American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Numbers 5
1
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that has an issue, and whoever is defiled by the dead:
Reference
3
Both male and female shall you put out, without the camp shall you put them; that they defile not their camps, in the middle whereof I dwell.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 23:14
4
And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spoke to Moses, so did the children of Israel.
5
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
6
Speak to the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty;
7
Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add to it the fifth part thereof, and give it to him against whom he has trespassed.
Reference
8
But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass to, let the trespass be recompensed to the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 7:7
9
And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.
Reference
10
And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatever any man gives the priest, it shall be his.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 10:13
11
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, If any man's wife go aside, 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 close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;
Reference
14
And the spirit of jealousy come on him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come on him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:
Reference
Song of Solomon 8:6
Parallel theme
Proverbs 6:34
1 Corinthians 10:22
Zephaniah 3:8
Spirit
Numbers 5:30
15
Then shall the man bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
Reference
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:
Reference
Temple
Exodus 30:18
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 causes the curse:
19
And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say to the woman, If no man have lain with you, and if you have not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of your husband, be you free from this bitter water that causes the curse:
20
But if you have gone aside to another instead of your husband, and if you be defiled, and some man have lain with you beside your husband:
21
Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say to the woman, The LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD does make your thigh to rot, and your belly to swell;
Reference
22
And this water that causes the curse shall go into your bowels, to make your belly to swell, and your thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.
Reference
Curse
Numbers 5:27
Parallel theme
Psalm 109:18
Psalm 89:52
Psalm 72:19
Psalm 41:13
Proverbs 1:31
John 3:3
John 3:11
John 6:53
Ezekiel 3:3
23
And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:
24
And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causes the curse: and the water that causes the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.
Reference
Parallel theme
Malachi 3:5
25
Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it on the altar:
Reference
Sacrifice
Leviticus 8:27
26
And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
Reference
27
And when he has made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causes the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
Reference
Curse
Jeremiah 29:18
Jeremiah 42:18
Zechariah 8:13
Isaiah 65:15
Jeremiah 29:22
Jeremiah 24:9
Jeremiah 44:12
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 28:37
28
And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
29
This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goes aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;
Reference
30
Or when the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute on her all this law.
31
Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 20:10
Summary of Numbers 5
Numbers chapter 5 sets out instructions on maintaining the cleanliness of the Israelite camp, on restoring what has been wrongfully taken, and responding to a husband suspecting his wife of being unfaithful. The chapter brings together different matters affecting the Israelites. Each of these is a concern in its own context, but they share the insight that the Israelites lived around the tabernacle in which God's presence was among them. They had to take matters of unfaithfulness, uncleanness, and injustice seriously.
The chapter begins with directions on dealing with unclean people. God instructs Moses that anyone with leprosy, a discharge, or who had become unclean through touching a dead body should be kept away from the camp. The rationale was that God had commanded that the Israelites should keep the camp that was around the tabernacle holy. Moses and the Israelites carried out this instruction in response to God's command related to the tabernacle in the midst of the camp.
The next set of instructions are more personal. God instructs the Israelites that if any person wrongs another, the matter was to be regarded as a wrong against Him. Restitution was to be made, which went beyond a confession of wrongdoing. The person was to make full restitution plus give an additional fifth. If the person who had been wronged was deceased and had no close relative to whom restitution could be made, the fifth was to be given to the Lord.
Instructions of a different order conclude the chapter. God instructs Moses on what is to be done in the case that a husband suspects his wife of being unfaithful but there is no evidence. The woman is to appear before the priest with an offering. Holy water and some dust from the floor of the tabernacle were mixed and used to try to determine if the woman had been unfaithful.
The woman was to be required to declare her innocence. If the woman had not been unfaithful, she would be able to have children. If she had been unfaithful, the words said above would be a curse against her. The woman was to say "amen, amen" to the curse and the priest was to write down the curses, mixing them up with holy water before the woman drank them. The text says that if she was guilty, the curses were to bring their punishments upon the woman.
The chapter concludes with the description of the law concerning jealousy. The husband was to bring the woman before the Lord and have the priest perform the ceremony. The outcome was for God to determine.
Numbers chapter 5 sets out three areas of instruction with regard to the life of the Israelites. The first deals with unclean people who had to be kept away from the camp. The second deals with people who have wronged others and have to make restitution. The final instructions deal with husbands suspecting their wives of being unfaithful.
There is a basic idea that runs through the three sections. The Israelites were to be concerned in their society with matters that could affect the community. They could not be indifferent to such matters.
