lifestyle, one recurring year after year in total rejection of the Biblical truths.
    Only divine loving forgiveness applied to one’s sinful eternal soul, absolutely according to achieving salvation through Jesus Christ, will be accepted and permitted to be use as a defense ploy for the lost and sinful soul, and that one factor alone will work good enough to keep the condemned lost sinner from facing the final day of Gods’ extreme judgments.

  66. Cornelius says:

    So in Zechariah an appointed being in communion with God is rebuked for doing his job, trying to instigate punishments against the righteous man. But, no, this is not Satan.

    Many concepts are mentioned only in passing, or merely hinted. Abraham’s worry about his status in the afterlife by not having a son to bury him properly is acknowledged and alleviated by God in Genesis 15 (Speiser, The Anchor Bible Commentary, Genesis, p.115). Samuel’s spirit is communicated with by the medium of Endor (1 Sam. 28). Other than that, there is no mention of the concept until the later prophets in any clear, unambiguous, non-poetic terms.

  67. jerrym83 says:

    SATAN CONFUSION HAS FLOODING OUR HOME WORLD OF TODAY
    Since those long overlook days and times within two thousand years of church history this very same highly frightful unanswerable mystery has slowly evolved to become an extreme challenging mystery to all Christian people; even more so, it has all become a highly unanswerable Godly mystery unto the entire Christian world of our own days and times as well.
    Thereafter resulting in one outcome; this very challenging (widely assumed) “unanswerable” Godly mystery has caused extreme massive amounts of very widespread Biblical confusion over the evil existence of SATAN, confusion gas actually confounded the mere average thinking minds of many, many millions of churchgoing Christian’s and theologians alike, and also extending its Biblical confusions not only throughout all of America, but also all around the Christian based home world of our last days and end times.
    This end result has unfolded in the Christian world because most all churchgoing Christian’s have had no properly (Holy Spirit Powered) developed Christian leadership to accurately unfold any of these Biblical mysteries recorded here in these writings in the past; therefore, strictly due to an extreme lack of Biblical information being offered to the Christian world, the end results can’t be anything but clear; most all average minded churchgoing Christian’s and their leader’s of our day absolutely do not fully understand the extreme deep and dynamic creative plans God had put in store (or in mind) for the entire existence of the earthly existence of the human experience.
    Furthermore, absolutely no one on planet earth today fully understands exactly how it all was first intended to workout for that misunderstood fallen archangel of God called, Lucifer; and also, not many fully understands how God personally chose the archangel Lucifer to personally interact within the deep political, social, and religious affairs of mankind, and Satan was there in the Garden of Eden attempting to strongly motivate (Adam and Eve first) and afterwards all of mankind into gaining that same freedom of self will God had in mind the whole time.
    Folks, here is another very long overlooked Godly mystery for us to consider at this time; God is only seeking loyal favoritism and extreme undying loving acknowledgment from only a “self willing” source, a perfected source with a self will to chose their own ways, a source such as found in the human soul (mankind)…!
    Anyone else have any better ideas here I would love to hear it…? Frankly speaking posting board, without the extreme evil and harsh adverse interactions of old Satan within our home world, from the days of Adam and Eve up until today, the first man Adam would have never ever had the absolute best opportunity to self achieve his own self will, and we people of today would have never ever come to know the express joys of salvation through Jesus Christ, for our extremely needful souls by the way. Furthermore, our God (Himself) would also likely have a very difficult and/or hard time in finding just the right kind of self willing soul to work to supply and fulfill His personal needs to be love and acknowledged as King of king’s and Lord of lord’s, not if Adam and Eve had not disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden and perhaps never gained a human self will at the time.
    The total physical end and absolute destruction of the archangel Lucifer was not the case with the archangel Lucifer, for God to just kill off old Lucifer was absolutely not planned at all by God, not to start with ad not until the end of human life on planet earth,
    God (no doubt) had something else or something much, much more dynamically important in mind for the adverse creation of the archangel, Lucifer. It was absolutely not intended for God to destroy the archangel at that time, and also not at that particular time of Gods’ creative plans on earth anyway.
    Look at the next set of Biblical scriptures and perhaps we can come to better understand exactly why our God personally chose not to destroy Lucifer, not at the time of his iniquitous rebellion towards God.

    REVELATION, CHAPTER 20: VERSES 1 THROUGH 3 1.
    And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2.And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

    Now then, at this particular time it’s hoped anyone reading this can clearly see how our God had already setup the total destruction of the archangel Lucifer, but it was to only unfold at a certain or a very particular God chosen time frame set in order by God Himself.
    That Godly chosen special time-framing, the one for Lucifer’s or Satan’s total and absolute destruction was exclusively prearranged long, long before the very foundation of our planet earth; that same time framing was also scheduled to unfold itself within the ultimate face of the total end of our home world, the planet earth, as many churchgoing Christian people of today have become well aware of, strictly according to the King James Traditional Bible only…!
    But what about the time laps between Adam and Eve and the total destruction of Satan at the complete end of our physical home world…? I is clear by now, Satan is to remain loose and very much active (and alive) throughout the entire times between the day and time of Adam and Eve and the end of our Home world. We are talking about many thousands of earth years of human trials and errors…and testing by the devil. But during those long times, why has God allowed Satan to tempt and influence the entire human race that is the untold mystery our world has remained confuse over for do very long now…?
    Take a good long look in the gospel book of REVELATION, CHAPTER 20: VERSE 1. Even after the mighty archangel of God (Michael) who was holding a great chain in hi hand to bind up Lucifer (Satan) for a thousand years, God still had another task in mind for Lucifer (or Satan) to accomplish on earth, at least before that old fallen archangel was to be totally and absolutely destroyed, once and for all. Also check out the following scripture.

    REVELATION, CHAPTER 20: VERSES 7 THROUGH 10 7.
    And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10.
    And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are , and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. The gospel book of Revelation (CHAPTER 20: VERSE 10) very clearly informs us all directly concerning the exact time, place, and the precise kind of ultimate destruction of that long lived fallen archangel of God called, Lucifer. His end time destruction has already been set in order, determined, allotted, and Godly scheduled to unfold at the absolute end of the world of human existence.

    Since the archangel Lucifer or Satan has been around us here or around human life so very long now there had to be some very good and acceptable Godly reasons for Satan’s existence on planet Earth, among mankind, reasons I will discuss a little later in some of my other writings here. However for now we can also deduce from Satan’s very long lifespan existing here on Planet Earth, and also due to the fact God has not as of yet destroyed him; at last not as of yet; and we must try to understand there is really no known war waging away between God and Satan, nothing like the entire churchgoing Christian world just loves to widely proclaim unto all people who will listen to their confusion; Satan cannot possibly ever stand “toe to toe” with the All Mighty Most High God the same God who created him…! Stop saying there is a spiritual war underway between God and Satan, that idea is childish at its best…! The real spiritual war is waging away between mankind and God…!
    In fact…the real facts are, according to the Holy Scriptures we can clearly see God is in total and absolute control over Satan’s earthly movements and Satan’s earthly existence, and also God must have seriously and honestly needed the extreme evil and wicked services of Satan, existing among the human race the whole time. By these undeniable and irrefutable facts and also by this time I do believe one may have just come to see the exact reason and/or the long overlooked reasons for the angelic existence of that fallen archangel called, Lucifer (Satan).
    It’s also hoped here that by now most anyone here on this posting board today would have also come to see it was Godly intended for Lucifer (Satan) to become exactly who and what he has evolved to become today (Satan), especially when he (Lucifer) was also found by God with iniquitous sin within his angelic members. Attention here, here comes the infallible answers many millions of confused people have sought to discover for many thousands of years now.
    The real facts here can be clear to most anyone today, our home world actually needs an evil adverse Satan moving all around within it; our home world also needs a forgiving and saving God (Jesus Christ) to show us exactly how loving and how absolutely powerful our God can truly be in their lives, and also can forgive all people. One could say this is exactly what our assumed “mysterious” God desires out of mankind, and to be much more honest here, Satan is here to help develop the entire human race into that very badly needed highly useful product our Most High God is constantly seeking out of all of the human race, mankind…!
    The entire Holy Bible is very clear physical evidence on planet earth today of these extremely undeniable and absolute indisputable facts I have written here in this posting board, and those facts listed here and also clearly recorded here above this same paragraph; and also, we should be able to see these same facts from the many pages or from page-to-page of our only Traditional Holy Bible’s; we today can now clearly see Gods’ deep and ever growing divine hunger for human love and human attention, this fact has grown more and more intense with the passing of each and every new upcoming generation of mankind’s Christian struggles just to spiritually develop and spiritually connect with a true Godly Being.
    Satan fear tactics more often works in many mysterious ways and often we limited thinking human being’s can see regretful people, or people who suddenly begin to feel deep feelings of remorse and self sorrows over their often wicked and sinful lifestyles, many by seeing freedom from all of those so-called “mind monsters” moving all about in the shadows of the past, deep within their heads, from there, most anyone could safely say the idea of a Satan existing within their miserable lifestyles begins to push the pass forward, Satan starts to shove the past out into awareness of the day’s, and this my friends also begins to nudge many lost people to seek freedom and salvation from those ugly old “mind monsters,” and some may also start to pray to God seeking relief from a true loving and forgiving Father type Being, one such as God. Folks really think about this real good for awhile…?
    Without that old adverse evil Godly created thing called Satan existing and running all around within our minds and also throughout the entire 21st century home world of today, who today would begin to strive hard to seek out that loving favoritism and total forgiveness from a Godly Being that can free them from their nightmares, a God much like The Most High God…?

  68. jerrym83 says:

    In all my years of communicating with many different people (Christian’s, pulpit leader’s, evangelists, college professors of religion, mounds of theologins, Sunday school teacher’s, street preacher’s, and mostly just anybody out on the street (saved and unsaved) in an interview I purposely setup in order to studie and research deeper into Christianity in America, I do not think I can remember anyone I’ve ever talked with within the past 20 very long years that was so very hungry and so extremely needful for absolute true Biblical truth and understanding as I see going on within most of the people I’ve read about on these postings here…
    I would love to share what God has revealed to me in a VISION (1997) and just see how they all take to the real truth about what they think is factual and true…?
    Nonetheless. my god bless you all anyway…?

