Numbers 5:7-17

7 ¹he shall confess his sin that he has committed.^[a]2And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.

8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the LORD for the priest, in addition to ³the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.

9 And ⁴every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.

10 Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his."

A Test for Adultery

11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 "Speak to the people of Israel, If any man's wife goes astray and breaks faith with him,

13 if a man ⁵lies with her sexually, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, ⁶since she was not taken in the act,

14 and if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife, though she has not defiled herself,

15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah^[b] of barley flour. ⁷He shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance, ⁸bringing 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 earthenware vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.

Numbers 5:7-17 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.

Cross References

• 1. Leviticus 5:5; Leviticus 26:40; [Joshua 7:19]
• 2. Leviticus 6:5
• 3. Leviticus 6:6, 7
• 4. Numbers 18:19; Exodus 29:28; Leviticus 6:17, 18; Leviticus 7:6, 7, 9, 10, 14; Deuteronomy 18:3, 4
• 5. Leviticus 18:20
• 6. John 8:4
• 7. [Leviticus 2:1, 15; Leviticus 5:11]
• 8. 1 Kings 17:18; Ezekiel 29:16

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew they shall confess their sin that they have committed
• [b]. An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters