Was the serpent in Genesis a literal snake, and did it have legs before the curse?
A viewer asks whether the serpent in Genesis was literal or symbolic, whether snakes were poisonous before the curse, and, if literal, whether the serpent had legs before the curse.
Answer
The serpent in Genesis is literal, but reading between the lines, it was not the kind of snake we see today; it turned into that. Adam named all the animals based on studying them, and Genesis 3 says the serpent was subtle, or wise, so Adam named it for its wisdom. We expect it was a magnificent creature, probably with legs and even wings, able to run and fly, and beautiful. Because Adam and Eve regarded it as wise, that is the creature Lucifer, a spirit, entered and used, and being possessed, it could even speak. Its message was subtle: you can be a god like God; he is only holding this fruit back so you will not become his equal. When God judged it, he said, you shall be cursed and slither on your belly and eat dust, which means all its limbs, wings, legs, and beauty, were taken away, so that it became the lowest creature, prey to predators, hiding under rocks. But all of that is also symbolic of what happens to Lucifer himself: cursed for eternity, and slithering on the ground and eating dust are Hebrew idioms for being totally friendless, with every creature as his enemy forever, and, hardest of all, knowing he can do nothing to change it.