Question
Gramps,
Why is Satan called a serpent?
Marie
Answer
Marie,
Was Satan literally a snake, or is the serpent a metaphor? Across scripture and Latter-day Saint prophetic commentary, the prevailing interpretation is one of symbolism. A compelling analogy can be found by comparing the sign of the serpent with the “sign of the dove” at Christ’s baptism. The Holy Ghost, according to scripture, descended not as an actual bird, but in the “form of a dove,” which served as a prearranged sign to John the Baptist.
As Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church, explained: “The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove.” The implication is that signs and symbols were deliberately chosen—and Satan, as the great counterfeiter, could appropriate many signs except those uniquely reserved for divinity.
The image of Satan as a serpent, then, seems to be chosen for its qualities: cunning, slyness, subtlety, and craftiness, as noted by Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Choice of the name is excellent, indicating as it does a cunning, sly, subtle, and deceitful craftiness.” Rather than an assertion of a literal shape-shifting event, the scriptural language uses the serpent as a metaphor for satanic qualities.
Furthermore, the physical and spiritual forms of beings in the Garden narrative are important. The First Presidency has taught that “God created man in His own image. This is just as true of the spirit as it is of the body.” Thus, spirits—and by implication, beings such as Satan—retain human-like forms, not those of animals. This further supports the idea that the serpent is not to be taken as a literal manifestation, but rather as a vehicle for conveying deeper truths.
The serpent has held ambivalent symbolism in ancient cultures. In many traditions around the Fertile Crescent and Mediterranean, the serpent was not solely a symbol of evil or temptation, but was often a powerful symbol of healing, life, wisdom, and divinity. In fact, the ancient emblem of the serpent sometimes denoted the very attributes of the coming Messiah and was appropriated by early Christianity to point to Christ.
Scripture itself reflects this duality. In the New Testament, Jesus references the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness—a symbol of healing for the Israelites (John 3:14-15). Early Christians understood this as a type for Christ himself, who would be “lifted up” on the cross for the healing of all. This draws a fascinating parallel: as the serpent in Eden became associated with the adversary, the same symbol is elsewhere co-opted as a positive, redemptive sign.
How did the serpent shift from a positive divine emblem to a representation of Satan? The process of symbol corruption is detailed in Latter-day Saint scholarship. “The goodness and bounties of life are not given to us by Thermuthis, the Egyptian goddess of harvest, but rather by Christ…resurrection as well as eternal life are not bestowed by Osiris but result from the atoning death of Jesus.” These lines show that almost every positive attribute imagined in ancient serpent iconography eventually finds its true fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Satan’s usurpation of the serpent symbol is thus a perversion, an attempt to counterfeit divinity and power, as only he cannot counterfeit the sign of the Holy Ghost (the dove). This aligns with the scriptural warning in Revelation, where Satan is referred to as “that old serpent” and depicted as the prime mover behind apostasy, symbolized by both a dragon and a serpent (Revelation 12:9; 20:2).
Why use a serpent in Eden at all? The consequences and curses placed on the serpent after the Fall offer insight. According to the scriptural record, the serpent is condemned to “crawl on its belly” and “eat dust.” These curses are widely recognized, even by non-Latter-day Saints biblical scholars, as symbolic punishments that indicate humiliation and defeat.
Do modern teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reinforce the literal serpent view? In short, no. Both scriptural and prophetic statements repeatedly guide members away from literalism in this case, emphasizing the symbolic nature of such signs.
Doctrinal statements uphold a nuanced view, pointing out that in all depictions, Satan is still a spiritual entity who retained the form of a man, and can only appear as other creatures through the use of metaphor and symbol. Even the punishments and narrative elements are treated by Latter-day Saints as rich in symbolic content meant to teach spiritual truths about agency, temptation, and redemption.
Gramps
