Skip to content

Genesis 3:1

וְ הַ נָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִ כֹּל חַיַּת הַ שָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֶלֹהִים וַ יֹּאמֶר אֶל הָ אִשָּׁה אַף כִּי אָמַר אֶלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִ כֹּל עֵץ הַ גָּן
And the Serpent109 has become a prudent-one110 from the whole of a living-one of the Field whom Yahweh elohim has made, and he is saying toward the Woman, `Is it so, for elohim has said, You-all are not eating from the whole of a wood of the Enclosure?`110b
110

Strong’s #6175, arum. Prudent, sensible, cunning. The word is said to have a “bad sense” as well as good one. The word however is overwhelmingly used in the good sense:

A fool in the Day, his vexation is being perceived, and he-who-conceals a dishonored-one is prudent [arum].” (Prov. 12:16 RBT)

A prudent [arum] red-one [flesh] is he-who-conceals a perception…” (Prov. 12:23 RBT)

The whole of the prudent-one [arum] is making in perception…” (Prov. 13:16 RBT)

The wisdom of the prudent-one [arum] is to cause to understand his way…” (Prov. 14:8 RBT)

But what of the New Testament language? Moses spoke of two kinds of serpents--the one who bites, and the one who makes alive:

And Moses is making a serpent of bronze, and is placing him on the Ensign, and he has become; if the serpent has bitten [from beginning to end] a man, and he has looked expectingly toward the serpent of bronze—he has become alive. (Numbers 21:9 RBT)

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the barren place, so the son of man must be lifted up" (John 3:14 RBT)

Two Serpents

Paul speaks of a serpent deceiving Eve, yet Eve is not named until Genesis 3:20 after the prudent serpent opens her eyes. Before this, she is only "the woman". Paul also notes that Eve was decieved away from her singleness and purity in Christ:

"I fear lest how the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, the perceptions of you all may be corrupted away from the singleness and purity into Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3 RBT)

"therefore be prudent as the serpents..." (Matt. 10:16 RBT)

Craftiness as related to "rolling the dice":

"that we might no longer be infants, tossed by waves, carried around by every wind of teaching, in the dice-playing of men, in craftiness toward the scheme of error." (Ephesians 4:14 RBT)