Asp

Asp (Hebrew pethen) was a highly venomous snake, probably the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) or the sand viper, known for the deadly potency of its poison. It appears in both literal and figurative uses in Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:33 compares the vine of Sodom to the poison of asps, and Job 20:14–16 uses it as an image of the ultimate self-destruction of the wicked. Isaiah's vision of the messianic age includes the nursing child playing safely over the asp's den (Isaiah 11:8). Paul, in Romans 3:13, cites Psalm 140:3—the poison of asps is under their lips—as part of his indictment of universal human sinfulness.