Made by Moses at God's command to be a sacramental means of healing for the Israelites in the wilderness (Num. 21: 9). It seems to have been carefully preserved, and became an object of superstitious worship (2 Kgs. 18: 4); it was accordingly destroyed by Hezekiah, who called it Nehushtan. The "lifting up" of the serpent in the wilderness is referred to by the Lord as a type of his own "lifting up" upon the cross (John 3: 14-15). Latter-day revelation confirms the episode of the fiery serpents and the healing properties associated with looking upon Moses' brazen serpent (1 Ne. 17: 41; 2 Ne. 25: 20; Alma 33: 19-22).