  69. Tyndale says:

    SATAN
    Folks this heavenly being called Lucifer was an archangel of God who had oddly achieved extremely vast knowledge and extreme superior wisdom; this one particular kind of extreme wisdom and also this extreme knowledge no doubt far superseded and long surpassed any other kind of possible knowledge and/or also any other kind of heard-of wisdom existing under the Most High God, Himself.
    God was in total and absolute possession of the more greater kind of knowledge and wisdom, of course…! According to the scriptures, the archangel Lucifer was next in line as the absolute most knowledgeable and the most wisest angelic being existing under God, more so than any and all of the other host or angelic being’s existing within heaven.
    Furthermore, this kind of extreme wisdom-powered-intellect unfolding from within Lucifer was also far, far beyond any other created angelic host throughout all of heaven; moreover, this kind of super enhanced superior wisdom also worked to endow Lucifer’s psychologically powered knowledge to be capable of knowing everything and anything throughout heaven, and also know of anything the heavenly host was doing and/or saying at all times.
    We can also see here in the scripture God gives the archangel Lucifer many precious stones to ware as a covering garment or perhaps it worked as a breastplate. The last thing recorded in this one particular scripture is also just as clear to us, God personally fashioned and personally created Lucifer strictly according to Gods’ very own personal idea’s, allowing also for Gods’ divine reasons for Lucifer’s created intentions.
    This was further allowing for Gods’ reasoning behind divinely manifesting the archangel Lucifer as he was Biblically recorded to be, and also as he was manifested to become, within the end I mean.
    It doesn’t actually end there. This is not really all our God had planned and long intended to unfold from within the mighty archangel Lucifer, and what Lucifer was to actually evolve to become. This fact is also accounting for the fulfillment of Gods’ ultimate creative plans for all life under Him, and this too according to Gods’ primary personal reasoning behind Lucifer’s angelic creation, which this is being clearly exposed to us right now (today) from within our own Holy Bible’s.
    It’s all clearly recorded within our own Holy Bible’s to see, and not just for our greater benefits as a mere believer in God, it’s clearly recorded for best defining the unique existence of the archangel Lucifer as well; long, long before and also soon after Lucifer’s spiritual demise in heaven or after Lucifer’s ultimate down fall from Gods’ Holy Mountain, suddenly we see a very odd Godly creative action unfolding and coming from Gods’ creative handiwork, and according to the scriptures we see, we can see God personally anointed the archangel Lucifer, God further awarded Lucifer with the honorable task of “covering cherub.”
    God clearly clarifies all of His creative actions there and intentions, and also all that He personally invested within the creation of Lucifer here as well by Biblically proclaiming it was He (God) alone who set these wonderful events in full motion, and He did this by giving all of these special characteristic attributes unto His (top-of-the-creative-line) archangel, along also with all of those personal Godly type gifts.
    God then endorses it all by personally speaking and clearly informing us people of today of this fact, He did so through the writings of His Godly crated Biblical words of extreme Godly authority (The Holy Bible).
    Additionally, God further made it very clear in this same scripture, the archangel Lucifer was fully equipped with the most perfected personality and the absolute best characteristics of perfection necessary, and Lucifer became an accepted and honored Citizen of Gods’ Holy Kingdom. Here it becomes quite clear to us, Lucifer had complete run throughout the Holy Mountain of God; we also see this fact by God telling us Lucifer had the distinct privilege of walking anywhere he wished to go, of course within Gods’ Holy Kingdom.
    Lucifer was even privileged to move all about among the stones of fire (perhaps these burning “stones of fire” were stars floating all above Gods’ seating arrangement…?).
    Take note of the next Biblical Scripture real good. EZEKIEL, CHAPTER 28: VERSE 14 and we see in 14. “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”
    Right here we can now deduce from the lay of the scripture listed above and also from what we’ve learned about from above.
    Now we can work our minds towards putting some logical ideas together, ideas strictly concerning what would be a sound and logical Godly purpose for the idea of the existence of Lucifer moving around deep within Gods’ mindset.
    Also we should explore why God fully intended for the formation and the creation of the archangel Lucifer as becoming a part of Gods’ creative purpose to fashion and create mankind at some time within the coming times on earth, from those times in Gods’ Holy Mountain unto the times mankind was to be fashioned and created on planet earth.
    Which, I’m actually talking about and referring to the Godly granted privileged where God allowed Lucifer to move himself all about and all among the stones of fire, and also a moment God anointed the archangel Lucifer; this moment was at an existing point of Gods’ eternal infinite existence where our physical universe and our planet earth (along also with mankind of course) was not as of yet crafted and created by God.
    This is also talking about a point or a time framing event that happened long before the Biblically recorded events found in the gospel book of Genesis, chapter 1: verse 1 and onward.
    From all of the Biblical information we now have on hand today and all of the particular scriptures listed here in this inspired writing, it is now, today, it is at this time we may come to see some Biblical evidence badly needed to help us best determine exactly why God decided to create the favored archangel called, Lucifer.
    Strictly going on all of the Biblical based evidence we have collected up to this point (and we’ve done this directly from The Traditional King James Holy Bible), we should now begin to see things much more clearly from this point onward, we may now begin to see something special unfolding here as well, something concerning how the archangel Lucifer was exclusively created by God, but for a very particular reason in mind that conflicts with today’s very best theological thinking minds of our times.
    This is exclusively meaning; any created thing which was created by God was not created only for a very important personal purpose of being perfected, or perfected within its very own self existence, but rather is a created thing especially fashioned (by God of course) because of an indistinct Godly motive working quite overtime deep inside of Gods’ mindset (according to Gods’ overall plans for the coming of human life to yet unfold, of course).
    We must also keep in mind here, anything and/or all things created under God was especially crafted (and Lucifer was also endowed with special thinking skills and abilities) but this was all due to a very distinct Godly reason or at least according to a highly distinct purpose in Gods’ mindset.
    This is strictly allowing for an intended Godly purpose of course; all was indeed according to a Godly driven intention or a Godly need for Lucifer’s specially crafted existence, under the Most High God…!
    We may have also come to see Lucifer’s angelic creation was indeed Godly intended here, and that too is according to the outcome of Lucifer’s personal actions while existing in Gods’ Holy Realm or Kingdom. We also see that Lucifer’s creation was no doubt Godly intended.
    But we see Lucifer was to actually serve as a second great existing optional extreme; in other words, God being one great optional extreme (as a contender against Lucifer), and (of course) the archangel Lucifer being the other great optional option (as a contender to God). Please don’t deceive yourselves here.
    The above is absolutely not attempting (not in the least way possible) to suggest the mighty was a equal opponent towards God. But Lucifer was the best God had made to challenge Himself in that great spiritual war to come on earth one day…….

  70. Tyndale says:

    RETRACTION TO ABOVE…….
    Sorry about the mistake in using the correct scriptures above. I said look in John chapter 2…..I actually meant….my God created any and all things in existence………. Which I was actually referring the John, chapter 1…my mistake…sorry folks…?

  71. Tyndale says:

    What and who is Satan
    Have we ever wondered what great super enhanced knowledge and extreme wisdom would actually do to a simple flesh and blood (non-angelic) limited thinking human being…? Far too much of a good thing folks just may not be all that good of a thing after all.
    The actual long overlooked and widely (seldom if ever) recognized fact being presented here is this; since we all basically know (beyond any shadow of a doubt) our God absolutely makes no known creative mistakes and He absolutely makes no creative blundering errors in any of His Godly creative ways, this absolute indisputable fact here alone would or it should logically tell us our all knowing God can truly handle any kind of extreme super enhanced knowledge and also any kind of extremely superior wisdom He currently possesses within Himself; God can do so without any personal problems to Himself, absolutely any whatsoever…!
    Now, here comes the big question many Christian people have really been waiting for throughout their lives, although most all people have not even realized they’ve always had this strange seldom seen questions genetically embedded deep within their most wildest of imaginations since birth, we need to be triggered to them now.
    Exactly where did evil come from; did evil mysteriously come from the mighty archangel Lucifer, or did evil oddly come from the same God who created the mighty archangel, Lucifer, did evil come from our God…? Ouch…! O-boy, there it is folks…!
    This extremely challenging question is indeed a very difficult one to have to answer, and it’s also a very personally challenging question for most anyone (any Christian I mean) to even try to answer correctly. However, think about these next two potentials and likelihoods before offering an answer to the above question(s).
    First; if one were to say or proclaim the adverse existence of evil came from the fallen archangel Lucifer, one would actually be saying, Lucifer is a godly creator himself, and Lucifer also has the same kind of godly abilities and the same supreme creative godly powers to fashion and to create things, things much like the Most High God can.
    God is the very same Almighty God who also once created the archangel Lucifer. In a slight indirect way of course, one would also be saying, there’s two distinct different existing gods’; one would also be saying, there is the Most Holy God, and one would also be saying, there is an most unholy god, a god such as the fallen archangel Lucifer, which is now well known globally as Satan; ouch…!
    We really do not want to say or believe there’s more than one almighty God; this might work to offend the Most High God…! This way is absolutely a no-no taboo-way of Christian thinking, and it should be throughout the entire Christian world, whether past and/or present…!
    Secondly; on the other hand, if one were to say the adverse knowledge of evil was only created by the Almighty or Most Holy God, one would also be saying, our believed good creating Almighty God, not only personally created the existence of evil, God also uses evil and personally deals with human life on planet earth (all of mankind), by subtly exploiting and slightly utilizing both concepts of the knowledge of good and evil…!
    Therefore one would also be saying God uses the adverse powers of evil (as well as the powers of good) in order to develop and expose mankind to.
    At this very moment in earth time the entire Christian world of our day totally rejects and completely refuses for anyone within the inner workings of today’s Christian world to suggest such things as listed above, or to even openly admit their good creating God is also the primary creator and the constant instigator of the power of evil, as in saying the actual Creator of evil is none other than our God.
    Most every Christian churchgoer I’ve ever met within the past 40 to perhaps 45 very long years of constantly researching into Christianity in America absolutely believes their Most High God has absolutely nothing at all or whatsoever to do with the adverse, wicked existence of evil existing throughout our planet earth…!
    Folks, not even one single Christian I’ve ever personally come into contact with believes their perfect creating God created the extreme soul destructive existence of that mentally unhinged, that spiritually deranged, and that extreme egotistical murderer called Satan; o-boy, ouch…!
    Ok, can anyone out there logically tell us exactly where Satan came from or even how Satan came into existence on his own, yet existing under Gods’ powers…? As the story goes, especially throughout the entire 21st century Christian world of our days and times (one could safely say), all Christian believers believe their good creating (only) God has absolutely nothing at all to do with the existence of the evil adverse existence of Satan existing here on our planet earth, absolutely nothing at all…!
    Therefore exactly what are we all left to believe here today; if we were to all go by the majority rule as being proclaimed by the entire Christian world of our day and time, we are only left with but one possible solution to deal with here, God created Satan, emphatically so. Where did he come from and whom do any of us think created old Satan anyway…?

  72. Tyndale says:

    If the all-knowing, all-mighty, and the absolute most super powerful Creator there is in and throughout all of existence , and strangely enough some people have said God is not responsible for the origin of evil. then who or what super creative power source is responsible for the wicked existence of evil…? are there some people who think Satan or Lucifer is just as powerful as his own creator, an evil creator with the exact same godly type powers and abilities to create any and all things out of nothing…like God does…? I just don’t know about this idea, my Bible (in John, chapter 2, clearly tells me God is the one and only creator who created any and all thing in existence, and since evil is absolutely existing on planet earth (in existence) then it becomes clear it was God who created evil and/or the knowledge of evil…look in Genesis it becomes clear Gd created the tree of the knowledge of both good and evil…so we are left with one conclusion here and we must consider the angels of the matter, so then who was it that created evil, Satan, or God…? HELLO…?

