Numbers 5:18

18 And when the woman standeth in the sight of the Lord, the priest shall uncover her head, and he shall put upon her hands the sacrifice of remembering, and the offering of jealousy. Soothly he shall hold (in his hand) the most bitter waters, in which he hath gathered together curses with cursing. (And when the woman standeth before the Lord, the priest shall uncover her head, and he shall put in her hands the offering of remembrance, which is the offering for jealousy. And he shall hold in his hand this most bitter water, into which he shall gather together curses.)

Numbers 5:18 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 5:18

And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord
In the east of the tabernacle, with her face to the west, where was the holy of holies, so Ben Gersom; but not immediately for they had her from place to place, as Jarchi says, till she was weary, and her mind disturbed, that she might confess; and if she said, I am defiled, she rent the writing of her dowry, and went out; but if she said, I am pure, they brought her to the eastern gate, the gate of Nicanor, for there they made women suspected of adultery to drink the waters ^F20:

and uncover the woman's head;
as a token of her immodesty and non-subjection to her husband, and that she might be seen by all, to cause shame in her: according to the Misnah ^F21, the priest took off her clothes, and loosed her hair--if she was clothed with white garments, he clothed her with black; if she had on her ornaments of gold, chains, earrings, or rings, he took them away from her, that she might be unseemly, and whoever would might come and look at her:

and put the offering of memorial into her hands, which [is] the
jealousy offering;
to weary her, as Jarchi says, that if perhaps her mind was disturbed she would confess; and so in the Misnah ^F23 it is said, that her husband put this offering into her hands to weary her; but the true reason here seems to be, that it might appear to be her own offering:

and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth
the curse;
not that the water was bitter of itself, for it was the water out of the laver, and had nothing in it but the dust of the floor of the tabernacle; though some think some bitter thing was put into it, so Ben Gersom, as wormwood; but it is so called from the effects of it on those that were guilty; it produced sad effects in them, bitter and distressing, and made them appear to be accursed ones, for it was not bitter till it entered, ( Numbers 5:24 ) ; whereas it was not so to the innocent, nor attended with any such consequence to them; so that there was nothing in the water itself, but its efficacy was divine and supernatural.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Sotah, c. 1. sect. 5.
F21 Sotah, c. 1. sect. 5, 6.
F23 Sotah, c. 2. sect. 1.

Numbers 5:18 In-Context

16 Therefore the priest shall offer her, and shall set her before the Lord; (And so the priest shall bring her forth, and shall put her before the Lord;)

17 and he shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall put into it a little earth of the pavement of the tabernacle. (and he shall pour some holy water into an earthen, or a clay, vessel, and he shall put into it a little dust, or a little dirt, from the floor of the Tabernacle, to make the water bitter.)

18 And when the woman standeth in the sight of the Lord, the priest shall uncover her head, and he shall put upon her hands the sacrifice of remembering, and the offering of jealousy. Soothly he shall hold (in his hand) the most bitter waters, in which he hath gathered together curses with cursing. (And when the woman standeth before the Lord, the priest shall uncover her head, and he shall put in her hands the offering of remembrance, which is the offering for jealousy. And he shall hold in his hand this most bitter water, into which he shall gather together curses.)

19 And he shall conjure her, and say, If an alien man slept not with thee, and if thou art not defouled in forsaking the bed of thine husband, these bitter waters shall not harm thee, into which I have gathered together curses; (And he shall adjure her, and say, If thou hath not slept with a stranger, and if thou art not defiled by forsaking thy husband's bed, then this most bitter water, into which I shall gather together curses, shall not harm thee;)

20 else if thou bowedest away from thine husband, and art defouled, and hast lain with another man, (but if thou hast turned away from thy husband, and art defiled, and hast lain with another man,)