1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:
3 Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.
4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.
5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty;
7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.
8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.
9 And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.
10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;
14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:
15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:
17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:
18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:
19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:
20 But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:
21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.
23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:
24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.
25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:
26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;
30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.
31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.
1 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559
2 Command H6680 the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 that they put out H7971 of the camp H4264 every leper, H6879 and every one that hath an issue, H2100 and whosoever is defiled H2931 by the dead: H5315
3 Both male H2145 and female H5347 shall ye put out, H7971 without H2351 the camp H4264 shall ye put H7971 them; that they defile H2930 not their camps, H4264 in the midst H8432 whereof H834 I dwell. H7931
4 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 did so, H6213 and put them out H7971 without H2351 the camp: H4264 as the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 so did H6213 the children H1121 of Israel. H3478
5 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559
6 Speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 When a man H376 or woman H802 shall commit H6213 any sin H2403 that men H120 commit, H4603 to do a trespass H4604 against the LORD, H3068 and that person H5315 be guilty; H816
7 Then they shall confess H3034 their sin H2403 which they have done: H6213 and he shall recompense H7725 his trespass H817 with the principal H7218 thereof, and add H3254 unto it the fifth H2549 part thereof, and give H5414 it unto him against whom he hath trespassed. H816
8 But if the man H376 have no kinsman H1350 to recompense H7725 the trespass H817 unto, let the trespass H817 be recompensed H7725 unto the LORD, H3068 even to the priest; H3548 beside the ram H352 of the atonement, H3725 whereby an atonement shall be made H3722 for him.
9 And every offering H8641 of all the holy things H6944 of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 which they bring H7126 unto the priest, H3548 shall be his.
10 And every man's H376 hallowed things H6944 shall be his: whatsoever any man H376 giveth H5414 the priest, H3548 it shall be his.
11 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559
12 Speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 and say H559 unto them, If any H376 man's H376 wife H802 go aside, H7847 and commit H4603 a trespass H4604 against him,
13 And a man H376 lie H7901 with her carnally, H7902 H2233 and it be hid H5956 from the eyes H5869 of her husband, H376 and be kept close, H5641 and she be defiled, H2930 and there be no witness H5707 against her, neither she be taken H8610 with the manner;
14 And the spirit H7307 of jealousy H7068 come H5674 upon him, and he be jealous H7065 of his wife, H802 and she be defiled: H2930 or if the spirit H7307 of jealousy H7068 come H5674 upon him, and he be jealous H7065 of his wife, H802 and she be not defiled: H2930
15 Then shall the man H376 bring H935 his wife H802 unto the priest, H3548 and he shall bring H935 her offering H7133 for her, the tenth H6224 part of an ephah H374 of barley H8184 meal; H7058 he shall pour H3332 no oil H8081 upon it, nor put H5414 frankincense H3828 thereon; for it is an offering H4503 of jealousy, H7068 an offering H4503 of memorial, H2146 bringing H2142 iniquity H5771 to remembrance. H2142
16 And the priest H3548 shall bring her near, H7126 and set H5975 her before H6440 the LORD: H3068
17 And the priest H3548 shall take H3947 holy H6918 water H4325 in an earthen H2789 vessel; H3627 and of the dust H6083 that is in the floor H7172 of the tabernacle H4908 the priest H3548 shall take, H3947 and put H5414 it into the water: H4325
18 And the priest H3548 shall set H5975 the woman H802 before H6440 the LORD, H3068 and uncover H6544 the woman's H802 head, H7218 and put H5414 the offering H4503 of memorial H2146 in her hands, H3709 which is the jealousy H7068 offering: H4503 and the priest H3548 shall have in his hand H3027 the bitter H4751 water H4325 that causeth the curse: H779
19 And the priest H3548 shall charge her by an oath, H7650 and say H559 unto the woman, H802 If no man H376 have lain H7901 with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside H7847 to uncleanness H2932 with another instead of thy husband, H376 be thou free H5352 from this bitter H4751 water H4325 that causeth the curse: H779
20 But if thou hast gone aside H7847 to another instead of thy husband, H376 and if thou be defiled, H2930 and some man H376 have H5414 lain H7903 with thee beside H1107 thine husband: H376
21 Then the priest H3548 shall charge H7650 the woman H802 with an oath H7621 of cursing, H423 and the priest H3548 shall say H559 unto the woman, H802 The LORD H3068 make H5414 thee a curse H423 and an oath H7621 among H8432 thy people, H5971 when the LORD H3068 doth make H5414 thy thigh H3409 to rot, H5307 and thy belly H990 to swell; H6639
