"a serpent, Mt. 7:10; 10:16; an artificial serpent, Jn. 3:14; used of the devil or Satan, Rev. 12:9, 14, 15; 20:2; met. a man of serpentine character, Mt. 23:33"
Definition and meaning
a serpent, Mt. 7:10; 10:16; an artificial serpent, Jn. 3:14; used of the devil or Satan, Rev. 12:9, 14, 15; 20:2; met. a man of serpentine character, Mt. 23:33
In the original Greek the word is written: ὄφις
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of ophis (G3789) across the King James Bible.
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
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Common questions
Strong's G3789 (ophis) is a Greek word that means: a serpent, Mt. 7:10; 10:16; an artificial serpent, Jn. 3:14; used of the devil or Satan, Rev. 12:9, 14, 15; 20:2; met. a man of serpentine character, Mt. 23:33 It appears 14 times in the King James Bible.
The word ophis (G3789) appears 14 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3789 is ophis, a Greek word defined as: a serpent, Mt. 7:10; 10:16; an artificial serpent, Jn. 3:14; used of the devil or Satan, Rev. 12:9, 14, 15; 20:2; met. a man of serpentine character, . James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
ophis is a Greek word found in the New Testament.