ὄφις

ὄφις — óphis

ὄφις, ὀφισεως, ὁ (perhaps named from its sight; cf. δράκων, at the beginning, and see Curtius, as under the word ὀφθαλμός); from Homer, Iliad 12, 208 down; the Sept. mostly for נָחָשׁ; a snake, serpent: Mat 7:10; Mar 16:18; Luk 10:19; Luk 11:11; Joh 3:14; 1Co 10:9; Rev 9:19; with the ancients the serpent was an emblem of cunning and wisdom, 2Co 11:3, cf. Gen 3:1; hence, φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις, Mat 10:16 (here WH marginal reading ὁ ὄφις); hence, crafty hypocrites are called ὄφεις, Mat 23:33. The serpent narrated to have deceived Eve (see Gen. as above) was regarded by the later Jews as the devil (Sap. ii., 23f, cf. 4Ma 18:8); hence, he is called ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ ὄφις: Rev 12:9; Rev 12:14; Rev 20:2; see (Grimm on Sap. as above; From Lenormant, Beginnings of History etc., chapter ii., p. 109f, and) δράκων.