22 And this water H4325 that causeth the curse H779 shall go H935 into thy bowels, H4578 to make thy belly H990 to swell, H6638 and thy thigh H3409 to rot: H5307 And the woman H802 shall say, H559 Amen, H543 amen. H543
23 And the priest H3548 shall write H3789 these curses H423 in a book, H5612 and he shall blot H4229 them out with the bitter H4751 water: H4325
24 And he shall cause the woman H802 to drink H8248 the bitter H4751 water H4325 that causeth the curse: H779 and the water H4325 that causeth the curse H779 shall enter H935 into her, and become bitter. H4751
25 Then the priest H3548 shall take H3947 the jealousy H7068 offering H4503 out of the woman's H802 hand, H3027 and shall wave H5130 the offering H4503 before H6440 the LORD, H3068 and offer H7126 it upon the altar: H4196
26 And the priest H3548 shall take an handful H7061 of the offering, H4503 even the memorial H234 thereof, and burn H6999 it upon the altar, H4196 and afterward H310 shall cause the woman H802 to drink H8248 the water. H4325
27 And when he hath made her to drink H8248 the water, H4325 then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, H2930 and have done H4603 trespass H4604 against her husband, H376 that the water H4325 that causeth the curse H779 shall enter H935 into her, and become bitter, H4751 and her belly H990 shall swell, H6638 and her thigh H3409 shall rot: H5307 and the woman H802 shall be a curse H423 among H7130 her people. H5971
28 And if the woman H802 be not defiled, H2930 but be clean; H2889 then she shall be free, H5352 and shall conceive H2232 seed. H2233
29 This is the law H8451 of jealousies, H7068 when a wife H802 goeth aside H7847 to another instead of her husband, H376 and is defiled; H2930
30 Or when the spirit H7307 of jealousy H7068 cometh H5674 upon him, H376 and he be jealous H7065 over his wife, H802 and shall set H5975 the woman H802 before H6440 the LORD, H3068 and the priest H3548 shall execute H6213 upon her all this law. H8451
31 Then shall the man H376 be guiltless H5352 from iniquity, H5771 and this H1931 woman H802 shall bear H5375 her iniquity. H5771
1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the dead:
3 both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I dwell.
4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp; as Jehovah spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.
5 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Jehovah, and that soul shall be guilty;
7 then he shall confess his sin which he hath done: and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him in respect of whom he hath been guilty.
8 But if the man have no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made unto Jehovah shall be the priest's; besides the ram of the atonement, whereby atonement shall be made for him.
9 And every heave-offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present unto the priest, shall be his.
10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
11 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
13 and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, and she be not taken in the act;
14 and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:
15 then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall bring her oblation for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is a meal-offering of jealousy, a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before Jehovah:
17 and the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water.
18 And the priest shall set the woman before Jehovah, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the meal-offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal-offering of jealousy: and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that causeth the curse.
19 And the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou have not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causeth the curse.
20 But if thou have gone aside, being under thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee besides thy husband:
21 then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, Jehovah make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when Jehovah doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy body to swell;
22 and this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy body to swell, and thy thigh to fall away. And the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.
23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness:
24 and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her `and become' bitter.
25 And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the meal-offering before Jehovah, and bring it unto the altar:
26 and the priest shall take a handful of the meal-offering, as the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.
27 And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her `and become' bitter, and her body shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
29 This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goeth aside, and is defiled;
30 or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon a man, and he is jealous of his wife; then shall he set the woman before Jehovah, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.
31 And the man shall be free from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.
1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
2 `Command the sons of Israel, and they send out of the camp every leper, and every one with an issue, and every one defiled by a body;
3 from male unto female ye do send out; unto the outside of the camp ye do send them; and they defile not their camps in the midst of which I do tabernacle.'
4 And the sons of Israel do so, and they send them out unto the outside of the camp; as Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses so have the sons of Israel done.