  73. jerrym83 says:

    Within the past 45 years alone I have read through the old traditional King James Version Holy Bible no less than 6 times. Now that may not sound like a whole enough to some of our worlds more higher educated folks in Biblical studies but that reading was an extreme lot of very hard work for me, since I spent most of my life (up until I became 43 years old) absolutely very illiterate, which is to say very, very under educated at best; what I am trying to say here is this, until I reached 45 years old I couldn’t even add numbers. subtract numbers. spell words, and read a news paper; why I couldn’t even write my name very well at all.
    Who can rightly explain the wondrous mystery behind my (now) higher understanding into Gods Holy Words or my so-called upgraded manner of understanding and much better education…? Only God knew then and knows now why this exponential learning has unfolded as fast as it did and why it all happened to me within my old age or latter years.
    However, in getting more to the point here, within the past 20 years of my life I can remember starting to read the Bible in my mid 40’s. wet at the time I still had a lot of problems with math, spelling, and reading any other material other than the Traditional King James Holy Bible. Since those very long struggling years attempting to better myself educationally I mean.
    I found myself standing directly in front of a utility mirror in a drug rehab center in the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina and looking at a very, very strange reflective type image playing out within the mirror reflection. Frankly speaking I felt God must have felt it was about time for Him to unpack, undo, and oddly unfold what He had within Godly mind the whole for my life.
    It was the year 1997, it was than that I personally witnessed a very strange, Godly type, inspired (NOT ASPIRED..!) Vision unfolding itself within the utility mirror’s reflection. The vision lasted all night long, from Darkness to Sunup. The Vision itself took me 4 1/2 to a good five years to even come close to understanding its meaning and purpose. I finally come to see it was not just for me but for the entire world. I come to learn after some 5 years had past this same vision was the same vision Biblically predicted to come to our last days world, as is clearly found written and recorded in the gospel book of HABAKKUK, (chapter 2: verses 2 through 7)
    2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. 5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people: 6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! 7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
    I finally discovered this deeply inspired Godly type Vision was offering many long overlooked answers to mankind’s long sought after questions. It also unfolded the exact reason and purpose God unfolded His very official act of creation under Himself. from there God open;y revealed how it was for endless unknown times of Godly existence how He had spent His everlasting existence completely and totally all alone, long, long before unfolding His very first official act of creation under Himself. God revealed to me the moving motivating powers working deep inside of Himself and how it was that strong motivating power source strongly moved and compelled Him to start creating all of the things existing under Himself then, and now (today).
    God also clearly showed me in the vision exactly how the mighty archangel called Lucifer was intentionally created just to do His work and His bidding in far the days to come, on our planet earth. God revealed the mystery of Satan to me and told me one day the world will need to come to see that Satan is merely a tool needed to test and try the human race, to see just how loyal they will be to His honor and His needs to not be all alone again. There is very much more to the Vision but much more than I can put here on these pages.
    The world has it all wrong and God said the Vision should work to set the lost world right again, but it will come only at it appointed time, so wait for it, it will surely come. This is all I have to say now, so good bye for now and go with God in your hearts…

  74. W. Tyndale says:

    Tyndale says…
    After reading through much of the replies posted here I was beginning to see the majority were relating to the many names of Satan, the biblical locations Satan pops up in scripture, and just a massive number of extreme non important aspects and characteristic features all relating to Lucifer and/or Satan. Frankly it appears people here get off on saying words that sounds highly important and well educated lingo. At that I was beginning to see that everyone here was skipping right over the most absolute important long overlooked aspects regarding the true Godly purpose and the true divine reasoning behind the Godly creation of Lucifer and/or also of Satan…Satan’s Godly crafted evil existence has added to our world and to mankind a great service, like God intended from the start. For one folks, all existing things (and please do understand here, I do not personally favor evil, wickedness, Lucifer, or Satan) but if it wasn’t for God Himself putting that evil conning old serpent within Adam and Eve’s earthly living room back then, there would be absolutely no logical need for any churches, any preacher’s, absolutely no Bibles, no prophets, no Moses would have been necessary. along with Peter, Paul, even the mother of Jesus (Marry), nor there could have been a need for Gods son, The Lord Jesus Christ existing in our home world of today. Perhaps you people need to work on it a little bit more here and search much deeper into what motivated God to even start His first create act of Godly creation existing under Himself long before Genesis 1:1…? There is a whole lot more I could add here but hopefully this will be enough for you…?

  75. Krzysztof Ciuba says:

    ups. A mistake. I should be: there is no causal connection between God, Creator, and creatures devilish acts as privations of good.

  76. Krzysztof Ciuba says:

    Genesis 3 did not directly associate a serpent with Satan, but indirectly it says that God is not responsible for the origin of evil (acts). If this Genesis’s part, J source, is from 10th cent.B.C, it fits perfectly with the classical philosophy that evil is a privation of good; therefore not a being (being as oneness, truth, and goodness).Consequently, there is no causal connection between God, Creator, and creatures (beings).Numbers 20:8,”Moses” worshipping a serpent, suggests only that probably a serpent has even different meaning for other people in the different region and different time (of writing).
    Ps.why was my comment removed on “Sinaiticus Codex”? Too abstract for the ignorant in philosophy and logic?

  77. Sikeli says:

    Very Interesting topic. Thanks BAR. I believe it’s the interpretation of the Bible that causes meanings to change. Since we’re we’re all different, so as how we interpret. The Bible is much more about humanity than God and Satan, so let’s interpret accordingly. More studies can wear us out. It’s mystery and only God knows.

  78. Sundar Dhami says:

    Thank you for your sending material I am very blessed.

  79. Michael Garrison says:

    Jesus said, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” (John 8:44-45) Jesus is speaking here of the serpent in the garden, isn’t He? It was at the beginning the serpent (satan) lied to Adam & Eve. The above article is full of doctrinal error.

  80. lemueln says:

    How pathetically sad that supposed learned scholars deny the very existence of a personal devil–and they are “biblical scholars!” Didn’t Jesus Himself believed in a personal devil? My are so many being duped by the adversary even among biblical scholars!

  81. Elizabeth says:

    “Eden’s serpent is not identified with Satan anywhere in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament”

    Yes he is – Rev 12:9

  82. Jparmar says:

    Below is my interpretation of Genesis, I would like to know if it is correct or possible:

    Once it is understood that the Snake in the Bible is actually Time, then the reading of Genesis makes it similar to reading the Greek mythological story of the Pandora’s box.

    Pandora was specifically instructed not to open the box, but Time seduced her and and she opened the box out of curiosity that brought out death and all the evil of the world.

    Eve was specifically instructed not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, but Time seduced her and she ate its fruit out of curiosity that brought death and exile from the garden of eden.

    Thus Time is the Snake and curiosity is the Satan. The curiosity/Satan/Lucifer is the scientific temperament that is opposed to blind faith in the Lord.

    After eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge, man became conscious and thus lost the primitive animal innocence, he came to understand death and other natural and artificial evils like illness, war, jealousy, money etc, before that he was just another animal unaware of the death and other evils. He exiled himself out of the nature into the Civilized world, the artificial villages and cities of the world.

    The Lord cursed Time (the lifetime spent by man on Earth), that it would crawl on its belly and eat dust– The daily grind of the routine work makes us feel like Time is crawling on its belly and nothing lasts forever, youth, beauty, love, money, fame, everything changes to dust in(side) Time, hence Time eats dust.

    The Civilized, knowledgeable, curious Humans have to plan their activities aHEAD of Time (Humans will bruise the Head of Time) and they are forced to run around to perform their duties (Time will bruise the Heel of Man). Thus Humans have to plan the sowing of seeds ahead of time and then as per the plan procure the seeds, actually perform the actions by moving their hands and feet to sow and subsequently harvest the produce. Thus we are intricately bound to the Time as against the innocent Animals who don’t care about planning for the future.

    Quote:
    And the LORD God said: ‘Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.’ Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

    The Civilized man is a pawn, he/she does not have power/control/freedom over his own life (sent him forth from the garden of Eden), he has to work in the society (till the ground), the depressing routine life of the civilized man will drive him to despair and suicide (and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, i.e commit suicide, genocide, murder) unless there is hope and faith in his life.

    In Pandora’s story, hope was left behind inside the box, while in Genesis,

    So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.

    The Lord placed Youth/Innocence (cherubim) at the start of the Life (East of the Garden) where there are positive qualities like open-mindedness, tolerance, love are prominent while negative qualities like bigotry, hatred and death are scarce.

    The Young have Hope (the flaming sword) that can cut through all adversity(turned every way) so that the Human race keeps procreating and bring forth new generations (to keep the way to the tree of life) or else if the young are exposed and corrupted by evils of the scientific knowledge, civilization and society, they will decide that the world is too evil to bring forth the next generation and abstain from procreating and the Human race will die out as is happening in the Developed world due to the low birth rates.

    Genesis is a very advanced scientific and psychological message in this interpretation, shrouded in the secret code of snake, satan, civilization, youth and hope.

  83. Daniel says:

    This is a good article for reminding us of what the Bible does NOT say, which we often assume it perhaps DOES say. I’m confused about Dolansky’s counting of 9 occurrences of satan in the Hebrew Bible. Doing a quick Lemma study in Logos Software, I see 27 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible. Furthermore, the use of ‘satan’ in Numbers 22 does not appear to have the definite article in front of it; this article says it does. Instead, both occurrences there have the preposition לְ – something like “the angel of YHWH stood in the road for a satan for him” or “to be a satan to him”. This doesn’t alter the point she’s making; I’m just not sure why she says these occurrences include the definite article when they do not. But I found the article overall interesting and got me digging, so I’m happy enough.

  84. Tovyya says:

    BTW, ifI donaye, can I choose a specific synagogue?

  85. Tovyya says:

    So I see that you think that you know your Hebrew. Perhaps you should educate people on rmtge difference between “anointed* and “savior.”. Both of these words appear in the Ancient Hebrew lexicon, but many purposely mistranslate the Hebrew word for Announced, Asin King David as Savior. Perhaps you should ask a a rabbi.

  86. Tovyya says:

    I hate autocorrect. Knowing, not mowing.

  87. Tovyya says:

    So you actually used a Holy name of Him in mowing that it could be deleted???! Not a good idea.

