1And the LORDH3068 spakeH1696 unto MosesH4872, sayingH559, 2CommandH6680 the childrenH1121 of IsraelH3478, that they put outH7971 of the campH4264 every leperH6879, and every one that hath an issueH2100, and whosoever is defiledH2931 by the deadH5315: 3Both maleH2145 and femaleH5347 shall ye put outH7971, withoutH2351 the campH4264 shall ye putH7971 them; that they defileH2930 not their campsH4264, in the midstH8432 whereofH834 I dwellH7931 . 4And the childrenH1121 of IsraelH3478 did soH6213, and put them outH7971 withoutH2351 the campH4264: as the LORDH3068 spakeH1696 unto MosesH4872, so didH6213 the childrenH1121 of IsraelH3478. 5And the LORDH3068 spakeH1696 unto MosesH4872, sayingH559, 6SpeakH1696 unto the childrenH1121 of IsraelH3478, When a manH376 or womanH802 shall commitH6213 any sinH2403 that menH120 commitH4603, to do a trespassH4604 against the LORDH3068, and that personH5315 be guiltyH816 ; 7Then they shall confessH3034 their sinH2403 which they have doneH6213 : and he shall recompenseH7725 his trespassH817 with the principalH7218 thereof, and addH3254 unto it the fifthH2549 part thereof, and giveH5414 it unto him against whom he hath trespassedH816 . 8But if the manH376 have no kinsmanH1350 to recompenseH7725 the trespassH817 unto, let the trespassH817 be recompensedH7725 unto the LORDH3068, even to the priestH3548; beside the ramH352 of the atonementH3725, whereby an atonement shall be madeH3722 for him. 9And every offeringH8641 of all the holy thingsH6944 of the childrenH1121 of IsraelH3478, which they bringH7126 unto the priestH3548, shall be his. 10And every man'sH376 hallowed thingsH6944 shall be his: whatsoever any manH376 givethH5414 the priestH3548, it shall be his. 11And the LORDH3068 spakeH1696 unto MosesH4872, sayingH559, 12SpeakH1696 unto the childrenH1121 of IsraelH3478, and sayH559 unto them, If anyH376 man'sH376 wifeH802 go asideH7847, and commitH4603 a trespassH4604 against him, 13And a manH376 lieH7901 with her carnallyH7902 H2233, and it be hidH5956 from the eyesH5869 of her husbandH376, and be kept closeH5641, and she be defiledH2930, and there be no witnessH5707 against her, neither she be takenH8610 with the manner; 14And the spiritH7307 of jealousyH7068 comeH5674 upon him, and he be jealousH7065 of his wifeH802, and she be defiledH2930 : or if the spiritH7307 of jealousyH7068 comeH5674 upon him, and he be jealousH7065 of his wifeH802, and she be not defiledH2930 : 15Then shall the manH376 bringH935 his wifeH802 unto the priestH3548, and he shall bringH935 her offeringH7133 for her, the tenthH6224 part of an ephahH374 of barleyH8184 mealH7058; he shall pourH3332 no oilH8081 upon it, nor putH5414 frankincenseH3828 thereon; for it is an offeringH4503 of jealousyH7068, an offeringH4503 of memorialH2146, bringingH2142 iniquityH5771 to remembranceH2142 . 16And the priestH3548 shall bring her nearH7126, and setH5975 her beforeH6440 the LORDH3068: 17And the priestH3548 shall takeH3947 holyH6918 waterH4325 in an earthenH2789 vesselH3627; and of the dustH6083 that is in the floorH7172 of the tabernacleH4908 the priestH3548 shall takeH3947, and putH5414 it into the waterH4325: 18And the priestH3548 shall setH5975 the womanH802 beforeH6440 the LORDH3068, and uncoverH6544 the woman'sH802 headH7218, and putH5414 the offeringH4503 of memorialH2146 in her handsH3709, which is the jealousyH7068 offeringH4503: and the priestH3548 shall have in his handH3027 the bitterH4751 waterH4325 that causeth the curseH779 : 19And the priestH3548 shall charge her by an oathH7650, and sayH559 unto the womanH802, If no manH376 have lainH7901 with thee, and if thou hast not gone asideH7847 to uncleannessH2932 with another instead of thy husbandH376, be thou freeH5352 from this bitterH4751 waterH4325 that causeth the curseH779 : 20But if thou hast gone asideH7847 to another instead of thy husbandH376, and if thou be defiledH2930, and some manH376 haveH5414 lainH7903 with thee besideH1107 thine husbandH376: 21Then the priestH3548 shall chargeH7650 the womanH802 with an oathH7621 of cursingH423, and the priestH3548 shall sayH559 unto the womanH802, The LORDH3068 makeH5414 thee a curseH423 and an oathH7621 amongH8432 thy peopleH5971, when the LORDH3068 doth makeH5414 thy thighH3409 to rotH5307, and thy bellyH990 to swellH6639; 22And this waterH4325 that causeth the curseH779 shall goH935 into thy bowelsH4578, to make thy bellyH990 to swellH6638, and thy thighH3409 to rotH5307 : And the womanH802 shall sayH559, AmenH543, amenH543. 