5 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
6 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, Man or woman, when they do any of the sins of man, by committing a trespass against Jehovah, and that person `is' guilty,
7 and they have confessed their sin which they have done, then he hath restored his guilt in its principal, and its fifth is adding to it, and hath given `it' to him in reference to whom he hath been guilty.
8 `And if the man have no redeemer to restore the guilt to, the guilt which is restored `is' Jehovah's, the priest's, apart from the ram of the atonements, whereby he maketh atonement for him.
9 `And every heave-offering of all the holy things of the sons of Israel, which they bring near to the priest, becometh his;
10 and any man's hallowed things become his; that which any man giveth to the priest becometh his.'
11 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
12 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When any man's wife turneth aside, and hath committed against him a trespass,
13 and a man hath lain with her `with' the seed of copulation, and it hath been hid from the eyes of her husband, and concealed, and she hath been defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she hath not been caught,
14 and a spirit of jealousy hath passed over him, and he hath been jealous of his wife, and she hath been defiled; -- or, a spirit of jealousy hath passed over him, and he hath been jealous of his wife, and she hath not been defiled --
15 `Then hath the man brought in his wife unto the priest, and he hath brought in her offering for her, a tenth of the ephah of barley meal, he doth not pour on it oil, nor doth he put on it frankincense, for it `is' a present of jealousy, a present of memorial, causing remembrance of iniquity.
16 `And the priest hath brought her near, and hath caused her to stand before Jehovah,
17 and the priest hath taken holy water in an earthen vessel, and of the dust which is on the floor of the tabernacle doth the priest take, and hath put `it' into the water,
18 and the priest hath caused the woman to stand before Jehovah, and hath uncovered the woman's head, and hath given into her hands the present of the memorial, it `is' a present of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest are the bitter waters which cause the curse.
19 `And the priest hath caused her to swear, and hath said unto the woman, If no man hath lain with thee, and if thou hast not turned aside `to' uncleanness under thy husband, be free from these bitter waters which cause the curse;
20 and thou, if thou hast turned aside under thy husband, and if thou hast been defiled, and any man doth give his copulation to thee besides thy husband --
21 (then the priest hath caused the woman to swear with an oath of execration, and the priest hath said to the woman) -- Jehovah doth give thee for an execration, and for a curse, in the midst of thy people, in Jehovah's giving thy thigh to fall, and thy belly to swell,
22 and these waters which cause the curse have gone into thy bowels, to cause the belly to swell, and the thigh to fall; and the woman hath said, Amen, Amen.
23 `And the priest hath written these execrations in a book, and hath blotted `them' out with the bitter waters,
24 and hath caused the woman to drink the bitter waters which cause the curse, and the waters which cause the curse have entered into her for bitter things.
25 `And the priest hath taken out of the hand of the woman the present of jealousy, and hath waved the present before Jehovah, and hath brought it near unto the altar;
26 and the priest hath taken a handful of the present, its memorial, and hath made perfume on the altar, and afterwards doth cause the woman to drink the water:
27 yea, he hath caused her to drink the water, and it hath come to pass, if she hath been defiled, and doth commit a trespass against her husband, that the waters which cause the curse have gone into her for bitter things, and her belly hath swelled, and her thigh hath fallen, and the woman hath become an execration in the midst of her people.
28 `And if the woman hath not been defiled, and is clean, then she hath been acquitted, and hath been sown `with' seed.
29 `This `is' the law of jealousies, when a wife turneth aside under her husband, and hath been defiled,
30 or when a spirit of jealousy passeth over a man, and he hath been jealous of his wife, then he hath caused the woman to stand before Jehovah, and the priest hath done to her all this law,
31 and the man hath been acquitted from iniquity, and that woman doth bear her iniquity.'
1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by a dead person:
3 both male and female shall ye put out; outside the camp shall ye put them, that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.
4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp: as Jehovah had said to Moses, so did the children of Israel.
5 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any of all the sins of man to work unfaithfulness against Jehovah, and that soul is guilty,
7 then they shall confess their sin which they have done; and he shall recompense his trespass according to the principal thereof, and shall add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.
8 And if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, the trespass which is recompensed to Jehovah shall be the priest's, besides the ram of the atonement, wherewith an atonement is made for him.
9 And every heave-offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present unto the priest, shall be his.
10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatever any man giveth the priest shall be his.
