Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Awit 120:4

And in Toldot Yitzchak it is written that because they spoke against God and Moses, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “My part I forgive and pardon, but make for yourself a fiery serpent to counter what they did to you.” And Moses said the opposite: “My part is forgiven, but who can forgive the part against the Most High?” Therefore, he made a copper serpent. The root of this matter is also found in the Yalkut Parashat Shemot, an explanation for this interpretation: for evil speech burns and harms a person, Like the sharpened arrows of a warrior, with burning coals of broom wood (Psalms 120:4). Therefore, the fiery serpent came as a response to what they spoke against Moses. But regarding what they said against the Most High, What can He give you, and what can He add to you, O deceitful tongue? (Psalms 120:3). Therefore, He sent the serpents against them because they adopted the craft of the primordial serpent who spoke evil against his Creator, for the tongue falls upon the tongue [there is wordplay], as the serpent who sinned with its tongue falls upon those who misuse their tongues. And he looked at the copper serpent and lived — meaning he would see what happened to the primordial serpent and then not return to folly.

[The word שננתם] is an expression of sharpness, etc. This is the same term as in, “Sharp (שנונים) arrows of the mighty (Tehillim 120:4).” But it is not from the term משנה (teach), otherwise it should say ולמדתם (teach them) [as we find in the second paragraph of the Shema (Re”m)].

ויחנו ברתמה AND THEY ENCAMPED IN RITHMAH — It was so called with reference to the slanderous speech of the spies, uttered there, as it is said, (Psalms 120:3-4): “What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee, thou deceitful tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of juniper (רְתָמִים).

בעלי חצים THE ARCHERS (literally, men who have arrows) — they were so called because their tongues were as arrows (Genesis Rabbah 98:19) (cf. Psalms 120:4). Onkelos translates it (חצים) by פלגותא taking it to be of the same root as המחצה in (Numbers 31:36) “And the half (המחצה) was” thus he takes בעלי חצים to mean “those who were destined to share with him the inheritance”.