Genesis 3:1 HCSB Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?"

Perhaps, due to its role in the fall of humanity, the snake has become a universal symbol of evil (Deuteronomy 32:33; Psalm 58:1-5; Isaiah14:29; Jeremiah 8:16-17; Matthew 3:7; 23:33; Luke 3:7; Revelation 12:9). This is used to amply demonstrate what the Messiah did for us on the cross, literally becoming evil and taking evil’s just reward in our place (Numbers 21:5-9 cp John 3:14).