11 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go astray, and commit unfaithfulness against him,
13 and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and she be defiled in secret, and there be no witness against her, and she have not been caught;
14 and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she have been defiled, -- or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she have not been defiled,
15 -- then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, a tenth part of an ephah of barley-meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an oblation of jealousy, a memorial oblation, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before Jehovah.
17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and the priest shall take of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and put it into the water.
18 And the priest shall set the woman before Jehovah, and uncover the woman's head, and put the memorial oblation in her hands, which is the jealousy offering; and in the hand of the priest shall be the bitter water that bringeth the curse.
19 And the priest shall adjure her, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone astray in uncleanness, in being with another instead of thy husband, be free from this bitter water that bringeth the curse.
20 But if thou hast gone astray to another instead of thy husband, and hast been defiled, and a man other than thy husband have lain with thee,
21 -- then the priest shall adjure the woman with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman: Jehovah make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when Jehovah doth make thy thigh to shrink, and thy belly to swell;
22 and this water that bringeth the curse shall enter into thy bowels, to make the belly to swell, and the thigh to shrink. And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.
23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and shall blot them out with the bitter water,
24 and he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that bringeth the curse, that the water that bringeth the curse may enter into her for bitterness.
25 And the priest shall take out of the woman's hand the oblation of jealousy, and shall wave the oblation before Jehovah, and shall present it at the altar.
26 And the priest shall take a handful of the oblation as a memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar; and afterwards he shall make the woman drink the water.
27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she have been defiled, and have committed unfaithfulness against her husband, that the water that bringeth the curse shall enter into her, for bitterness, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall shrink; and the woman shall become a curse among her people.
28 But if the woman have not been defiled, and be clean, then she shall be clear, and shall conceive seed.
29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth astray to another instead of her husband and is defiled,
30 or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon a man, and he is jealous as regards his wife; then shall he set the woman before Jehovah, and the priest shall do to her according to all this law.
31 Then shall the man be free from iniquity, but that woman shall bear her iniquity.
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, and everyone who has an issue, and whoever is unclean by the dead.
3 Both male and female shall you put out, outside of the camp shall you put them; that they not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell."
4 The children of Israel did so, and put them out outside of the camp; as Yahweh spoke to Moses, so did the children of Israel.
5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
6 "Speak to the children of Israel: When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Yahweh, and that soul is guilty;
7 then he shall confess his sin which he has done, and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add to it the fifth part of it, and give it to him in respect of whom he has been guilty.
8 But if the man has no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made to Yahweh shall be the priest's; besides the ram of the atonement, by which atonement shall be made for him.
9 Every heave offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present to the priest, shall be his.
10 Every man's holy things shall be his: whatever any man gives the priest, it shall be his."
11 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
12 "Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: If any man's wife goes astray, and is unfaithful to him,
13 and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and is kept close, and she is defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she isn't taken in the act;
14 and the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she is defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she isn't defiled:
15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering for her: the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to memory.
16 The priest shall bring her near, and set her before Yahweh;
17 and the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water.
18 The priest shall set the woman before Yahweh, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal offering of jealousy. The priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings a curse.
19 The priest shall cause her to swear, and shall tell the woman, 'If no man has lain with you, and if you haven't gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse.
20 But if you have gone astray, being under your husband, and if you are defiled, and some man has lain with you besides your husband:'
21 then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall tell the woman, 'Yahweh make you a curse and an oath among your people, when Yahweh allows your thigh to fall away, and your body to swell;
22 and this water that brings a curse will go into your bowels, and make your body swell, and your thigh fall away.' The woman shall say, 'Amen, Amen.'
23 "The priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness.
24 He shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causes the curse; and the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter.
25 The priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the meal offering before Yahweh, and bring it to the altar.
26 The priest shall take a handful of the meal offering, as the memorial of it, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.
27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall happen, if she is defiled, and has committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causes the curse will enter into her and become bitter, and her body will swell, and her thigh will fall away: and the woman will be a curse among her people.
28 If the woman isn't defiled, but is clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
29 "This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, and is defiled;
30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes on a man, and he is jealous of his wife; then he shall set the woman before Yahweh, and the priest shall execute on her all this law.
31 The man shall be free from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity."
1 And the Lord said to Moses,
2 Give orders to the children of Israel to put outside the tent-circle every leper, and anyone who has any sort of flow from his body, and anyone who is unclean from the touch of the dead;
3 Male or female they are to be put outside the tent-circle, so that they may not make unclean my resting-place among them.