  88. Salman Naveed says:

    Short story of a Homo sapiens.
    Oh boy o boy , satan ,I want to be your biggest fan. You are majestic , a celebrity all wise and powerful. I like your pictures but I have some questions about you and I want to know more about you. I am from earth and a hominoid, yes, I am only an ape. Your picture is quite confusing you have horns like you are a herding animal , oh I know, it may be for protecting you and your herd but you have bipedal locomotion and have penta dactyl hands and you have a tool for protection or may be for hunting, oh I get it you are a hybrid between cattle and ape, right? ok back to my questions
    1- Where do you live satan? I mean your abode.
    2- Are you made up of organic molecules? I mean are you a living thing or a non living thing?
    3- Are you a product of evolution like ape and cattle?
    4- Do you have a real selfie, if you have one please upload.
    5- What are your other nick names.
    I am asking all these questions because last night I met one of my dads friend he said that you are nothing more than a metaphor in his testaments , I don’t even know what these are, and you only reside in the brain of Homo sapiens in the form of its innate behavior, you know like envy, lust, pride, gluttony, greed, anger, hate etc. , he said these are your nick names. He cant be right satan, please tell me.

  89. Gary W. Harper says:

    In the context of the times, the Serpent, stood for Knowledge.

    In the Desert of the Moon, the Israelites made a Bronze Serpent — The Nehushtan. If you were bit?

    Before it, you did your thing — And you lived. This is no small matter, in the lands of cobras, of asps.

    The Bronze Serpent was destroyed during the reign of Hezekiah (c.716 to 686 B.C.E.) It was destroyed, because the Israelites were burning incense to it —

    Which means, everyone thinks, that they were idolizing it.

    But I do not think so…

    No mention is made, of them being Satanists.

    2 Kings 18:4: He hath turned aside, the High Places; and broken in pieces, the Standing-Pillars; and cut down, the Shrine —

    And beaten down, the Brazen Serpent that Moshe made —

    For unto these days, were the sons of Israel, making perfume to it. And he calleth it, “a piece of brass.”

    The Stones Set Up, by the Patriarchs?

    Smashed.

    The Groves, wherein these Stones Were Set Up As Altars to YHWH?

    Cut down.

    Even the terebinths, of Mamre…

    The very one, Against Which YHWH Rested, Beneath His Own Created Chuppah, With His Best Friend Abram…

    Destroyed, upon the advice of the control-freak Levites.

    All of the Altars, of the past — Approved of, By YHWH Himself — Were destroyed, by Hezekiah…

    For how could you centralize worship in Jerusalem under the control of the Priesthood — And beneath the watchful eye, of a covetous king — It these YHWH-Approved Altars, were allowed To Remain, all over the place?

    If you read the text critically, you will see, that the issue was not idol worship, nor apostasy, nor the incorporation of foreign gods into the worship of YHWH. The issue, was the control of all YHWH worship in one single location, under the hand of one small familial group, who were descended from Levi and Aharon.

    Levites, as the Priesthood?

    Does not necessarily mean, that they were not to live amongst the people, throughout the land.

    Even some of the Levites — Especially, the descendants of Moshe — Objected, to this abomination of centralization.

    Who can possibly build a man’s house, for He Who Fills the Universe?

    But, go ahead…

    Build it — If you must.

    Now, Who Is the Accuser of His brethren, of His children?

    You have to know what you are reading, within the cultural and historical context of the times, to be able to properly interpret actions — And, more importantly, Within the Mind of YHWH — To Be Able To Understand the motives, which underscore said actions.

    Aharon wanted to centralize worship under their control, in the South. The rest of Israel, including Moshe, resisted — For they wanted to maintain the mode of worship, Which Had So Well Served the Patriarchs. The latter mode, Is the One, Which Speaks of a Far More Intimate Relationship, With YHWH.

    The former mode, Sandwiches YHWH narrowly, Between Two Stone Tablets of Serpentine; it Hides Him, In a Box; and it Buries Him, In a dark back room of a man’s building, To Be Checked Upon once a year —

    To make sure, that She Is behaving properly —

    And to make sure, that the Serpent of Hope, Has not Been Let Out, in the interim.

    I prefer the YHWH who you can kick back with under a tree, in the breezy shade and the grass, by a small flowing stream. A YHWH you can talk to, and can share a drink and a meal and the Deep Dark Secrets, Hidden of the Ages, With.

    A YHWH, Who you Know the Personal Name of. Someone, Who Talks Right Back, To you.

    So you see?

    The Serpent, as Satan?

    Did not even enter into the picture, until after worship was centralized. Until after the Church — Whatever its contemporary guise, throughout the Ages — Stood Within the Way, and prevented the Entry of the Anointed Into the Sanctuary —

    Back, Into Gan Eden.

    They, who Do Not Enter themselves?

    Try to keep the Anointed Chosen of YHWH, from Entering.

    But Beneath the Bush — Beneath, the Horns — Is Found, the Small Door. And the Anointed Enter Within the Sanctuary, in spite of everything that the Church of man does, to prevent it.

    And Who, Is Hiding, Beneath the Chuppah of the Serpentine Green?

    Who, Has Shed His Former Covering?

    Only the Wise amongst men, Truly Know.

  90. matt says:

    Thank you for this article. I appreciate the time it took to dig into this. I will help guide me in my our studies.

  91. TheDarkF00L says:

    Regardless of who this serpent was, consider this: which one lied? God or the serpent?

    Genesis 2:17 – “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

    Genesis 3:5 – “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

    Genesis 5:5 – “Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.”

    Makes you wonder.

  92. Mike Tisdell says:

    This was one of the most disappointing articles I have seen in Biblical Archeological Review. Clearly no one qualified reviewed the article before it was published. Here are just a couple of the factual errors:

    The author states: “In Numbers 22, the prophet Balaam, hired to curse the Israelites, is stopped by a messenger from Israel’s God YHWH, described as “the satan” acting on God’s behalf.”

    However, while some do treat the two instances in Nu. 22 as a noun (wrongly in my opinion), it clearly does not include the article unless one were to reject the pointing in the MT. Furthermore, most scholars would see this as a verbal form and not a noun, and translate it as “and an angel of the Lord stood in the way TO OPPOSE him” rather than “and angel of the stood in the way AS AN ADVERSARY.” Here are some translations that treat this as a verb: “NIV, HCSB, NET, NLT. The ESV is inconsistent i.e. treating as a noun in Num. 22:22, but as a verb (same form in Hebrew) in 22:32.

    ‎ וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֞ב מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ לְשָׂטָ֣ן ל֑וֹ

    The author states: “The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1”

    However, there are a several more instances in Scripture where satan is used without the word “the” in front of it. Two more could be added if we accepted the contention that instances in Nu. 22 were nouns and not verbs.

    ‎ (1 Ki. 5:18 WTT) וְעַתָּ֕ה הֵנִ֙יחַ יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהַ֛י לִ֖י מִסָּבִ֑יב אֵ֣ין שָׂטָ֔ן וְאֵ֖ין פֶּ֥גַע רָֽע׃
    14 וַיָּ֙קֶם יְהוָ֤ה שָׂטָן֙ לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֵ֖ת הֲדַ֣ד הָאֲדֹמִ֑י מִזֶּ֧רַע הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ ה֖וּא בֶּאֱדֽוֹם׃
    (1 Ki. 11:23 WTT) וַיָּ֙קֶם אֱלֹהִ֥ים לוֹ֙ שָׂטָ֔ן אֶת־רְז֖וֹן בֶּן־אֶלְיָדָ֑ע אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּרַ֗ח מֵאֵ֛ת הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־צוֹבָ֖ה אֲדֹנָֽיו׃
    (1 Ki. 11:25 WTT) וַיְהִ֙י שָׂטָ֤ן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כָּל־יְמֵ֣י שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה וְאֶת־הָרָעָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֲדָ֑ד וַיָּ֙קָץ֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּמְלֹ֖ךְ עַל־אֲרָֽם׃ פ
    (1 Chr. 21:1 WTT) וַיַּֽעֲמֹ֥ד שָׂטָ֖ן עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיָּ֙סֶת֙ אֶת־דָּוִ֔יד לִמְנ֖וֹת אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
    (Ps. 109:6 WTT) הַפְקֵ֣ד עָלָ֣יו רָשָׁ֑ע וְ֜שָׂטָ֗ן יַעֲמֹ֥ד עַל־יְמִינֽוֹ׃

    Sloppy scholarship leads to sloppy conclusions, and this article is wrought with both!

  93. Trin says:

    I found this article really interesting. I’d like to know from the author how Lucifer and the fallen angels, as depicted in the book of Isaiah fits in. As Christians we are taught that Lucifer, Satan and the devil are one and the same.

  94. C Smale says:

    Regarding God cursing the serpent to crawl on the ground and what kind of creature was it before it was cursed.
    Is there anything in scripture to indicate that the curse on this creature was just to that individual alone? “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
    “all the days OF YOUR LIFE.”
    Also, might this have been one of their domesticated animals? It would have been even more poignant if it had been.

  95. Sillygoose says:

    Dustin, quick question, how can Eve know that eating the apple is evil, if she only gains the knowledge of good and evil after having eaten it?

  96. Dustin says:

    Dave, your comment is extremely offensive and houses no biblical support.

  97. Dustin says:

    As an exegesic reader of the scriptures, and a believer of His preserved Word, I would have to say that you are heretical. Satan is one of many names given to the fallen angel, just as Savior references Jesus Christ. Is is mentioned, along with evil spirits numerous times in the old and new testiment. He was noted to walk in the garden of Eden until inequity was found in him. Evil and darkness are always the abscence of goodness, not some twisted Mr. Hyde side of God. Please be careful when you post things contrary to God says in His word. The end of Revelations warns you about what may happen. In Christ always,

  98. Maranatha Shalom says:

    “…We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.…”
    [Paul: 1 Corinthians 2:12-14]

    It would do well for all men to first be born again of the Holy Spirit before writing opinions about the Word of God.

  99. Casey says:

    What kind of “satan” tempted Jesus in the desert? Was it the actual “satan” or just an adversary?

  100. Firestone says:

    You know what, the serpent in the garden of Eden could be symbolic for Satan rather than a talking snake? The dragon is also symbolic for Satan but they’re obviously extinct, not unless God was referring to the Komodo dragon? In a way this symbolism would make sense because the animal we all know that spoke like a man was a donkey of the prophet Baalim but then again the strangest things have happened. So Satan might have the power to possess animals by making them talk. Mind you he does with humans. I guess its back to the drawing board.

  101. John Leigh says:

    It is always comical when comments are left instructing the author to “research recent scholarly commentary on these text” when the author is a scholar and has written books, while the comment writer has done nothing but critique. Just because a “Christian” interprets a text a certain way does not justify the interpretation. Just because a term or name like a satan appears in the NT does not mean the people writing “believed” the theology the comment writer accepts.

