Serpent/Snakes

Many different types of snakes were mentioned in the Bible. Adders or asps were poisonous snakes, probably similar to cobras. On the island of Malta, Paul was bitten by a viper, but survived. Serpent in the Bible seems to refer to a poisonous snake. In the story of the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, a serpent tempted Eve. Because of that incident, a snake, viper, or serpent is often used as a word picture for sin or for something evil. John the Baptist called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers.” But Jesus told His disciples to be “shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”