4 So the children of Israel did as the Lord had said to Moses, and put them outside the tent-circle.
5 And the Lord said to Moses,
6 Say to the children of Israel, If a man or a woman does any of the sins of men, going against the word of the Lord, and is in the wrong;
7 Let them say openly what they have done; and make payment for the wrong done, with the addition of a fifth part, and give it to him to whom the wrong was done.
8 But if the man has no relation to whom the payment may be made, then the payment for sin made to the Lord will be the priest's, in addition to the sheep offered to take away his sin.
9 And every offering lifted up of all the holy things which the children of Israel give to the priest, will be his.
10 And every man's holy things will be his: whatever a man gives to the priest will be his.
11 And the Lord said to Moses,
12 Say to the children of Israel, If any man's wife does wrong, sinning against him
13 By taking as her lover another man, and keeps it secret so that her husband has no knowledge of it, and there is no witness against her, and she is not taken in the act;
14 If the spirit of doubt comes into her husband's heart, and he has doubts of his wife, with good cause; or if he has doubts of her without cause:
15 Then let him take her to the priest, offering for her the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal, without oil or perfume; for it is a meal offering of a bitter spirit, a meal offering keeping wrongdoing in mind.
16 And the priest will make her come near and put her before the Lord;
17 And the priest will take holy water in a pot and put in it dust from the floor of the House;
18 And he will make the woman come before the Lord with her hair loose, and will put the meal offering, the offering of a bitter spirit, in her hands; and the priest will take in his hand the bitter water causing the curse;
19 And he will make her take an oath, and say to her, If no man has been your lover and you have not been with another in place of your husband, you are free from this bitter water causing the curse;
20 But if you have been with another in place of your husband and have made yourself unclean with a lover:
21 Then the priest will put the oath of the curse on the woman, and say to her, May the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, sending on you wasting of the legs and disease of the stomach;
22 And this water of the curse will go into your body, causing disease of your stomach and wasting of your legs: and the woman will say, So be it.
23 And the priest will put these curses in a book, washing out the writing with the bitter water;
24 And he will give to the woman the bitter water for drink; and the bitter water causing the curse will go into her.
25 And the priest will take from her hand the meal offering of doubt, waving it before the Lord, and will take it to the altar;
26 And he will take some of it in his hand, burning it on the altar as a sign, and then he will give the woman the bitter water.
27 And it will be that if the woman has become unclean, sinning against her husband, when she has taken the bitter water it will go into her body, causing disease of the stomach and wasting of the legs, and she will be a curse among her people.
28 But if she is clean she will be free and will have offspring.
29 This is the law for testing a wife who goes with another in place of her husband and becomes unclean;
30 Or for a husband who, in a bitter spirit, has doubts in his heart about his wife; let him take her to the priest, who will put in force this law.
31 Then the man will be free from all wrong, and the woman's sin will be on her.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Numbers 5
Commentary on Numbers 5 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Spiritual Organization of the Congregation of Israel - Numbers 5-6
From the outward organization of the tribes of Israel as the army of Jehovah, the law proceeds to their internal moral and spiritual order, for the purpose of giving an _inward support, both moral and religious, to their outward or social and political unity. This is the object of the directions concerning the removal of unclean persons from the camp (Numbers 5:1-4), the restitution of anything unjustly appropriated (Numbers 5:5-10), the course to be pursued with a wife suspected of adultery (Num 5:11-31), and also of the laws relating to the Nazarite (Num 6:1-21), and to the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:22-27).
Removal of Unclean Persons out of the Camp. - As Jehovah, the Holy One, dwelt in the midst of the camp of His people, those who were affected with the uncleanness of leprosy (Lev 13), of a diseased flux, or of menstruation (Leviticus 15:2., Numbers 15:19.), and those who had become unclean through touching a corpse (Numbers 19:11., cf. Leviticus 21:1; Leviticus 22:4), whether male or female, were to be removed out of the camp, that they might not defile it by their uncleanness. The command of God, to remove these persons out of the camp, was carried out at once by the nation; and even in Canaan it was so far observed, that lepers at any rate were placed in special pest-houses outside the cities (see at Leviticus 13:45-46).
