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Numbers Chapter
Five
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 5
This
chapter contains a repetition of some former laws
concerning putting unclean
persons out of the camp
Numbers 5:1; making
restitution in case of trespass against another
Numbers 5:5; and of
giving the offering of all holy things and all hallowed things to the priests
Numbers 5:9; and a
new law concerning jealousy
in a man
of his wife
Numbers 5:11; when
she was to be brought to the priest
and various rites and ceremonies to be
used
Numbers 5:15; 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
Numbers 5:24.
Numbers 5:1 And the Lord spoke to Moses
saying:
YLT
1And Jehovah speaketh unto
Moses
saying
And the Lord spake unto Moses
.... Jarchi says
what
follows was said on the day the tabernacle was erected
but it seems rather to
have been delivered after the several camps were formed
and the people
numbered
when those that were unclean were ordered to be cast out of them:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 5:2 2 “Command the children of Israel that they put out of
the camp every leper
everyone who has a discharge
and whoever becomes defiled
by a corpse.
YLT
2`Command the sons of
Israel
and they send out of the camp every leper
and every one with an issue
and every one defiled by a body;
Command the children of Israel
.... Not as from himself
but from the Lord; deliver out the following as a command of his
to which
obedience was required of all the children of Israel:
that they put out of the camp every leper; there were
three camps
Jarchi says
in the time of their encampment; between the curtains
was the camp of the Shechinah
or the divine Majesty; the encampment of the
Levites round about; and from thence to the end was the camp of the standards
to the four winds
which was the camp of Israel; and the leper was to be put
out of them all; so Ben Gersom; see Leviticus 13:46
and everyone that hath an issue; a gonorrhoea
man or
woman
see Leviticus 15:2;
according Jarchi
such an one might be in the camp of Israel
but was to be put
out of the other two camps:
and whosoever is defiled by the dead; by attending the
funerals of the dead
or touching them
see Leviticus 21:1;
such an one might go into the camp of the Levites
according to Jarchi and Ben
Gersom; and was to be put of none but the camp of the Shechinah
or the
tabernacle; but the camp of Israel seems to be meant of them all
out of which
they were to be put
as an emblem of the rejection of all impure persons out of
the church of God.
Numbers 5:3 3 You shall put out both male and female; you shall put
them outside the camp
that they may not defile their camps in the midst of
which I dwell.”
YLT
3from male unto female ye do
send out; unto the outside of the camp ye do send them; and they defile not their
camps in the midst of which I do tabernacle.'
Both male and female shall ye put out
.... Whether
leprous
or profluvious
or defiled by touching a dead carcass: by this law
Miriam
when leprous
was put out of the camp
Numbers 12:14
without the camp shall ye put them; which is repeated that
it might be taken notice of
and punctually observed:
that they defile not their camps; of which there were
four
the camps of Judah
Reuben
Ephraim
and Dan:
in the midst whereof I dwell; for the tabernacle
which was the dwelling place of the Lord
was in the midst of the camps of
Israel; they were pitched on the four quarters of it; and this is a reason why
impure persons were not suffered to be in the camp of Israel
because of the
presence of God in the tabernacle so near them
to whom all
impurity is
loathsome
and not to be permitted in his sight; and though this was
ceremonial
it was typical of the uncleanness of sin
which is abominable to
him
and renders persons unfit for communion with him
and with his people.
Numbers 5:4 4 And the children of Israel did so
and put them outside
the camp; as the Lord spoke to Moses
so the children
of Israel did.
YLT
4And the sons of Israel do
so
and they send them out unto the outside of the camp; as Jehovah hath spoken
unto Moses so have the sons of Israel done.
And the children of Israel did so
and put them without the camp
.... Aben Ezra
observes
that this was done immediately before they journeyed
and that those
that were defiled journeyed between the standard of Ephraim and the standard of
Dan; but this
he says
was by way of conjecture
since it is not expressed:
as the Lord spake unto Moses
so did the children of Israel; they were
obedient in this particular.
Numbers 5:5 5 Then the Lord spoke to
Moses
saying
YLT
5And Jehovah speaketh unto
Moses
saying
And the Lord spake unto Moses
.... Or continued to
speak to him at the same time:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 5:6 6 “Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man or woman
commits any sin that men commit in unfaithfulness against the Lord
and that person is guilty
YLT
6`Speak unto the sons of
Israel
Man or woman
when they do any of the sins of man
by committing a
trespass against Jehovah
and that person [is] guilty
Speak unto the children of Israel
.... Put them in mind of
the following law
that they observe it; and which is here repeated
because of
two new things in it
as Jarchi observes
the one relates to confession
teaching that there is no fifth part nor trespass offering by witnesses
till a
man confesses the thing; and the other is
concerning taking anything away by
violence from a proselyte
which is to be given to the priests; see the
original law in Leviticus 6:1
when a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit; or
"any
of the sins of men"F5מכל חטאת האדם "ex omnibus
peccatis hominis"
Montanus.
which are commonly done by men
and men are
subject to through the infirmity of the flesh
and the temptations of Satan; or
"any sin against man"F6"Ex omnibus peccatis contra
hominem"
Tigurine version; so Patrick.
so some
as this referred to is
expressly said to be
Numbers 5:7
to do a trespass against the Lord; for every sin against
man is also against the Lord
being a breach of his command; as David's sin
against Uriah was a sin against the Lord
Psalm 51:4; though
the Jews understand it particularly of lying and swearing falsely
appealing to
God
and calling him to be a witness to a falsehood; and so the Targum of
Onkelos seems to interpret it:
and the person be guilty; and knows he is so
and
even knew it when he took an oath to the contrary; see Leviticus 6:3.
