II Kings 18:4, King Hezekiah removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles (idol altars). He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan. This event with King Hezekiah occurred about the sixth century B.C. The original event with Moses and the snake took place much earlier -- around 1450 B.C. For about eight centuries, the Israelites had hung on to that bronze serpent. They dragged it here and carried it there, preserved ...