Numbers 19:17

17 "For the unclean person they are to take some of the ashes of the animal burned up as a purification from sin and add them to fresh water in a container.

Numbers 19:17 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 19:17

And for an unclean person
Defiled by any of the above means:

they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for
sin;
from the place where they were laid up for this use; (See Gill on Numbers 19:9) and some have thought that they were laid up in various cities and places in the country, as well as at Jerusalem, that they might be come at easily upon occasion; otherwise they could not be had without great trouble and expense, and in some places not so soon as the law required for their purification, namely, on the third day after their defilement:

and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel;
the Targum Jonathan is,

``fountain water in the midst of earthen vessel;''

for no water but fountain, spring, or river water, was made use of; and it should seem by what is said that ashes were first put into the vessel, and then the running water was put to them; and yet the Jewish writers say ^F19, that if the ashes were put in first, and then the water, it was not right; and the meaning of what is said here is, that the water and ashes should be mixed together; for it is urged from the words: "running water in a vessel", that it is plain, that the water is put in the vessel and not to the ashes; and therefore that which is said, "shall be put thereto", is to caution the person, that after he has put the ashes upon the water, that he mixes them well with his finger, and cause the water below to rise above ^F20.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F19 Maimon. Milchot, Parah Adumah, c. 9. sect. 1.
F20 Bartenora in Misn. Temurah, c. 1. sect. 5.

Numbers 19:17 In-Context

15 Every open container without a cover closely attached is unclean.

16 Also whoever is in an open field and touches a corpse, whether of someone killed by a weapon or of someone who died naturally, or the bone of a person, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.

17 "For the unclean person they are to take some of the ashes of the animal burned up as a purification from sin and add them to fresh water in a container.

18 A clean person is to take a bunch of hyssop leaves, dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the containers, on the people who were there, and on the person who touched the bone or the person killed or the one who died naturally or the grave.

19 The clean person will sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day he will purify him; then he will wash his clothes and himself in water; and he will be clean at evening.