Viper

The viper is a venomous snake occurring in several biblical passages, with two Hebrew words of uncertain botanical identification behind the translations. The word eph'eh (Job 20:16; Isaiah 30:6; 59:5) probably denotes a specific venomous species of the ancient Near East, associated with the wilderness and desolate places. Job 20:16 speaks of the wicked man who "sucked the poison of cobras; the tongue of a viper will kill him"—a vivid image of judgment. Isaiah 30:6 describes the dangerous creatures of the Negev, and Isaiah 59:5 portrays the deeds of the wicked as viper's eggs that hatch death.

In the New Testament the viper becomes a powerful image of spiritual corruption and divine judgment. John the Baptist addressed the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism as a "brood of vipers" (Matthew 3:7), challenging them to produce genuine fruit of repentance. Jesus used the same phrase in Matthew 12:34, linking it to the impossibility of good fruit from an evil heart. The viper appears in a narrative of unexpected grace in Acts 28:3–6, where Paul, shipwrecked on Malta, shook off a viper that had fastened on his hand without harm—a sign of apostolic authority recalling Mark 16:18.