23And the priestH3548 shall writeH3789 these cursesH423 in a bookH5612, and he shall blotH4229 them out with the bitterH4751 waterH4325: 24And he shall cause the womanH802 to drinkH8248 the bitterH4751 waterH4325 that causeth the curseH779 : and the waterH4325 that causeth the curseH779 shall enterH935 into her, and become bitterH4751. 25Then the priestH3548 shall takeH3947 the jealousyH7068 offeringH4503 out of the woman'sH802 handH3027, and shall waveH5130 the offeringH4503 beforeH6440 the LORDH3068, and offerH7126 it upon the altarH4196: 26And the priestH3548 shall take an handfulH7061 of the offeringH4503, even the memorialH234 thereof, and burnH6999 it upon the altarH4196, and afterwardH310 shall cause the womanH802 to drinkH8248 the waterH4325. 27And when he hath made her to drinkH8248 the waterH4325, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiledH2930, and have doneH4603 trespassH4604 against her husbandH376, that the waterH4325 that causeth the curseH779 shall enterH935 into her, and become bitterH4751, and her bellyH990 shall swellH6638, and her thighH3409 shall rotH5307 : and the womanH802 shall be a curseH423 amongH7130 her peopleH5971. 28And if the womanH802 be not defiledH2930, but be cleanH2889; then she shall be freeH5352, and shall conceiveH2232 seedH2233. 29This is the lawH8451 of jealousiesH7068, when a wifeH802 goeth asideH7847 to another instead of her husbandH376, and is defiledH2930 ; 30Or when the spiritH7307 of jealousyH7068 comethH5674 upon himH376, and he be jealousH7065 over his wifeH802, and shall setH5975 the womanH802 beforeH6440 the LORDH3068, and the priestH3548 shall executeH6213 upon her all this lawH8451. 31Then shall the manH376 be guiltlessH5352 from iniquityH5771, and thisH1931 womanH802 shall bearH5375 her iniquityH5771.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 2 THE UNCLEAN TO BE REMOVED OUT OF THE CAMP. (
Num 5:1-
Num 5:4)
Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper--The exclusion of leprous persons from the camp in the wilderness, as from cities and villages afterwards, was a sanitary measure taken according to prescribed rules (Lev. 13:1-14:57). This exclusion of lepers from society has been acted upon ever since; and it affords almost the only instance in which any kind of attention is paid in the East to the prevention of contagion. The usage still more or less prevails in the East among people who do not think the least precaution against the plague or cholera necessary; but judging from personal observation, we think that in Asia the leprosy has now much abated in frequency and virulence. It usually appears in a comparatively mild form in Egypt, Palestine, and other countries where the disorder is, or was, endemic. Small societies of excluded lepers live miserably in paltry huts. Many of them are beggars, going out into the roads to solicit alms, which they receive in a wooden bowl; charitable people also sometimes bring different articles of food, which they leave on the ground at a short distance from the hut of the lepers, for whom it is intended. They are generally obliged to wear a distinctive badge that people may know them at first sight and be warned to avoid them. Other means were adopted among the ancient Jews by putting their hand on their mouth and crying, "Unclean, unclean" [
Lev 13:45]. But their general treatment, as to exclusion from society, was the same as now described. The association of the lepers, however, in this passage, with those who were subject only to ceremonial uncleanness, shows that one important design in the temporary exile of such persons was to remove all impurities that reflected dishonor on the character and residence of Israel's King. And this vigilant care to maintain external cleanliness in the people was typically designed to teach them the practice of moral purity, or cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. The regulations made for ensuring cleanliness in the camp suggest the adoption of similar means for maintaining purity in the church. And although, in large communities of Christians, it may be often difficult or delicate to do this, the suspension or, in flagrant cases of sin, the total excommunication of the offender from the privileges and communion of the church is an imperative duty, as necessary to the moral purity of the Christian as the exclusion of the leper from the camp was to physical health and ceremonial purity in the Jewish church.
