The snakes “saraph” in the Old Testament

This article is devoted to the problem of translating the word śārāph, which occurs in the Old Testament, into other languages. The author analyzes correspondences to the word śārāph in various translations, both ancient and modern. The purpose of the article is to define the concepts of “śārāph”, “nāḥāš”, “seraphim”. As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that the translations of the Bible into European languages could not reflect the doubling of ָרף ָש ׂש ָח נָ that exists in the Hebrew language, so the translators used an overtone translation. The biblical story about the creation of the Bronze Serpent by Christians is interpreted christologically and allegorically, while Jewish thought generally tries to divert attention from this image. The etymological similarity of the words “śārāph” and seraphim, obviously, comes from the fact that both words historically come from the word ָרף ׂש , which means “to burn”. Because of the ambivalent symbolism of fire, there was a bifurcation of the meaning: therefore, the name of the angelic rank “seraph” describes their “lightness and fieryness, and ardor, and insight, and the speed with which they desire God and serve Him” (Ven. John of Damascus), and the meaning “flying dragon” arose due to inflammation caused by the bite of a poisonous lizard, resembling in its properties the scorching and destructive effect of fire.