    Recent scholarship is no proof either. Scholarship can range from the Moody Bible College to Pontifical Biblical Commission. Some so called scholarship ends up being nothing more than someone’s blog. In the end, like the bible, scholarship says what you want it to so.
    It would do well for comment writers to go to school and “Fist Learn, the Form Opinions.

  102. Thomas says:

    This article provides a useful corrective to anachronistic exegesis of Scripture that would import later ideas into earlier texts. That said, one needs to distinguish between the purely historical-critical reading of Scripture practiced in biblical studies and the theological reading of Scripture by the Church. In the former, there is no warrant for linking Satan to the serpent, nor for linking the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) to Jesus Christ. When Genesis is read through the eyes of Christian faith, however, such readings become plausible and legitimate.

    From a biblical studies point of view, the writer overstates the claim that the New Testament does not link Satan with the serpent of Eden. While no NT writer makes a straightforward, direct identification between the two, there are a number of texts where a connection may at least be hinted at — not only Rev. 12:9 and 20:2 but also Rom. 16:20, 2 Cor. 11:3-14, and John 8:44. Note also the claim in 1 John 3:12 that Cain was ‘of the evil one’ – this seems to presuppose that Satan had existed in early Genesis. The author would have done well to research recent scholarly commentary on these texts.

    I also note the author’s error in asserting that 1 Chr. 21:1 is the only place in the Hebrew Bible where the word satan occurs without the article. In fact, Job 1-2 and Zech. 3:1-2 are the only places where the word satan occurs WITH the article.

    A fully developed primeval Satan myth doesn’t appear in Christian literature until the second century, but its absence from the New Testament does not imply that first century Christians held no such ideas.

  103. Murphy says:

    Re: comments, with all your he said/she said & my God is better than your God ideology… Makes everyone look like a fraud! “Your neighbors side of the street looks a lot nicer when you clean your own windows first “. “Faith without work is dead”

  104. Paul Ballotta says:

    In one of the earliest accounts of a vision of Yahweh presiding over the heavenly court that is described by the prophet Micaiah during the 9th century B.C.E., an entity is dispatched by Yahweh to “become a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets” of the Canaanite God Baal (1 Kings 22:22).

  105. MoriYah says:

    Satan was a SERAPHIM- literally meaning, in the Hebrew “Fiery Dragon/Serpent”. He was an ELOHIM, and Angel- not an animal. Thus why he talked.
    It’s very simple.

  106. Paul Ballotta says:

    Despite the many comments attempting to discredit the above article, the fact remains that there are no references In the Old Testament linking the serpent with Satan. The author of Genesis used the symbol of the Egyptian scribal god Thoth as the catalyst for the first parent’s disobedience since they were free to choose from among a variety of texts but chose to fixate instead on one that advocates the selfish mentality where one benefits at the expense of others, as the symbol of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil suggests. The internet is an example of how information can be used for good and evil and how serpentine entities can slither through a hole in the wall, as the immoral influences slipped in to early Christianity that is mentioned in Jude 1:4.

  107. Sid says:

    The article is well-researched and reported as the author has not fallen prey to the common approach of ‘reading into the text’ non-scriptural understandings of ‘satan’ (adversary) and ‘devil’ (false accuser). The introduction of Babylonian and Greek concepts initially into Jewish thought and later into Christian thought led to a belief in a supernatural creature with the capacity to cause humans to sin.

    Careful reading of the texts establishes that God at times is the adversary and the false accuser is those that oppose the spread of the Gospel. Would God create a being that could challenge Him and cause untold misery to humans?

    The quintessential Old Testament chapter on the outcome of behaviour is Deuteronomy 28 with the “if you do this or that” options. In the NewTestament it is Romans 8 with its description of a life in the “flesh” or a life in the “spirit”. If ever reference to coping with ‘satan’ or ‘the devil’ was to be mentioned it would be in these chapters but there is not even a hint of an external influence on behaviour.
    This is because ‘satan’ and ‘devil’ are words used to personify sin that dwells within us rather than to supernatural beings. (James 1:4)

  108. Paul Ballotta says:

    The serpent would be in the category of “creepers” (Gen. 1:24), and “all creepers of the ground (adamah)” (Gen. 1:25), and “all the creepers creeping on the earth (eretz)” (Gen 1:26), but it also mentions in the context of human domination of the planet “all beasts creeping on the earth” (Genesis 1:28) which reminds me of the account of various wild species of animals feeding on mountain vegetation in the Sumerian epic “Lugalbanda and the Mountain Cave.” Lugalbanda, like the would-be King David, was the youngest of 8 sons (1 Samuel 17:12), and on an expedition with his brothers (all of whom are described as leaders of men while Lugalbanda is mentioned as “their eighth one”) the youngest brother falls ill and is provided with sustenance by his brothers in a cave whereupon he recovers and makes offerings to the Sumerian gods using his observations to trap animals for sacrificial burnt offerings which arouse the attention of the “alert snakes.” All the animals are described as nibbling on various plants except for the snakes, who seem to be drawn to the fire on the altar for warmth in the cold night, though the Bible says that “every creeper on the earth” along with the beasts of the earth and the birds of the heaven are eligible to partake of “every green plant” (Gen. 1:30). But then again this first book of Genesis is a priestly account from the 5th century B.C.E. that seems to order the creation category of land animals according to ritual dietary observance, distinguishing between domesticated animals mentioned first (Heb. “behemah,” Gen. 1:24) and wild animals (Heb. “hayot”). The 10th century B.C.E. account of creation in chapter 2 mentions the serpent as being “more crafty than all the beasts (hayot) of the field” (Gen. 3:1) but afterward is more cursed than “all the cattle (behemah) and all the beasts (hayot) of the field” (Gen. 3:14), implying that the serpent’s domain was previously outside the boundaries of civilization but had gotten access to domestic affairs, as it is written; “…just as when a man flees because of the lion, and the bear actually meets him; and as when he went into the house and supported his hand against the wall, and the serpent bit him” (Amos 5:19).
    http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/skilled-craftsmen-not-slaves-smelted-copper-at-timna/

  109. wes says:

    Back around 2009, receiving some religious instruction due to a family member’s decision to become a member of a particular church, I stumbled on this same conundrum which sent me to on line concordances. Sure enough, my discoveries were much as the author describes. Including the anomalous reference in Chronicles in which David is severely reprimanded for taking a census.

    What could I conclude but that during the interlude between the bulk of writing in the OT and NT, the perspective of the writers had significantly changed. But why?
    My intuition is that Persian ( and perhaps Greek) perspectives had been added to the Judean point of view about the human state and the conflicts within creation. My suspect models from elsewhere would be Zoroastrian writings very similar to those in Enoch. The dualistic divide is over truth and falsehood. But how this could have influence beliefs in Judea is difficult to document, if not to surmise. Greek civilization nearly succumbed to the expansion of the Persian Empire since it was relatively poor in resources. But yet our written heritage from Greece is far larger than that of Persia. And there’s the difficulty.

    But still. Whether we use a close reading of the Bible or not, we still have to debate whether all evil in the world is rooted in human nature or (some of it) comes from outside. A jury might be confronted with an individual whose crimes exceed what they would have attribute to the abilities of one limited individual. Even on the question of exorcism, regarding the most famous case on which a Hollywood movie was once based, the two priests in the actual case were of two minds. One was sure that he was dealing with the devil. The other was not sure, save for the fact that there was a young man who needed his help. If I recall correctly, he spent his remaining career as a military chaplain saying that he faced more evil there on the battlefield then he did in that famous incident.

    And then what are to make of the changed Biblical perspective? Or, should we say, in the NT. To a certain degree it is spelled out in Paul’s epistles, saying that Adam’s conduct broke a trust with God and was the reason for a redemption. But at the same time, Paul emphasizes the break between man and God and only mentions “Satan” once or twice and not with respect to his central message of a new covenant or understanding based on the life and acts of Jesus, its model and faith in its foundation.

  110. Lee says:

    Ok, made a mistake…creation of beasts are mentioned in Gen 1 25-26…Anyway. What is interesting about the creation of the Beasts of the Field is that I had always assumed that ‘the beasts of the field’ referred to ‘Lions and Tiger’s and Bear’s..(oh my). But, that is not the case…Lions and other 4 footed, mamilian predators fall under the category of ‘cattle’ in Gen 1…After doing a hebrew word study in Gen 1 some years ago while researching this ‘serpent’ story. I found that the hebrew word translated ‘cattle’ or ‘livestock’ in english versions include ALL four footed animals of the field…The hebrew word translated ‘BEASTS’ denotes something more than just an animal of the field, predator or not…

  111. Lee says:

    so, the author is saying, that at the time, Moses wrote Genesis…The concept of ‘Satan’ did not yet exist…??? really…??? Maybe Moses and Israel did not understand ‘Satan’ in the terms we do…but they certainly where aware of his existence…All the ancient Civilizations where very aware of a conflict between ‘evil and good’…and of Evil and Good, Spiritual ‘god like’ beings. ITs in there writings… What I have always found 2 stand out the most in Gen 3 is the statement that ‘The Serpent was the most subtle BEAST of the field, that the Lord God, had made’…That the Bible calls Satan…a…BEAST of the FIELD…And since Beasts are mentioned in the creation process in Gen 2. IT would suggest, Satan, was not created at the beginning of creation. And that his original ‘estate’ was, this planet…not heaven…

  112. Paul Ballotta says:

    Perhaps the background to the account of the accuser tempting David to take a census for the purpose of imposing a draft on men for the military originally comes from the collective memory of the Canaanites under Egyptian domination as was revealed in a recently discovered grave near Tel Shadud in the Jezreel Valley. A clay anthropoid coffin contained the remains of an Egyptian official’s gold signet ring whose name was Seti, just like the Pharaoh that he served, Seti I. Named so after the Egyptian god Set, this Pharaoh was particularly reviled and singled out from the Pharaohs for his heavy-handed policy of sacrificing the heirs of the Canaanite kings to the god Amon at Thebes (not unlike the Poles under Soviet domination whose military officers were massacred by Stalin).
    http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-Israel/elite-canaanite-burial-discovered-in-the-jezreel-valley/

  113. Terry says:

    I find this article a bit too contradictory to be considered academic. She gives two good examples of Satan as an individual the concludes with, “if Satan isn’t in the Hebrew Bible….”. Really? Some consider Job as the earliest written book of the Bible. If so the Hebrews had an early example of him that was passed down. The account in 1 Chronicles has an individual Satan (not God as she states incorrectly) who talks David into taking a census. Another example is Psalms 109. It identifies Satan and interestingly uses the Hebrew word satan which is translated, adversary,. That the writer uses that word rather than the more common tsar, must give it a higher descriptive meaning. I see no reason why the ancient Israelites wouldn’t connect Satan to the serpent of Eden. He was, after all, an adversary and an accuser.

  114. Born Again Disciple of Iesous/Jesus says:

    First and foremost, i would like to thank the first commenter (“Israel”) who’s comment reveals the depth of why the article writer has already condemned themselves indeed.

