extraction.numbers.bronze_serpent
---
record_id: extraction.numbers.bronze_serpent
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/biblical/world-english-bible-classic/numbers.md
passage_locator:
label: Numbers 21:4-9
translation: World English Bible Classic
notes: Initial hand-curated seed extraction.
canonical_text:
quote: Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole... when he looked at the serpent
of bronze, he lived.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The people speak against God and Moses during the journey.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Yahweh sends venomous snakes that bite the people.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The people confess that they have sinned and ask Moses to pray.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Moses makes a bronze serpent and sets it on a pole.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:5
text: A bitten person lives when he looks at the bronze serpent.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: people
description: The complaining and bitten Israelites.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Moses
description: Prays for the people and makes the bronze serpent.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Yahweh
description: Sends snakes and instructs Moses to make a sign on a pole.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
roles: []
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: serpent
literal_form: venomous snakes
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: bronze serpent
literal_form: serpent of bronze
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: pole
literal_form: pole
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Numbers 21:4-9
summary: After complaint and snakebite, Moses makes a bronze serpent on a pole;
bitten people live when they look at it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: serpent
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
basis: The passage centers on venomous snakes and a bronze serpent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: Seed extraction; requires later human review.
- id: motif:2
label: healing_sign
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Looking at the bronze serpent is linked with surviving a snakebite.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: Motif label is descriptive rather than a settled taxonomy entry.
- id: motif:3
label: sacred_tree_axis
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_tree_axis
basis: The bronze serpent is raised on a pole.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: low
cautions: The passage says pole, not tree; axis interpretation is tentative.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage combines serpent danger with a serpent image that functions as
a healing sign.
claim_level: same_motif
target: pattern atlas
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: Initial corpus-internal claim only; not a cross-cultural conclusion.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: Numbers 21:4-9
quote_or_summary: Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole... when he looked
at the serpent of bronze, he lived.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/biblical/world-english-bible-classic/numbers.md
rights_note: Public-domain source text.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: low
notes: Seed extraction for testing the repository workflow.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Needs scholarly/human review before being treated as final.
extracted_by: Codex
extracted_at: '2026-04-27'
notes: Initial data seed for Numbers; source text is public domain.