Abstract
The semantic value of the Classical Hebrew noun ףרש (śārāp) is analysed by comparing the information found in the textual witnesses in the Hebrew Bible with archaeological, historical and zoological data. This analysisconfirms that the word means ‘cobra’ in Classical Hebrew, as both the mythological use in the Bible and the iconographic data from archaeological material from the Levant fit together with the zoological data regarding cobras. The understanding found in ancient translations, i.e. the Septuagint, the Vulgate and Peshitta, together with the way desert snakes are designated by Bedouin in the Sinai in recent times, are drawn in to further strengthenthis identification.
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