    Secondly, the usage of “YHWH/YHVH/JHWH/JHVH/IHVH/IHWH” an “Yah-Weh” / “Yah-shua” and the numerous other corruptions since the late 1800s (you won’t find this invented neologism in any bible commentary before the late 1800s) as the supposed name for the God of the Holy Bible, is an outright academic intellectual historical fraud perpetuated by crypto-diabolists posing as Bible historians/archaeologists etc or are historians/archaeologists etc fooled by crypto-diabolists at the highest levels of academics in these areas, since the claim of such name being God’s name is pure mystic kabbala gnostic witchcraft practice of Talmudists who very much are the synagogue of satan to use “Yah” and “Yah-weh” to fool the goyim into calling on satan believing they are calling on God. “Yah-Weh” is the Kabbalic name for the Devil aka the dragon aka the serpent. Even Phd/Dr Eli Lizorkin Eyzenberg in modern state of Israel and other Paleo-Hebrew teachers know that the 2 words “Yah-Weh” / “Yah-shua” etc are NOT proper P-Hebrew nor is such a name found in the Holy Bible original Hebrew, and NOR is it a “REAL” name. Such a name is recognized by somewhat HONEST scholars as a composite (made up);

    http://www.jesus-messiah.com/studies/yahweh-full-copy.html
    http://spiritoftruth.ca/BibleStudy/Yahweh of Samaria.htm

    Thirdly, after reading the article and all the comments, all 38 of them at this time, which some was review to me while others had some interesting born again insight that the author is blind to which of course she would as an apparent supposed ‘atheist’ (Romans 1:18-25 makes clear no one is an atheist and those who claim they are, lie to themselves, the world and ultimately to God/Jesus) and thus there are at least more than several comments from seeming born again believers (israel, Don, DacidC, Malachi, Waldo, Robert, Scott, John, Rich, Eliza, David, Michael, Ryan, Terrance) who can actually “SEE” by the grace of Jesus the gross errors made by this author which refutes her claims from a born again bible believer point of view (which is why Jesus never stated to trust the scholars more than the Spirit of the Living God (Jesus)), so in the comment section there are a good few people who i’m very glad are not asleep, show they do study more than a bit, and reveal the author of this article to be exactly who the devil himself would have working for him, someone who’s own worldview is formed by the devil himself while being fooled that such a view is not from the devil and thus is a walking contradiction who is the perfect tool to destroy the milk level faith of a new believer in the veracity of the Holy Scriptures/Writ aka God’s (Jesus’) love letter written to mankind in His blood.

    Satan aka The Devil aka Lucifer aka the Dragon etc.. he went to Eve first and not Adam for a reason, because the Devil knew as shown in 1Timothy2:9-15/1Peter 3:7 etc that the woman is a more fragile vessel who’s inherently naive (as a design feature of God for the woman that is safe for her only when she is in a committed marriage) and if the Devil could fool the woman, which he did, the Devil knew then she would pull Adam into sin also because Adam loved the wife God created for Him 2nd to God. Thus Adam’s sin was because instead of obeying God over Eve by questioning Eve if the fruit he was being given by Eve was from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in order for Adam to show obedience to God first and foremost above all else so as to not eat such fruit as they were commanded by God, he instead doesn’t question her where she got the fruit from because obviously he has no reason to think she would do him wrong on purpose and that the fruit he was being given was a suggestion of the serpent, so Adam in 100% trusting love of Eve takes the fruit from her and eats it because obviously at this point in time he has no idea that she’s been fooled by the serpent, and thus commits the sin of obeying the wife over God when God commanded them both to not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

    The major problems this article has for me;

    “The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1… Although it is possible to read “Satan” here instead of “a satan” (Hebrew uses neither uppercase letters, nor indefinite articles, e.g., “a”)”

    But Paleo-Hebrew and modern Hebrew DO use the definite article much more than the author claims, what bible is she reading from? The ‘athiest’ version? E.g. “Ha Mashiach” (with the definite article, is listed many times in the Hebrew Bible) and the above claims by this “scholar” is disingenuous seeing as how they are looking through a corrupted filter thinking it’s not seriously broken.

    “In light of this impending end, many turned to a renewed understanding of the beginning, and the Garden of Eden was re-read—and re-written—to reflect the changing ideas of a changed world”_

    Oh the lies that satan feeds the unbeliever who naively believes they are after hard documented, verifiable truth that is provable but clearly are as Jesus makes clear, are hungry-for-convenient-truths (lies) that the God-denier seeks in order to support a dishonest world view just so the God-denier can take the invented ideas of satan that satan puts into their heads (unknowingly most of the time) and promulgate them as ‘sound bible archaeology understanding of bible history” at their own peril (Hosea 4:6).

    “Eden’s serpent is not identified with Satan anywhere in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament.”

    Pure dishonesty or pure incompetent study. And this is a ‘scholar’ of the Holy Bible? The commenters i listed have more spiritual understanding of the Scriptures then this ‘scholar’ (of course for most scholars are not born again and do not see how crucial it is what they lack in SPIRITUAL discernment). What pure blind willful error from self-condemned according to God Himself (Jesus). This author actually needs to read the Holy Bible PROPERLY since the commenters on this article have clearly shown by citing the Scriptures properly that her claim is untenable and only tenable to the intellectually dishonest.

    “The concept of the devil begins to appear in second and first centuries B.C.E. Jewish texts…”

    Only according to the self-condemned.

    “In 1 Enoch, the “angel” who “led Eve astray” and “showed the weapons of death to the children of men” was called Gadreel (not Satan).”_

    The Ethiopic book of Enoch is a GNOSTIC (heretical corrupted version of bible stories) pseudopigraphica, and contradicts the Holy Bible numerous times historically and spiritually and only sometimes upholds what the Holy Bible states. It’s outrageous the author would attempt to use this source as an attempt to substantiate that satan wasn’t there as the serpent in the garden. Scholars not supposed to be self-deluded but many are for intellectualism doesn’t make up for Spiritual wisdom given by Jesus.

    “…Around the same time, the Wisdom of Solomon taught that “through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who are on his side suffer it.” Though this may very well be the earliest reference to Eden’s serpent as the devil, in neither text, nor in any document we have until after the New Testament, is satan clearly understood as the serpent in Eden”

    Outrageous! The ‘atheist’ is truly willfully blind and dares being that economical with truth? King Solomon was/is considered the 2nd wisest man on earth save Jesus the Christ and yet this article author again publicly promotes outright intellectual dishonesty to claim that she’s right and King Solomon and Jesus are wrong? This is quite angering but quite fitting and expected at the claims this author makes when the God of the Holy Bible makes clear that the very people who deny Him are the very ones who compose and author articles like this to their own destruction, especially women which satan loves going to first since they are so easy to fool with ‘feel good’ lies.

    “In the New Testament, Satan and his demons have the power to enter and possess people; this is what is said to have happened to Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:27; cf. Mark 5:12–13; Luke 8:30–32). But when Paul re-tells the story of Adam and Eve, he places the blame on the humans (Romans 5:18; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:21–22) and not on fallen angels, or on the serpent as Satan.”

    The blame has always been on man/woman for they have free choice. Though the Devil was in Judas, Judas still chose (because he has free choice) to heed extreme sinful carnality since he was being blinded by satan temporarily, and so the author’s claim above that Judas’s case is opposite of what Paul references, is again, false scholarship and false understanding of the spiritual world of the Holy Bible which of course is expected from them whom God calls fools Himself through King David (Psalm 14) and Paul (Romans 1:18-25) as 2 of many examples in the Holy Bible.

    “Still, the conflation begged to be made, and it will seem natural for later Christian authors—Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian, Irenaeus and Augustine, for example—to assume Satan’s association with Eden’s talking snake.”

    Justin “Deathwish” Martyr (who died in vain), Tertullian, Cyprian, Irenaeus and Augustine, to any true born again believer, these men were the very ‘wolves’ that Jesus and the pillars of the early church (Peter, Paul, James, John) warned about with tears for these wolves and their disciples were the wolves who would enter the early church and NOT SPARE the flock by deceiving many in the early church they were true born again saints but were clearly not with their mystery religion views of Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, Egypt, Babylon etc aka doctrines of devils they were disseminating which were purposely being merged with the early church new testament views which had much more success only until after the last Apostle (John) died. When a site like this has authors that hold men like Justin, Tertullian etc in high regard as supposed ‘true born again early church members” … when to Jesus and the Apostles they would have ex-communicated these wolves like the Apostles did Simon Magus, this is an immediate sign that such authors are either knowingly or unwittingly proving they do not work for the truth of the Holy Bible, but rather work for the original infiltrating wolves of the early church which the Holy Bible warned of profusely teaching how to tell who they are. Anyone who mentions these men as supposed ‘truly early church believers’, exposes themselves as not being true Acts 17 Berean born again believers but either lukewarm nominal ‘believers’ or deliberate infiltrating wolves working for SATAN to attempt to destroy the truth of Jesus and the truth of what His Holy written words are actually stating.

    “…Most famously, in the 17th century, John Milton elaborates Satan’s role in the Garden poetically, in great detail in Paradise Lost. But this connection is not forged anywhere in the Bible.”

    Utter blindness, what utter dishonesty. The author seems only to be qualified in repeating the countless lies of satan which satan sells to them who love themselves more than the Creator who created them.

    “But curiously, although the author of Revelation describes Satan as “the ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9; 20:2), there is no clear link anywhere in the Bible between Satan and Eden’s talking snake.”

    More outright utter willful blindness aka intellectual and spiritual dishonesty. This author gives more credibility to the stories that were copied in a corrupted manner from the Holy Bible than giving the Holy Bible 100% credibility as the book that all pagans and heathens stole from. What serious intellectual dishonesty.

    “By the first century C.E., Satan is adopted into the nascent Christian movement,”

    Jesus nor the Apostles taught anyone to call themselves “Christians” since the word firstly is a word that existed 200 years before Jesus incarnated, which was term for members of the Greco-Egypto “SERAPIS” cult. This is why the word is known to HONEST linguists as a punitive diminutive. Even when the Emperor of Rome, Emperor Hadrian wrote from the area that Alexander conquered he said;

    *”Those who worship Serapis are *Christianos* (Christians) and those who call themselves Bishops of “Christ” are vowed to Serapis (S..ap..) a Graceo-Egyptian God.”

    Emperor Hadrian’s own quote in time shortly after Jesus ascended, reveals one of the most successful historical scams by the infiltrators of the early church to get Jesus believers calling themselves by an very insulting adjective thinking it was a noun and nothing wrong with using this word to self-identify with Jesus, which is already diabolic monstrous lies and which is already improper grammar since it’s not a noun which is what we use to call ourselves by, not insulting adjectives which are not nouns

    The use of “C.E.” also shows that such who use this form of chronological nomenclature, expose themselves as enemies of Jesus seeing as how the reason why we use BC and AD is to remember it was JESUS that changed the world more than anyone else in history thus we mark the timing of history like this, but the GOD-deniers will use BCE and CE of course because they are liars to themselves, the world and most importantly to the God that actually created them while the very dishonourable self-professed “athiest” shakes their fist at that same God giving them the breath in the first place so they can shake their fist at God in their God-given free choice to follow God or not.

