What is a…
viper in the Bible
Hebrew: אֶפְעֶה —transliteration: epheh —meaning: (a kind of) viper —occurrences: 3
Hebrew: צֶפַע —transliteration: tsepha' —origin: from an root meaning to extrude; as a snake thrusting out its tongue and hissing —meaning: a serpent of some kind ——occurrences: 5 times —translations include: viper, adder, cockatrice
In Job 20:16; Isaiah 30:6; 59:5 King James Version, the Hebrew word eph'eh is translated as viper. The Hebrew word, however, probably denotes a species of poisonous serpents known by the Arabic name of 'el ephah.
Tristram identified it with the sand viper, a species of small size common in sandy regions, and frequently found under stones by the shores of the Dead Sea. It is rapid in its movements, and highly poisonous. 1
- Dr. Henry Baker Tristram, The Natural History of the Bible (London: 1867).
In the New Testament the word echidne is used in Matthew 3:7; 12:34; 23:33 for any poisonous snake.
The viper mentioned in Acts 28:3 was probably the vipera aspis, or the Mediterranean viper. (See Adder.)
More information
- Adder
- Serpent
- Fiery serpent
- Animals of the Bible