Numbers 5:11-21

11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
12 "Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them: `If any man's wife go astray and commit a trespass against him,
13 and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband and be kept secret, and she be defiled and there be no witness against her, neither be she taken in the act,
14 and the spirit of jealousy come upon him and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled -- or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled--
15 then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest. And he shall bring her offering for her, a tenth part of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil upon it nor put frankincense thereon, for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing 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 earthen vessel, and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take and put it into the water.
18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering; and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse.
19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, "If no man have lain with thee and if thou hast not gone astray to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse.
20 But if thou hast gone astray to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled and some man have lain with thee besides thine husband"--
21 then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman -- "the LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot and thy belly to swell.

Numbers 5:11-21 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.

Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.