    Truly this author has condemned themselves (Romans 1:18-25/Galatians 1:6-10 etc).

  115. Desmond says:

    I have heard one professor interpreting the story of Eve and the serpent as a clash between the ‘World of Freedom’ created by God and the ‘World of Appetite’ which is contrary to God. Man refuses Freedom and chooses to operate on a world of Appetite and hence goes against God, or sins and inherits suffering and death. Serpent in the Garden of Eden represents the World of Appetite. I like to know more about this interpretation.

  116. Terrance Ross says:

    An interesting study drawing patently erroneous conclusions. You want the reader to infer that your conclusions prove an invented “Satan”…however the scriptures are very clear regarding Lucifer, who rebelled and took one third of the hosts of heaven with him and was cast down and given the earth to rule….Whether the serpent was an instrument of Lucifer or an embodiment or literary construct, the elemental truth conveyed is that he beguiled the innocent to sin and they became aware …

    Oh and to Ilan, his tongue was forever split – divided- and can never tell the truth, he is the father of lies and told the first lie to the innocent….

  117. ilanb says:

    Why is it that God never took away the one aspect of the creatures abilities that were his most potent weapon. His ability to speak? Motion and Nourishment both were redone to punish him, but apparently he kept his tongue. Why is that ?

  118. Jaime Farias says:

    I don’t care what name you may give to the Evil One, The problem is how do we interpret the Scriptures. God’s Word purpose is to teach, instruct, correct, and to equip believers for obedience and service to God. The explanation about the Serpent in the Garden of Eden is just a way to see how sin and evil worked to make humankind accountable to the Lord for all conscious acts. “What have you done?” was the kay question God made to Adam and Eve. Still it is the way we all are accountable to our Maker and the answer will be our own judgment.

  119. Fred says:

    The group Christadelphians are the only christian group that I know of that doesn’t believe in a supernatural, literal devil/Satan. Google their teachings regarding this subject, its quite interesting and informative.

  120. Steve Sloca says:

    The serpent was the symbol of the goddess Asherah in her role as Goddess of Fertility. Similarly, her symbol as the Goddess of Wisdom (the Greeks’ Athena was modeled after her) was the Tree of Knowledge. In the thousand years from 1500 to 500 BCE, the Israelis worshiped Asherah as well as YHWH–despite the efforts of the YHWH priesthood and the prophets to stamp out her worship. The real meaning of the Adam and Eve and the apple story is to portray Asherah worship as the reason for the Fall of Man and exile from Paradise. Read Professor Ackerman’s important book on the subject, “Under Every Green Tree,” in which she analyses the Biblical and other writings (like clay tablets from contemporaneous sources), archeological evidence and historical evidence of Asherah worship in Israel.

  121. Ryan says:

    Satan appears 23 times in the Aleppo Codex, and NEVER with “ha [the]” in front of it. I think the author is loco, and basing her info off of some heretical sect that has “altered their English version,” which is NOT scripture. Scripture is the ORIGINAL texts that Yahwehs Voice was written down upon. English “translations” are exactly that, “translations.”

    Websters definition of “Translation:” interpretation, a view of the writer, change or conversion to another form, appearance, etc.; transformation.

    A “translation” is a persons “version” of what they are reading, or “how they read something.” It is NOT taking “one language and bringing it over to another language,” that is called TRANS-LITERATION!

  122. Michael says:

    The bible prophets spoke in “parables,” not myths. Many words in the bible have parabolic meaning. A parable has literal application, but is not literal. Good luck with your studies.

  123. Michael says:

    Revelation 20:2
    He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

  124. jamesh298 says:

    Arthur are you serious? Does it matter if the author is an atheist? Did I read that right? So who are you going to go to for Biblical insight an author who doesn’t believe in God or an author who does?

  125. Neville Smith says:

    The KJV says: from heaven they came:
    RE: a says; I ask; do you live with your head in the sand, are you a western
    blind Christian? Every nation past and present has reports of UFO’s. 1561 Nuremberg, the residents see a giant battle of UFO’s, it is reported by the local paper, carved on a wood plate.
    Burrit college tenn: 6-1-1853 students and an officer report a large UFO
    Feb. 25, 1942 California Coast guard fires over 14,000 rounds at hundreds of UFO’s over L A coast.
    Jan. 3 1957 Texas war veteran and over 15 others report a large UFO over Levelland Tx
    Dec. 9 1965 US air force confiscated an object that crashed in Penn. Citizens stated that it was saucer shaped and giving off a green glow
    Maer. 24 1983 Hundreds of people including police officers reported city sized UFO’s over Hudson Valley
    Jun.14 2001 NJ Turnpike officers report large UFO gliding over turnpike
    Jan. 8 2008 Police officers and over 40 citizens reported several city sized UFO’s some described as 1/2 mile wide and one mile long.
    THE CREATOR WAS A SPACE ALIEN; YES OR NO. TAKE YOUR CHOICE BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS.

  126. John says:

    Amazing that so many think these insights are new. This is the view of academics even at places most would consider conservative. Academically, I’m disappointed that it stops with the discussion of how the adversary (God’s agent) became His opponent and does not go on to show how demons (Greek: daemons) are not properly understood and also became entities. From a faith perspective, I’m disappointed with how many of the commenters are unwilling to consider that maybe they have misunderstood what God is trying to say–no where does the Bible encourage blind acceptance of what is taught by men, but regularly encourages close inspection, wisdom, and discernment. He who has ears to hear……

  127. David says:

    Not having read much of the comments. I reply to the article only:
    Simply you miss the point that you have made. In a single phrase: satin is the – Test – of humanity.
    The measure of each life will be discovered through the purification of fire. I submit to be: The second death.
    humanity, self appointing judgment, burning people to death. God alone is the Judge, shown in Daniel. The three were NOT cast into the fire as a test, they were cast in for annulation; God found them righteous in representing His Glory, a light for others to Truth. Had nothing to do with proving the man as king was righteous, which would be the intent of burning a person to death to assert their judgement was correct. Falsely elevating themselves or attempting to bring God down to their understanding.

  128. Sylvia says:

    Notice the difference between the articles “the” and “a”. Those articles apply two very different meanings to the following noun. “The” implies only one – period, “a” implies one of many.

    This is an important aspect of a statement when defining the meaning of texts.

  129. Arthur Pigg says:

    Quite frankly, I’m in sympathy with the much maligned author of this piece. I do not, however, exactly agree with him/her (long way to top of page to find out which). First of all, this article relies almost exclusively on canonical scripture … and the badly abridged Hebrew version too. Any discussion of understanding such a text, including even the works of Shakespeare, must consider more the literature both contemporary and preceding its compilation. In older texts, also, derivative literatures can aid in illuminating the subject texts. Therefore, I’d suggest looking at some other sources.
    To begin, folks often quickly dismissing New Testament evidence of Jewish belief. The Qumran materials, however, demonstrate that the Christian view if the Satan mythos is clearly shared among other Jewish denominations. Jewish folk tales and commentary also support this image.
    Next, poetic language is quite plastic. Describing something as a dragon in one place and a serpent in another is clearly well within the range of such imagery.
    Then there is the prophetic passage which compares one ruler to Satan … who begins as God’s most splendid creation but whose hubris has cast him lower than an animal.
    Another important evidence can be derived from the Ebla materials. From the few articles which appeared before the Syrian dictator demanded they stop, it seems that Satan, as a unique character hostile to El/Yah and humanity some thousands of years PRIOR to Jesus.
    For me, on the other hand, the idea central to the article is proposing that people are constantly reviewing their concepts. Just as the modern writer is beleaguered by the need to keep upgrading his software, humans seem always to be engaged in upgrading their understanding of heavenly things. That seems to be a fairly viable concept!
    Regards.
    PS … what does it matter whether the author is an atheist or Luther reincarnated? Is the data correct and is the argument logical? I think the data set here is too small.

  130. Raj kumar says:

    Science and faith are two different ideas one should not try to hurt the faith of faithful people by giving their scientific logic

  131. Dillard says:

    @Paul, I enjoyed reading your #9. Thought provoking and 10 times more information than the lady writing this article.
    It is sad to see atheists writing for anything biblical. What can we expect with Satan attempting to destroy a anything good.

  132. Eliza says:

    I concur with everything you stated Rich.

  133. Rich says:

    Something that just “blows” my mind is all this “new teachings” you all seem to come up with; so much so, that it becomes more obvious NONE of your authors have ever read the Bible, especially when it comes to women authors. Not to mention that NO ONE there seems to have read Paul’s teaching on someone teaching a different Gospel, that they be “eternally condemned” (Gal 1:6-10). I am sick and tired of reading articles that start out by telling all about the education of that author. And according to 1 teacher, it matters NOT to how many letters or numbers one has before or after their name. Unless one has Yeshua in their life as Lord and Savior, their education is meaningless; and I agree with that teacher. Something I have also noticed over the years. You are suppose to be the “Biblical Archaeology Society” and “Bible History Daily”. How does either sever the purpose of supporting Scripture, when your authors are heretics?

  134. Mark Strauss says:

    What about Romans 16:20, where Paul identifies Satan with a likely allusion to Genesis 3:15?

  135. DR WERNER says:

    So the article purports to say that “a satan” was actually an accuser sent by God to test Adam and Eve and not Satan himself? This is what I gather from the reading here. It does make sense if this is the intended purpose and claim of this article.

  136. Andy says:

    Interesting that you mention Ezekiel’s vision being associated with ufos today. Even though ufos (by which i presume you mean flying saucers) are not proven to exist, have no credible evidence for their existence, and the way we view them is solely an invention of Hollywood.
    Strange then that you accuse the Biblical authors of referring to myths when you mention nothing more than a modern myth yourself by way of rebuttal. And you’re a professor?
    PS your field of study is listed as religion. my dear, that’s all well and good but in your studies please look beyond the religion and see what Jesus had to say about those who rely on religious traditions.

  137. Paul D says:

    For reasons I have never understood these issues are very hard to sort through. The Apostle Paul lays the blame for wrong decisions directly on the heads of those who made them, no outside influences needed. But elsewhere in Scripture we see allusions made that sound contradictory in certain ways.

    I think there are translation problems arising from definitions of ancient Hebrew & Greek languages to the languages & their definitions we use in the world today & we may never be able to 100% restore those ancient definitions……we can on;y do our best.

  138. John Hunt says:

    Merely anti-Christian propaganda. The lack of validity to the claims in this article has already been shown by previous posts, so I will add nothing more.

