Tell me more ×
Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite

The account of creation mentions the serpent being wise among all beasts. After the temptation God curses the serpent.

"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,...upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:" (Genesis 3:14).

Does this denote that the snake had a different form, limbs perhaps, unlike we see it today? And is it rational to depict the time of temptation in a picture of snake (already crawling on its belly) talking to Eve?

share|improve this question
Check out thedivinecouncil.com/nachashnotes.pdf by Dr Michael Heiser! – user1539 May 13 '12 at 10:43
I think it's a good question for the site, but needs some clarification on what types of answers you're seeking. Are you seeking answers from those who take a literal interpretation of Genesis, or those who take a more metaphorical view? The latter would probably say there was no literal serpent, per se, and that it was just a mythical story created to explain (among other things) why snakes have no limbs. – Flimzy May 13 '12 at 18:20
2  
A dragon. I have no evidence for this, except that a dragon is used to describe Satan in Revelation 12. And a dragon kind of looks like a snake with legs! – Matt White May 14 '12 at 1:39
Satan (within common interpretations) is also said to be the most beautiful angel in all creation. Maybe he was a beautiful dragon? – Flimzy May 14 '12 at 3:02
Well, if you take the Bible metaphorically, then it's meaningless to ask any questions of the "what really happenned?" sort. The only answer will be, "Nothing happenned at all. At most we can look for the symbols in the metaphor." – Jay May 14 '12 at 6:29

1 Answer

up vote 8 down vote

I think the only answer anyone can really give is, "No one knows."

The most obvious reading is that before this, serpents walked upright, and that got changed them that day as a sign of the degradation of Satan.

It's also possible that the intended meaning is that serpents always looked pretty much like they do now, but with this incident God used the fact that serpents have no legs as a symbol.

It's also not spelled out in the text whether Satan was appearing in the form of a serpent, or whether Satan is simply called a serpent. Perhaps in his true form -- whatever that is and if he has one -- he resembles a serpent or other reptile, or perhaps it's a description of his personality.

The story is so briefly told that there are just a lot of uncertainties.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.