Restitution in Case of a Trespass. - No crime against the property of a neighbour was to remain without expiation in the congregation of Israel, which was encamped or dwelt around the sanctuary of Jehovah; and the wrong committed was not to remain without restitution, because such crimes involved unfaithfulness ( מעל , see Leviticus 5:15) towards Jehovah. “ If a man or a woman do one of the sins of men, to commit unfaithfulness against Jehovah, and the same soul has incurred guilt, they shall confess their sin which they have done, and (the doer) shall recompense his debt according to its sum ” ( בּראשׁו , as in Leviticus 6:5), etc. האדם מכּל־חטּאת , one of the sins occurring among men, not “a sin against a man” ( Luther, Ros., etc.). The meaning is a sin, with which a מעל was committed against Jehovah, i.e., one of the acts described in Leviticus 6:3-4, by which injury was done to the property of a neighbour, whereby a man brought a debt upon himself, for the wiping out of which a material restitution of the other's property was prescribed, together with the addition of a fifth of its value, and also the presentation of a sin-offering (Leviticus 6:4-7). To guard against that disturbance of fellowship and peace in the congregation, which would arise from such trespasses as these, the law already given in Leviticus 6:1 is here renewed and supplemented by the additional stipulation, that if the man who had been unjustly deprived of some of his property had no Goël , to whom restitution could be made for the debt, the compensation should be paid to Jehovah for the priests. The Goël was the nearest relative, upon whom the obligation rested to redeem a person who had fallen into slavery through poverty (Leviticus 25:25). The allusion to the Goël in this connection presupposes that the injured person was no longer alive. To this there are appended, in Numbers 5:9 and Numbers 5:10, the directions which are substantially connected with this, viz., that every heave-offering ( Terumah , see at Leviticus 2:9) in the holy gifts of the children of Israel, which they presented to the priest, was to belong to him (the priest), and also all the holy gifts which were brought by different individuals. The reference is not to literal sacrifices, i.e., gifts intended for the altar, but to dedicatory offerings, first-fruits, and such like. את־קדשׁיו אישׁ , “ with regard to every man's, his holy gifts...to him (the priest) shall they be; what any man gives to the priest shall belong to him .” The second clause serves to explain and confirm the first. את : as far, with regard to, quoad (see Ewald , §277, d; Ges. §117, 2, note).
Sentence of God upon Wives Suspected of Adultery. - As any suspicion cherished by a man against his wife, that she either is or has been guilty of adultery, whether well-founded or not, is sufficient to shake the marriage connection to its very roots, and to undermine, along with marriage, the foundation of the civil commonwealth, it was of the greatest importance to guard against this moral evil, which was so utterly irreconcilable with the holiness of the people of God, by appointing a process in harmony with the spirit of the theocratical law, and adapted to bring to light the guilt or innocence of any wife who had fallen into such suspicion, and at the same time to warn fickle wives against unfaithfulness. This serves to explain not only the introduction of the law respecting the jealousy-offering in this place, but also the general importance of the subject, and the reason for its being so elaborately described.
