18:4 brasen serpent. The brazen serpent (Numbers 21:8,9) was originally a symbol of sin judged and salvation given. Once it had served its purpose, however, it should have been abandoned. Instead it eventually became an idol. This is the danger involved in too much emphasis on symbols rather than the realities they are intended to represent.

18:4 Nehushtan. The meaning of “Nehushtan” is, simply, “a piece of brass.”