6 RESTITUTION ENJOINED. (
Num 5:5-
Num 5:10)
When a man or a woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord--This is a wrong or injury done by one man to the property of another, and as it is called "a trespass against the Lord," it is implied, in the case supposed, that the offense has been aggravated by prevaricating--by a false oath, or a fraudulent lie in denying it, which is a "trespass" committed against God, who is the sole judge of what is falsely sworn or spoken (
Acts 5:3-
Acts 5:4).
and that person be guilty--that is, from the obvious tenor of the passage, conscience-smitten, or brought to a sense and conviction of his evil conduct. (See on
Lev 6:2). In that case, there must be: first, confession, a penitential acknowledgment of sin; secondly, restitution of the property, or the giving of an equivalent, with the additional fine of a fifth part, both as a compensation to the person defrauded, and as a penalty inflicted on the injurer, to deter others from the commission of similar trespasses. (See on
Exod 22:1). The difference between the law recorded in that passage and this is that the one was enacted against flagrant and determined thieves, the other against those whose necessities might have urged them into fraud, and whose consciences were distressed by their sin. This law also supposes the injured party to be dead, in which case, the compensation due to his representatives was to be paid to the priest, who, as God's deputy, received the required satisfaction.
9 every offering . . . shall be his--Whatever was given in this way, or otherwise, as by freewill offerings, irrevocably belonged to the priest.
12 THE TRIAL OF JEALOUSY. (Num. 5:11-31)
if any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him--This law was given both as a strong discouragement to conjugal infidelity on the part of a wife, and a sufficient protection of her from the consequences of a hasty and groundless suspicion on the part of the husband. His suspicions, however, were sufficient in the absence of witnesses (
Lev 20:10) to warrant the trial described; and the course of proceeding to be followed was for the jealous husband to bring his wife unto the priest with an offering of barley meal, because none were allowed to approach the sanctuary empty handed (
Exod 23:15). On other occasions, there were mingled with the offering, oil which signified joy, and frankincense which denoted acceptance (
Ps 141:2). But on the occasion referred to, both these ingredients were to be excluded, partly because it was a solemn appeal to God in distressing circumstances, and partly because it was a sin offering on the part of the wife, who came before God in the character of a real or suspected offender.
17 the priest shall take holy water--Water from the laver, which was to be mixed with dust--an emblem of vileness and misery (
Gen 3:14;
Ps 22:15).
in an earthen vessel--This fragile ware was chosen because, after being used, it was broken in pieces (
Lev 6:28;
Lev 11:33). All the circumstances of this awful ceremony--her being placed with her face toward the ark--her uncovered head, a sign of her being deprived of the protection of her husband (
1Cor 11:7) --the bitter potion being put into her hands preparatory to an appeal to God--the solemn adjuration of the priest (
Num 5:19-
Num 5:22), all were calculated in no common degree to excite and appall the imagination of a person conscious of guilt.
21 The Lord make thee a curse, &c.--a usual form of imprecation (
Isa 65:15;
Jer 29:22).
22 the woman shall say, Amen, Amen--The Israelites were accustomed, instead of formally repeating the words of an oath merely to say, "Amen," a "so be it" to the imprecations it contained. The reduplication of the word was designed as an evidence of the woman's innocence, and a willingness that God would do to her according to her desert.
23 write these curses in a book--The imprecations, along with her name, were inscribed in some kind of record--on parchment, or more probably on a wooden tablet.
blot them out with the bitter water--If she were innocent, they could be easily erased, and were perfectly harmless; but if guilty, she would experience the fatal effects of the water she had drunk.
29 This is the law of jealousies--Adultery discovered and proved was punished with death. But strongly suspected cases would occur, and this law made provision for the conviction of the guilty person. It was, however, not a trial conducted according to the forms of judicial process, but an ordeal through which a suspected adulteress was made to go--the ceremony being of that terrifying nature, that, on the known principles of human nature, guilt or innocence could not fail to appear. From the earliest times, the jealousy of Eastern people has established ordeals for the detection and punishment of suspected unchastity in wives. The practice was deep-rooted as well as universal. And it has been thought, that the Israelites being strongly biassed in favor of such usages, this law of jealousies "was incorporated among the other institutions of the Mosaic economy, in order to free it from the idolatrous rites which the heathens had blended with it." Viewed in this light, its sanction by divine authority in a corrected and improved form exhibits a proof at once of the wisdom and condescension of God.