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Luke 10:19 says, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Jesus wasn't actually referring to literal serpents or scorpions. Serpents and scorpions in the passage are used metaphorically. Serpents means deception or Satan the deceiver. So to have authority over serpents means to exercise your right to God's word over Satan. What the serpent did to the woman in Genesis 3 was to deceive her. 1 Timothy 2:14 says that Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. The serpent in Genesis 3 is the same mentioned in Revelation 20:2 and 12:9 as Satan the devil who deceived the whole world. In biblical text, the serpent is the significant symbol for Satan, deception, and particularly in contexts of temptation and sin. 2 Corinthians 11:3 says, "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." Now, what is scorpions? In biblical imagery, scorpion refers to stings – pains, torment, sufferings and danger. In Luke 11:10-12, Jesus told a parable: 10, "For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11, “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12, Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a SCORPION? Of course not!" When Jesus used the word "egg" in the twelfth verse, it refers to basic needs. He asked, "If your children ask for egg, will you give them SCORPIONS?" Meaning, if your children ask for basic needs, are you going to torment them – deprive them of it? Scorpions metaphorically refers to torment, pains, suffering or danger (See Revelation 9:3, 5, 10). The authority that Jesus gave us over serpents and scorpions is the Scripture – the right of use to God's word. In Matthew 4, each time the devil came with the twisting of God's word to lure Jesus, Jesus stood on the authority of what was written. This was his authority. The way to exercise authority over serpents and scorpions is to use God's word accurately. This was exactly what Adam and the woman failed to do.