Contradiction with Exodus 20:4
This verse commands not to make graven images, while Numbers 21:8 involves making a bronze serpent.
Exodus 20:4: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:
Contradiction with Deuteronomy 4:16-18
These verses warn against making any graven images, setting a contrast to Moses' action in Numbers 21:8.
Deuteronomy 4:16-18: Lest ye corrupt [yourselves], and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
Contradiction with 2 Kings 18:4
King Hezekiah destroys the bronze serpent, originally from Numbers 21:8, due to it becoming an object of idol worship, which indicates a problem with its initial purpose.
2 Kings 18:4: He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. [images: Heb. statues] [Nehushtan: that is, A piece of brass]
Contradiction with Isaiah 42:8
God declares not to give His glory to another or His praise to graven images, contrasting the making of a bronze serpent in Numbers 21:8.
Isaiah 42:8: I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Contradiction with Isaiah 44:9-20
These verses describe the folly of idol-making and idol-worship, indirectly critiquing actions like making the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:8.
Isaiah 44:9-20: They that make a graven image [are] all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they [are] their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. [delectable: Heb. desirable]
Contradiction with Jeremiah 10:14-15
These verses speak against the making of idols that are not God, which can be seen as contradicting the creation of a symbol in Numbers 21:8.
Jeremiah 10:14-15: Every man is brutish in [his] knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image [is] falsehood, and [there is] no breath in them. [brutish in his knowledge: or, more brutish than to know]
Paradox #1
Numbers 21:8 involves a directive from God that might seem contradictory to the prohibition against idolatry. In this instance, God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent for the people to look at in order to be healed. This could seem inconsistent because it involves creating an object that the people focus on for divine intervention, which some might view as similar to idol worship, a practice generally condemned in the Bible. However, it's understood in context that the bronze serpent is a symbol of faith and obedience rather than an idol.
Paradox #2
The possible contradiction in Numbers 21:8 could involve the idea of creating and looking at a bronze serpent for healing, which might seem inconsistent with later teachings against making graven images or idols. This could conflict with directives that warn against idolatry, as seen in the Ten Commandments.
Paradox #3
The contradiction in this context would be that the idea of a bronze snake or sculpture healing people just by looking at it contradicts medical science, which requires physical and biological interventions to treat snake bites. Healing through such means is not scientifically explainable.
Paradox #4
The contradiction or conflict in that verse might be seen as an issue of faith versus action. It could be considered contradictory that instead of directly healing or preventing harm, a symbol or act of looking at an object is used as a method for healing. This raises questions about the necessity of faith or action in divine intervention.