שָׂרָףsârâph
burning, i.e. (figuratively) poisonous (serpent); specifically, a saraph or symbolical creature (from their copper color)
Pronunciation: saw-rawf' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H8314
Meanings
שָׂרָף: a serpent, usually venomous (possibly from above √, from burning effect of poison) (Isaiah 14:29; Numbers 21:8; Deuteronomy 8:15; Numbers 21:6; Isaiah 30:6)
שָׂרָף: seraphim, in OT majestic beings with six wings, and human hands and voices, attendant upon ׳ י (Isaiah 6:2; Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 30:6; Isaiah 6:6)
Same root
Where it appears
Appears 7 times in the Bible.
- Numbers 21:6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.
- Numbers 21:8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”
- Deuteronomy 8:15 Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock!
- Isaiah 6:2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
- Isaiah 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
- Isaiah 14:29 Do not rejoice, you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken— that the king who attacked you is dead. For from that snake a more poisonous snake will be born, a fiery serpent to destroy you!
Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).