Numbers 5:12-15
If a man's wife went aside, and was guilty of unfaithfulness towards him (Numbers 5:13 is an explanatory clause), through a (another) man having lain with her with emissio seminis , and it was hidden from the eyes of her husband, on account of her having defiled herself secretly, and there being no witness against her, and her not having been taken (in the act); but if, for all that, a spirit of jealousy came upon him, and he was jealous of his wife, and she was defiled,...or she was not defiled: the man was to take his wife to the priest, and bring as her sacrificial gift, on her account, the tenth of an ephah of barley meal, without putting oil or incense, “ for it is a meat-offering of jealousy, a meat-offering of memory, to bring iniquity to remembrance .” As the woman's crime, of which her husband accused her, was naturally denied by herself, and was neither to be supported by witnesses nor proved by her being taken in the very act, the only way left to determine whether there was any foundation or not for the spirit of jealousy excited in her husband, and to prevent an unrighteous severance of the divinely appointed marriage, was to let the thing be decided by the verdict of God Himself. To this end the man was to bring his wife to the priest with a sacrificial gift, which is expressly called קרבּנהּ , her offering, brought עליה “on her account,” that is to say, with a meat-offering, the symbol of the fruit of her walk and conduct before God. Being the sacrificial gift of a wife who had gone aside and was suspected of adultery, this meat-offering could not possess the character of the ordinary meat-offerings, which shadowed forth the fruit of the sanctification of life in good works; could not consist, that is to say, of fine wheaten flour, but only of barley meal. Barley was worth only half as much as wheat (2 Kings 7:1, 2 Kings 7:16, 2 Kings 7:18), so that only the poorer classes, or the people generally in times of great distress, used barley meal as their daily food (Judges 7:13; 2 Kings 4:42; Ezekiel 4:12; John 6:9, John 6:13), whilst those who were better off used it for fodder ( 1 Kings 5:8). Barley meal was prescribed for this sacrifice, neither as a sign that the adulteress had conducted herself like an irrational animal ( Philo, Jonathan, Talm., the Rabb., etc.), nor “because the persons presenting the offering were invoking the punishment of a crime, and not the favour of God” ( Cler., Ros .): for the guilt of a woman was not yet established; nor even, taking a milder view of the matter, to indicate that the offerer might be innocent, and in that case no offering at all was required Knobel ), but to represent the questionable repute in which the woman stood, or the ambiguous, suspicious character of her conduct. Because such conduct as hers did not proceed from the Spirit of God, and was not carried out in prayer: oil and incense, the symbols of the Spirit of God and prayer, were not to be added to her offering. It was an offering of jealousy ( קנאת , an intensive plural), and the object was to bring the ground of that jealousy to light; and in this respect it is called the “ meat-offering of remembrance, ” sc., of the woman, before Jehovah (cf. Numbers 10:10; Numbers 31:54; Exodus 28:12, Exodus 28:29; Exodus 30:16; Leviticus 23:24), namely, “ the remembrance of iniquity, ” bringing her crime to remembrance before the Lord, that it might be judged by Him.
Numbers 5:16-18
The priest was to bring her near to the altar at which he stood, and place her before Jehovah, who had declared Himself to be present at the altar, and then to take holy water, probably water out of the basin before the sanctuary, which served for holy purposes (Exodus 30:18), in an earthen vessel, and put dust in it from the floor of the dwelling. He was then to loosen the hair of the woman who was standing before Jehovah, and place the jealousy-offering in her hands, and holding the water in his own hand, to pronounce a solemn oath of purification before her, which she had to appropriate to herself by a confirmatory Amen, Amen. The water, which the priest had prepared for the woman to drink, was taken from the sanctuary, and the dust to be put into it from the floor of the dwelling, to impregnate this drink with the power of the Holy Spirit that dwelt in the sanctuary. The dust was strewed upon the water, not to indicate that man was formed from dust and must return to dust again, but as an allusion to the fact, that dust was eaten by the serpent (Genesis 3:14) as the curse of sin, and therefore as the symbol of a state deserving a curse, a state of the deepest humiliation and disgrace (Micah 7:17; Isaiah 49:23; Psalms 72:9). On the very same ground, an earthen vessel was chosen; that is to say, one quite worthless in comparison with the copper one. The loosening of the hair of the head (see Leviticus 13:45), in other cases a sign of mourning, is to be regarded here as a removal or loosening of the female head-dress, and a symbol of the loss of the proper ornament of female morality and conjugal fidelity. During the administration of the oath, the offering was placed in her hands, that she might bring the fruit of her own conduct before God, and give it up to His holy judgment. The priest, as the representative of God, held the vessel in his hand, with the water in it, which was called the “ water of bitterness, the curse-bringing, ” inasmuch as, if the crime imputed to her was well-founded, it would bring upon the woman bitter suffering as the curse of God.
