Numbers 19:1-6

1 God spoke to Moses and Aaron:

2 "This is the rule from the Revelation that God commands: Tell the People of Israel to get a red cow, a healthy specimen, ritually clean, that has never been in harness.

3 Present it to Eleazar the priest, then take it outside the camp and butcher it while he looks on.

4 Eleazar will take some of the blood on his finger and splash it seven times in the direction of the Tent of Meeting.

5 "Then under Eleazar's supervision burn the cow, the whole thing - hide, meat, blood, even its dung.

6 The priest then will take a stick of cedar, some sprigs of hyssop, and a piece of scarlet material and throw them on the burning cow.

Numbers 19:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 19

This chapter contains a law for making a water for purification for sin, the ingredients of which are the ashes of a red heifer burnt, about which many things are observed, Nu 19:1-10; the use of the water made of them, to purify such as were unclean by the touch of a dead body, Nu 19:11-13; some rules are given, by which it might be known who were unclean on account of a dead body, Nu 19:14-16; the manner of purifying such persons, Nu 19:17-19; and the punishment of those that should neglect purification, Nu 19:20-22.