Editing Nehushtan (section)

===Hebrew Bible===
{{see also|Serpents in the Bible#Serpent of bronze}}

[[File:MosesandSnake.JPG|thumb|Moses lifts up the brass snake in a photograph of the stained glass window at St Marks Church, [[Gillingham, Kent|Gillingham]]]]

[[File:Tissot The Brazen Serpent.jpg|thumb|The Brazen Serpent (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by [[James Tissot]])]]

[[File:9647 - Milano - Sant'Ambrogio - Serpente di Basilio II (1007) - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 25-Apr-2007.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio]] in Milan has a Roman column and, on top of it, a bronze serpent donated by emperor [[Basil II]] in 1007. It may be the origin of the {{lang|it|[[biscione]]}}/{{lang|lmo|bissa}} symbol of Milan.<ref>{{harvp| Reina |2018|p=69}}</ref>]]
In the biblical story, following their [[The Exodus|Exodus]] from Egypt, the Israelites set out from [[Mount Hor]] to go to the [[Red Sea]]. However they had to detour around the land of [[Edom]] ([[Numbers 20]]{{bibleverse|Numbers|20:21|9|:21}}, 25). Impatient, they complained against [[Yahweh]] and [[Moses]] ([[Chukat#Fifth_reading—Numbers_20:22–21:9|Numbers 21:4–5]]), and in response God sent "[[Serpent (Bible)#Fiery serpents|fiery serpents]]" among them and many died. The people came to Moses to repent and asked him to ask God to take away the serpents. Verse 9 says, "Moses made a copper serpent and mounted it on a standard; and when bitten by a serpent, anyone who looked at the copper serpent would recover."

The term appears in [[2 Kings 18:4]] in a passage describing reforms made by King [[Hezekiah]], in which he tore down the [[high place]]s, cut down symbols of [[Asherah]], destroyed the Nehushtan,<ref name="Noth, 156">{{harvnb|Noth|1968|p=156}}</ref><ref>"The Mystery of the Nechushtan", [[Hershel Shanks]], [[Biblical Archaeology Review]], pp. 58–63, March/April 2007.</ref><ref name ="JOBL, 87">{{cite book|last=Joines|first=Karen Randolph|title=The Bronze Serpent in the Israelite Cult The Bronze Serpent in the Israelite Cult|year=1968|publisher=JOBL, 87|page=245, note 1}}</ref> and according to many Bible translations, gave it that name.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/2%20Kings%2018%3A4|title=2 Kings 18:4 – Bible Gateway|website=www.biblegateway.com|access-date=Sep 9, 2019}}</ref>

Regarding the passage in 2 Kings 18:4,<ref name="auto"/> [[Matthew George Easton|M. G. Easton]] noted that "the lapse of nearly one thousand years had invested the 'brazen serpent' with a mysterious sanctity; and in order to deliver the people from their infatuation, and impress them with the idea of its worthlessness, Hezekiah called it, in contempt, 'Nehushtan', a brazen thing, a mere piece of brass".<ref name=Easton>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/nehushtan/|title=Nehushtan Definition and Meaning – Bible Dictionary|website=Bible Study Tools|access-date=Sep 9, 2019}}</ref>

The tradition of naming it Nehushtan is not considered older than Hezekiah's time.<ref>"Modern exegesis holds two different opinions in regard to the meaning of the word "Nehushtan," which is explained either as denoting an image of bronze, and as entirely unconnected with the word "naḥash" (serpent), or as a lengthened form of "naḥash" (comp. νεεσθάν in the Septuagint), and thus as implying that the worship of serpents was of ancient date in Israel. The assumption that the tradition about "Nehushtan" is not older than the time of Hezekiah is, however, not contested." [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=N&artid=177 ''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''s.v.'' "Nehushtan"]; [[H. H. Rowley]], "Zadok and Nehushtan" ''Journal of Biblical Literature'' '''58'''.2 (June 1939: 113–141) p. 132 observes, "We have no record of this Brazen Serpent before this time, save for the obvious [[Etiology|aetiological story]] in Num. 8 f, which states that this sacred symbol had its origin in the Mosaic age".</ref>