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Numbers 5:18-28

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18 'The priest shall then have the woman stand before the LORD and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and place the grain offering of memorial in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse.
19 'The priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, "If no man has lain with you and if you have not 1gone astray into uncleanness, being under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;
20 if you, however, have 2gone astray, being under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you"
21 (then the priest shall have the woman 3swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman ), "the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people by the LORD'S making your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell;
22 and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away." And the woman 4shall say, "Amen. Amen."
23 'The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll, and he shall wash them off into the water of bitterness.
24 'Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her and cause bitterness.
25 'The priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman's hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before the LORD and bring it to the altar;
26 and 5the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial offering and offer it up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water.
27 'When he has made her drink the water, then it shall come about, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, that the water which brings a curse will go into her and cause bitterness, and her abdomen will swell and her thigh will waste away, and the woman will become 6a curse among her people.
28 'But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will then be free and conceive children.
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Numbers 5:18-28 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 5

This chapter contains a repetition of some former laws, concerning putting unclean persons out of the camp, Nu 5:1-4; making restitution in case of trespass against another, Nu 5:5-8; and of giving the offering of all holy things and all hallowed things to the priests, Nu 5:9,10; and a new law concerning jealousy, in a man, of his wife, Nu 5:11-14; when she was to be brought to the priest, and various rites and ceremonies to be used, Nu 5:15-23; who was to give her bitter water as a trial of her chastity, which, if guilty, would have a strange effect upon her, and make her accursed, but if not, would not affect her, and she would be free and happy, Nu 5:24-31.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 6

  • 1. Numbers 5:12
  • 2. Numbers 5:12
  • 3. Joshua 6:26; 1 Samuel 14:24; Nehemiah 10:29
  • 4. Deuteronomy 27:15
  • 5. Leviticus 2:2, 9
  • 6. Jeremiah 29:18; Jeremiah 42:18; Jeremiah 44:12

Footnotes 10

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.