The Israelites had to deal with uncleanness in people, especially those who had touched a dead body or who were suffering from leprosy. Dealing with uncleanness was necessary for maintaining the holiness of the camp in which the tabernacle was located. With regard to restitution, God was concerned with matters that could tear relationships in society. A person should not consider the damage they have caused to others as a matter of no concern to them. Restitution was a personal matter between the wrongdoer and the one who had been wronged. Wrongdoing was to be confessed and restitution was to be made with an additional fifth as a penalty for wrongdoing. This was a way of making a personal wrong right again and showing respect to the one who had been wronged. The final matter of the suspicions of a husband was not a matter for him to decide on his own. Such accusations could easily lead to family feuds, which is why the matter was to be brought before the priest.
These matters were not trivial for the people of Israel. Confession of wrong, restitution, and a willingness to accept judgment were necessary to restore relationships and to renew a right spirit within people. The instructions regarding restitution show that personal relationships mattered in the eyes of God. An Israelite could not take advantage of another and then consider that the matter was concluded. Wrong had to be righted and restitution made. The additional fifth showed that the wrong was serious and the restitution was a matter of importance to God. The matter of a husband suspecting his wife of being unfaithful was dealt with in a manner similar to the other matters dealt with in this chapter. In each of these matters, the Israelite was concerned with something that could spoil their society.
Numbers chapter 5 provides instruction on matters of importance to the Israelites as they lived around the tabernacle. The instructions relate to unclean people in society who had to be banished from the camp. Wrongdoing had to be confessed and restitution made as part of repairing relationships. Suspicions of unfaithfulness could lead to family feuds, and such cases were to be brought before the priest with specified offerings and judgment from God.
The chapter begins with directions on dealing with unclean people. God instructs Moses that anyone with leprosy, a discharge, or who had become unclean through touching a dead body should be kept away from the camp. The rationale was that God had commanded that the Israelites should keep the camp that was around the tabernacle holy. Moses and the Israelites carried out this instruction in response to God's command related to the tabernacle in the midst of the camp.
The next set of instructions are more personal. God instructs the Israelites that if any person wrongs another, the matter was to be regarded as a wrong against Him. Restitution was to be made, which went beyond a confession of wrongdoing. The person was to make full restitution plus give an additional fifth. If the person who had been wronged was deceased and had no close relative to whom restitution could be made, the fifth was to be given to the Lord.
Instructions of a different order conclude the chapter. God instructs Moses on what is to be done in the case that a husband suspects his wife of being unfaithful but there is no evidence. The woman is to appear before the priest with an offering. Holy water and some dust from the floor of the tabernacle were mixed and used to try to determine if the woman had been unfaithful.
The woman was to be required to declare her innocence. If the woman had not been unfaithful, she would be able to have children. If she had been unfaithful, the words said above would be a curse against her. The woman was to say "amen, amen" to the curse and the priest was to write down the curses, mixing them up with holy water before the woman drank them. The text says that if she was guilty, the curses were to bring their punishments upon the woman.
The chapter concludes with the description of the law concerning jealousy. The husband was to bring the woman before the Lord and have the priest perform the ceremony. The outcome was for God to determine.
Numbers chapter 5 sets out three areas of instruction with regard to the life of the Israelites. The first deals with unclean people who had to be kept away from the camp. The second deals with people who have wronged others and have to make restitution. The final instructions deal with husbands suspecting their wives of being unfaithful.
There is a basic idea that runs through the three sections. The Israelites were to be concerned in their society with matters that could affect the community. They could not be indifferent to such matters.
The Israelites had to deal with uncleanness in people, especially those who had touched a dead body or who were suffering from leprosy. Dealing with uncleanness was necessary for maintaining the holiness of the camp in which the tabernacle was located. With regard to restitution, God was concerned with matters that could tear relationships in society. A person should not consider the damage they have caused to others as a matter of no concern to them. Restitution was a personal matter between the wrongdoer and the one who had been wronged. Wrongdoing was to be confessed and restitution was to be made with an additional fifth as a penalty for wrongdoing. This was a way of making a personal wrong right again and showing respect to the one who had been wronged. The final matter of the suspicions of a husband was not a matter for him to decide on his own. Such accusations could easily lead to family feuds, which is why the matter was to be brought before the priest.
These matters were not trivial for the people of Israel. Confession of wrong, restitution, and a willingness to accept judgment were necessary to restore relationships and to renew a right spirit within people. The instructions regarding restitution show that personal relationships mattered in the eyes of God. An Israelite could not take advantage of another and then consider that the matter was concluded. Wrong had to be righted and restitution made. The additional fifth showed that the wrong was serious and the restitution was a matter of importance to God. The matter of a husband suspecting his wife of being unfaithful was dealt with in a manner similar to the other matters dealt with in this chapter. In each of these matters, the Israelite was concerned with something that could spoil their society.
Numbers chapter 5 provides instruction on matters of importance to the Israelites as they lived around the tabernacle. The instructions relate to unclean people in society who had to be banished from the camp. Wrongdoing had to be confessed and restitution made as part of repairing relationships. Suspicions of unfaithfulness could lead to family feuds, and such cases were to be brought before the priest with specified offerings and judgment from God.