  139. Reagan Steele says:

    I would like to understand the point to which you are elluding to. I won’t assume to know it. A couple of things that occur to me are the many examples, in both OT and NT where God’s people didn’t understand Him, the historical events they were part of, nor His timeline. So to say that there was no clear indication of the being modern day Jews and Christians know as Lucifer, ha Satan, or the devil; is not necessarily an indication that the being is not real, or that the modern understanding is not based on revelation. I wonder to which alternative reality you, the author, is leaning towards.

  140. Alien Species says:

    And you believe in god? If I am to believe in such a fictitious character, my god would be the Sun…;)

  141. Scott says:

    Revelation 12:9.

  142. Robert Ireland says:

    I am not as ‘critical’ as some of the previous… obviously your approach is pure academic and, sadly, lacks faith. I suppose we get used to that these days. While I was a bit put off by your using the word ‘braggadocio’ in connection with G*d [as I say: I have come to expect such], the saddest part for me is your position that the Book of Daniel was written in 162 BCE. Since much of the prophecy of Daniel was fulfilled by the Selucid emperor, Antiochus Epiphanes, you condemn the idea of ‘pre-cognition’ and presume the text to be written after the fact. Although Academe may require such a jaded view, you are missing a great deal of the dynamic of the Scriptures, whether it be the Tanakh or the NT, and thus you miss all the depth within. I am sad for you – but perhaps hope still abounds.

  143. Paul Ballotta says:

    @Waldo #7; In addition to the sources cited in the above article, Dante’s “Divine Comedy” makes reference to the tempter from the biblical narrative in “Purgatorio” chapter 8:
    “There was a snake, on that side, where the little valley has no barrier, perhaps such a one as gave Eve the bitter fruit. The evil reptile slid through the grass and flowers, now and again, twisting its head towards its tail, licking like a beast grooming itself.”
    When I first read this decades ago I was high one night while listening to a classic rock radio station and I could perceive an entity behind the scenes whose skin was covered with scales consisting of compact disks (since they had become vogue at the time) even though this radio station’s format included music that was custom-made for vinyl and sounded better scratchy. I would refer this phenomenon as the “having the form of Godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5) approach to introducing a style of music based on cutting-edge technology that tries to disguise that it’s not purely a marketing strategy. It was only 3 decades ago when a rock band depicted the record companies on album art as soulless artificial humanoids wearing business suits as they extend whatever record they’re promoting at any given time with endless radio play. Now-a-days an artist can simply rehash old music with a digitally remastered box set.

  144. Paul Ballotta says:

    The ancient Egyptians possessed books on magic in which every known reptile was drawn from snakes to lizards all the way up the chain to crocodiles and this seems to have been known to the author of the book of Exodus where Moses throws down his staff in a dress rehearsal and it became a serpent (Heb. “nahas,” Exodus 4:3), but in the actual confrontation with the Pharaoh’s magicians it is Aaron who throws down his staff and it became a dragon (Heb. “tannin,” Exodus 7:9-12) that ate the dragons of the Pharaoh’s magicians. Afterward, Moses is instructed to take his staff that turned into a serpent and meet the Pharaoh at the edge of the Nile (Exodus 7:15) because the contest of the magicians involved the crocodile god Sobek which was a symbol of the Pharaoh’s control over the Nile which was ultimately the source of his power. In Genesis 10:7 the fifth son of Cush is Sab’te-ca, who was Pharaoh Shabitqo of the 25th Dynasty (702-690 B.C.E.) and whose name contains the name of the god Sobek, like Shabitqo’s brother and predecessor on the throne, Shabaqo (716-702 B.C.E.). In the “Shabaqo Stone,” (also known as the “Memphite Theology of Creation”) an effort was made by this Pharaoh to preserve an ancient writing “which the ancestors made but was worm-eaten,” during a period when the Memphite god Ptah was in the ascendant during the Old Kingdom. The text emphasis the plurality of the Egyptian gods who maintain the checks and balances necessary to restore civility following the murder of the god Osiris at the hands of the god Set (the biblical Satan) and the ensuing rivalry between Set and the offspring of the deceased Osiris, the god Horus, whose quarreling caused Egypt to be divided between north and south. So it really speaks volumes when Pharaoh Shabaqo the Crocodile-in-Chief endorses the rule of law especially when you consider the unflattering portrait of a Pharaoh about a century later in Ezekiel 29:3 that calls him “Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon sprawling amidst his streams.” These streams or canals dominated by a dragon symbolize the demonic realm in the mystical book of Zohar that was written in the 13th century C.E., and this network of waterways is but a reflection of the heavenly realm as it is written, “…a well watered region…like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt” (Genesis 13:10). From the Nag Hammadi library dating to the mid-4th century C.E. we have a book named after the greek god of healing, “Asclepius,” whose symbol is a snake entwined around a pole like the bronze serpent of Moses (Numbers 21:9, John 3:14-15) and the book states that “Egypt is (the) image heaven…the dwelling place of heaven and all the forces that are in heaven,” and thus the forces that sustain creation are not unlike the gods of the Egyptians which are not really gods but divine qualities that are described in the Shabaqo Stone as emanating from the creator god Ptah-Tatenan, that is none other than the primordial word or “logos” of God in the prologue to the gospel of John:
    “(Thus) it happened that the heart and tongue gained control over [every] (other) member of the body, by teaching that he [Ptah, as heart and tongue] is in every body and in every mouth of all gods, all men, [all] cattle, all creeping things, and (everything) that lives, by thinking and commanding everything that he wishes” (“The Ancient Near East, Vol. 1; An Anthology of Texts and Pictures” by James B. Pritchard, p.2).
    “The Logos of the Gospel according to John is a term which has many meanings: Word, Intellect, Reason, and others. It is generally (and especially in literature) taken to mean ‘word’ (verbum), but it would be more exact to relate it to the term ‘weaving’ in its traditional symbolic sense. It stands for the intersection of complementary notions, as in the craft of weaving where intersection gives form to two threads which by themselves cannot be situated” (“Sacred Science; The King of Pharaonic Theocracy” by R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz, 167).

  145. True Covenant Quotes and More says:

    You obviously have never even looked at Strongs Concordance for the word, “serpent” of Genesis.
    http://comparet.christogenea.org/content/adam-was-not-first-man

  146. Waldo says:

    I wonder how many of these people live in the real world

  147. malachig says:

    satan is NOT a snake. He is a DRAGON!! That crap image is from Renaissance Art, not Biblical text.At the time the Bible was translated into KJ English, the word “serpent” was synonymous with “dragon.” Dragon is simply an ancient word for “dinosaur” which literally means, ” Terrible or terrifying serpent or lizard.”a term which wasn’t coined until the mid 1700s.
    What this lady deems as “mythological” animals were real creatures. It is the world’s modern view of evolution and dinosaurs that has deceived these past recent generations into believing that dragons were never real, even though history amongst all peoples and nations has recorded them since the beginning of time.
    Just go look at a pictorial glossary of known Dinosaurs. They ALL have their bellies off the ground, both quadrupeds and bipeds. But what do we see today with lizards? all their bellies are on the ground when they walk. Not just snakes.
    “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:”
    Regardless of what our early Judaic fathers knew of satan, the Bible is clear that he was ALWAYS the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
    Revelation 12;9 – 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.’
    Can it be any more clear or straightforward than that?
    A proper realization of the pre-flood world and the union of Angels with humans in Genesis 6 that created the gods and heros of ancient so-called “myth” puts many things into a place of relevant understanding. Dragons were real, and large, and majestic. Google Marco Polo’s account with dragons. They are clearly what people regard today as dinosaurs. And their are many other “myths” of talking Dragons throughout history, which would make sense if the first recorded dragon in history could talk, that its offspring would have that ability too.
    satan is a was/is a dragon, just like the Scriptures tell us.

  148. shafia says:

    The Leviathan of Job (41) is a beast that lives in the water, considered by many the hippopotamus of the Nile, and not merely a serpent (as in Isaiah) though they seem to share some physical features. In Job, it’s a behemoth – fearsome, ugly, vicious and recalcitrant. It would serve as a potent political metaphor for Hobbes many centuries later. “The accuser” in Job is a heavenly creature who appears in the company of YHWH. To conflate “the accuser” with Leviathan is a wild stretch of the imagination.

    To understand the evolution of the devil as Satan is inalienable from our understanding of the evolution of evil in the two bibles (Old and New). The same is true of God. In Genesis he goes for a walk in the afternoon breeze. Clearly a very physical presence. Later, he would become only a name, so holy that people wouldn’t even utter it.

    It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that as time passed and the Israelites gave shape to their myths in the light of their faith, newer concepts and images emerged to attribute identity and name to things that were nameless before.

  149. Brad says:

    I disagree, but am interested. The serpent speaks to Eve in the Bible, showing it is not an average animal. Then there is the prophecy of Eve’s offspring in Genesis 3:15, saying that a descendant of Eve will crush the head of the serpent and that the serpent will bruise his heel. If this is a prophecy of Jesus, and it seems to be, then it isn’t talking about a normal snake, but about Satan.
    Satan’s appearance before God in the book of Job seems to be an exception rather than the normal routine, so much so that not only does the author say that the angels came and Satan came too, but that God confronted him specifically.
    The serpent, dragon, etc imagery of and in the book of Revelation is clearly not hearkening back to prehistoric monsters or myths. Read in context it is clearly not some random, massive animal or sea monster, but an enemy of God and the spiritual order God has set up.
    In short the author brings up problems, but not insurmountable ones. And we should never be surprised when our names for beings don’t match ones from thousands of years ago or that we have a name for something that once was not named, or was only mentioned obliquely. Further, the Bible is a book that focuses on the chosen people’s relationship with God, and not their relationship with his enemies.

  150. DacidC says:

    Just wondering: Strong’s Concordance shows #4567 (Satan) 36 times.
    Original Word: Σατανᾶς, ᾶ, ὁ
    Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
    Transliteration: Satanas
    Phonetic Spelling: (sat-an-as’)
    Short Definition: an adversary, Satan
    Definition: an adversary, Satan.
    Word Origin
    of Hebrew origin satan
    Definition
    the adversary, Satan, i.e. the devil
    NASB Translation
    Satan (35), Satan’s (1).

  151. Don W. says:

    I’m curious about a couple of statements in this article. First, this one:

    The noun satan, Hebrew for “adversary” or “accuser,” occurs nine times in the Hebrew Bible

    And this one:

    The word satan appears only once without “the” in front of it in the entire Hebrew Bible: in 1 Chronicles 21:1.

    My Bible software (Accordance) shows 27 occurrences of satan, 19 of which have the article ha.
    Would like to know how the author arrived at her statistics.

  152. Israel Quinones says:

    “braggadocio” I see that you are an atheist. This site has a cadre of atheists running it. Sorry but you have condemned yourselves. You are without excuse.

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