Topical Bible: Viper: Figurative

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In the Bible, the term "viper" is often used figuratively to describe deceitful, malicious, or dangerous individuals or groups. The imagery of a viper, a venomous snake, conveys the idea of hidden danger and treachery, as vipers can strike unexpectedly and with deadly effect. This metaphor is employed in various passages to illustrate the moral and spiritual corruption of certain people, particularly those who oppose God's truth and righteousness.

One of the most notable uses of "viper" in a figurative sense is found in the New Testament, where John the Baptist addresses the Pharisees and Sadducees. In Matthew 3:7 , John the Baptist exclaims, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" Here, John uses the term "brood of vipers" to highlight the hypocrisy and deceit of the religious leaders who, despite their outward appearance of piety, were inwardly corrupt and resistant to the message of repentance and the coming kingdom of God.

Similarly, Jesus Himself uses this metaphor in His rebukes of the Pharisees. In Matthew 12:34 , He declares, "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." This statement underscores the idea that the Pharisees' words and actions were a reflection of their inner moral state, which was characterized by evil and deceit.

The imagery of vipers is also present in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 59:5 , the prophet Isaiah describes the wickedness of the people, saying, "They hatch viper’s eggs and weave a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched." This vivid imagery portrays the destructive and deadly nature of sin and iniquity, suggesting that the actions and schemes of the wicked lead to death and ruin.

In the broader biblical context, the viper symbolizes the presence of evil and the danger it poses to the faithful. It serves as a warning against the insidious nature of sin and the importance of discernment in recognizing and resisting those who would lead others astray. The use of the viper metaphor emphasizes the need for vigilance and spiritual integrity in the face of deceit and moral corruption.

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Matthew 3:7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
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Matthew 23:33
You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?
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Luke 3:7
Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
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Library

On Baptism.
... same Bridegroom afterwards separates those who have come in to the figurative marriage ...
Be not then henceforth a viper, but as thou hast been formerly a viper's ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture iii on baptism.htm

CHAP. II. 4-25 (2-23).
... course as their adulterous mother; for a viper bringeth forth a viper, and a ... idea
is here expressed in a manner suited to the figurative representation which ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/chap ii 25-apr 2-23.htm

John the Baptist's Person and Preaching.
... Isaiah's language is highly figurative. ... The viper was a species of serpent
from two to five feet in length, and about one inch thick. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xvii john the baptists person.htm

Of Uncharitable Truth.
... come up to a literal sense of what the Psalmist spoke in a figurative, Psa.14. ... This
is a way to extract medicine out of the viper, to consecrate even this so ...
/.../allestree/the government of the tongue/section vi of uncharitable truth.htm