Numbers 5:19-22
The oath which the priest required her to take is called, in Numbers 5:21, האלה שׁבעת , “ oath of cursing ” (see Genesis 26:28); but it first of all presupposes the possibility of the woman being innocent, and contains the assurance, that in that case the curse-water would do her no harm. “ If no (other) man has lain with thee, and thou hast not gone aside to union ( טמאה , accus. of more precise definition, as in Leviticus 15:2, Leviticus 15:18), under thy husband, ” i.e., as a wife subject to thy husband (Ezekiel 23:5; Hosea 4:12), “ then remain free from the water of bitterness, this curse-bringing, ” i.e., from the effects of this curse-water. The imperative is a sign of certain assurance (see Genesis 12:2; Genesis 20:7; cf. Ges. §130, 1). “ But if thou hast gone aside under thy husband, if thou hast defiled thyself, and a man has given thee his seed beside thy husband, ”...(the priest shall proceed to say; this is the meaning of the repetition of לאשּׁה ... והשׁבּיע , Numbers 5:21), “ Jehovah shall make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, by making thy hip to fall and thy belly to swell; and this curse-bringing water shall come into thy bowels, to make the belly to vanish and the hip to fall .” To this oath that was spoken before her the woman was to reply, “ true, true, ” or “ truly, truly, ” and thus confirm it as taken by herself (cf. Deuteronomy 27:15.; Nehemiah 5:13). It cannot be determined with any certainty what was the nature of the disease threatened in this curse. Michaelis supposes it to be dropsy of the ovary ( hydrops ovarii ), in which a tumour is formed in the place of the ovarium , which may even swell so as to contain 100 lbs. of fluid, and with which the patient becomes dreadfully emaciated. Josephus says it is ordinary dropsy ( hydrops ascites: Ant . iii. 11, 6). At any rate, the idea of the curse is this: Δι ̓ ὧν γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία , διὰ τούτων ἡ τιμωρία (“the punishment shall come from the same source as the sin,” Theodoret ). The punishment was to answer exactly to the crime, and to fall upon those bodily organs which had been the instruments of the woman's sin, viz., the organs of child-bearing.
Numbers 5:23-27
After the woman's Amen , the priest was to write “ these curses, ” those contained in the oath, in a book-roll, and wash them in the bitter water, i.e., wash the writing in the vessel with water, so that the words of the curse should pass into the water, and be imparted to it; a symbolical act, to set forth the truth, that God imparted to the water the power to act injuriously upon a guilty body, though it would do no harm to an innocent one. The remark in Numbers 5:24, the priest was to give her this water to drink is anticipatory; for according to Numbers 5:26 this did not take place till after the presentation of the sacrifice and the burning of the memorial of it upon the altar. The woman's offering, however, was not presented to God till after the oath of purification, because it was by the oath that she first of all purified herself from the suspicion of adultery, so that the fruit of her conduct could be given up to the fire of the holiness of God. As a known adulteress, she could not have offered a meat-offering at all. But as the suspicion which rested upon her was not entirely removed by her oath, since she might have taken a false oath, the priest was to give her the curse-water to drink after the offering, that her guilt or innocence might be brought to light in the effects produced by the drink. This is given in Numbers 5:27 as the design of the course prescribed: “ When he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, the water that causeth the curse shall come (enter) into her as bitterness (i.e., producing bitter sufferings), namely, her belly shall swell and her hip vanish: and so the woman shall become a curse in the midst of her people .”
Numbers 5:28
“ But if she have not defiled herself, and is clean (from the crime of which she was suspected), she will remain free (from the threatened punishment of God), and will conceive seed, ” i.e., be blessed with the capacity and power to conceive and bring forth children.
Numbers 5:29-31
Numbers 5:29-31 bring the law of jealousy to a formal close, with the additional remark, that the man who adopted this course with a wife suspected of adultery was free from sin, but the woman would bear her guilt (see Leviticus 5:1), i.e., in case she were guilty, would bear the punishment threatened by God. Nothing is said about what was to be done in case the woman refused to take the oath prescribed, because that would amount to a confession of her guilt, when she would have to be put to death as an adulteress, according to the law in Leviticus 20:10; and not she alone, but the adulterer also. In the law just mentioned the man is placed on an equality with the woman with reference to the sin of adultery; and thus the apparent partiality, that a man could sue his wife for adultery, but not the wife her husband, is removed. But the law before us applied to the woman only, because the man was at liberty to marry more than one wife, or to take concubines to his own wife; so that he only violated the marriage tie, and was guilty of adultery, when he formed an illicit connection with another man's wife. In that case, the man whose marriage had been violated could proceed against his adulterous wife, and in most instances convict the adulterer also, in order that he might receive his punishment too. For a really guilty wife would not have made up her mind so easily to take the required oath of purification, as the curse of God under which she came was no easier to bear than the punishment of death. For this law prescribed no ordeal whose effects were uncertain, like the ordeals of other nations, but a judgment of God, from which the guilty could not escape, because it had been appointed by the living God.