Numbers 5:7 7 then he shall confess the sin which he has committed.
He shall make restitution for his trespass in full
plus one-fifth of it
and
give it to the one he has wronged.
YLT
7and they have confessed
their sin which they have done
then he hath restored his guilt in its
principal
and its fifth is adding to it
and hath given [it] to him in
reference to whom he hath been guilty.
Then they shall confess their sin which they have done
.... The form
of which confession
according to Fagius
was
O Lord
I am guilty of death
I
have deserved to be stoned for this sin
or to be strangled for this trespass
or to be burnt for this crime
&c.
and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof
and add unto it the fifth part thereof; paying the whole of
whatsoever he had in any manner defrauded his neighbour of
to which he was to
add a fifth part of that; that is
as Aben Ezra interprets it
it he confesses
of himself
but if there are witnesses of it he must add two fifths
and some
say a fifth of a fifth:
and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed; as a
satisfaction for the injury done him.
Numbers 5:8 8 But if the man has no relative to whom restitution may
be made for the wrong
the restitution for the wrong must go to the Lord for the priest
in addition to the ram of the atonement with which
atonement is made for him.
YLT
8`And if the man have no
redeemer to restore the guilt to
the guilt which is restored [is] Jehovah's
the priest's
apart from the ram of the atonements
whereby he maketh atonement
for him.
But if a man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass to
.... This
supposes that if a man should die
against whom the trespass is
before the
restitution is made
then it shall be made to his heirs; and if he has none
then it was to be given to the priest
as after directed: the JewsF7Maimon.
& Bartenora in Misn. Bava Kama
c. 9. sect. 11. Jarchi in loc. generally
understand this of a proselyte
that has no heirs
for they say
there is no
Israelite but has kinsmen
a brother or a son
or some one or other near of kin
to him
of his father's family
even up to Jacob:
let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord
even to the
priest; that is
let the principal
with the fifth part
which is the
recompence for the trespass committed
be given to the priest of the Lord
which is the same as if it was given to him
he being his minister:
beside the ram of the atonement
whereby an atonement shall be
made for him; which
in this case
was ordered to be offered for the
expiation
of the trespass
see Leviticus 6:6; the Jewish
canon is
"he that takes away anything by force from a proselyte
and
swears to him
and he (the proselyte) dies
lo
he shall pay the principal and
the fifth to the priests
and the trespass offering to the altar
as it is
said
"if a man has no kinsman"
&c. when he brings the money and
the trespass offering
and he is dead
the money shall be given to his sons
but the trespass offering (the ram) shall feed until it contracts some blemish
and then it shall be sold
and the price of it shall fall to the freewill
offeringsF8Misn. Bava Kama
ib. .'
Numbers 5:9 9 Every offering of all the holy things of the children
of Israel
which they bring to the priest
shall be his.
YLT
9`And every heave-offering
of all the holy things of the sons of Israel
which they bring near to the
priest
becometh his;
And every offering of all the holy things of the children of
Israel
.... Of the holy sacrifices brought by them to be offered up;
that part of them which is elevated
heaved
or waved
as the heave shoulder
and wave breast:
which they bring unto the priest
shall be his; what they
bring to him to offer for them shall be his who performs the service
even that
part of them which is his due.
Numbers 5:10 10 And every man’s holy things shall be his; whatever any
man gives the priest shall be his.’”
YLT
10and any man's hallowed
things become his; that which any man giveth to the priest becometh his.'
And every man's hallowed things shall be his
.... Which he
by a vow or freewill offering
separates to holy uses; these are at his own
dispose
to give to what priest he will
or they are the priest's; for what a
man devotes to the Lord is to be given to them
or such things as God has
hallowed
sanctified
and set apart for sacred uses
as the firstfruits and
tithes
they were the priests'; the Jewish writersF9Targ. Jon.
Siphri & Midrash in Jarchi in loc. restrain it to tithes:
whatsoever any man giveth the priest
it shall be his; his
personally
who officiates
or to whom the gift is given
and is not to be
divided among the other priests in the course.
Numbers 5:11 11 And the Lord spoke to
Moses
saying
YLT
11And Jehovah speaketh unto
Moses
saying
And the Lord spake unto Moses
.... At the same time
and delivered to him a new law:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 5:12 12 “Speak to the children of Israel
and say to them: ‘If
any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him
YLT
12`Speak unto the sons of
Israel
and thou hast said unto them
When any man's wife turneth aside
and
hath committed against him a trespass
Speak unto the children of Israel
and say unto them
.... It being
an affair which concerned them:
if any man's wife go aside
and commit a trespass against him; the sin of
adultery
which is a going aside out of the way of virtue and chastity
and a
trespass against an husband
a breach of the marriage covenant with him
a
defiling his bed
doing an injury and dishonour to him
bringing confusion into
his family
and a spurious offspring to possess his substance: though this is
to be understood
not of certain adultery
of which there is plain and full
proof
for then there would be no occasion of such a trial
as is afterwards
directed to; besides
her husband
in such a case
might put her away
and
even
according to the law
she was to be put to death
Leviticus 20:10;
but of her having committed it in the opinion of her husband
he having some
ground of suspicion
though he could not be certain of it; and therefore
by
this law
was allowed to make trial
that he might find it out
it at present
only a suspected case
and a doubtful one; and the JewsF11Bemidbar
Rabba
sect. 9. fol. 195. 2. say
"they never gave the waters drink but in
a doubtful case:'and so this may interpreted of her declining and departing
from her husband's house
not keeping at home to mind the affairs of her
family
but gadding abroad
and keeping company with another man
or other men;
and that after she had been warned and charged by her husband to the contrary
and so had disobeyed him
and acted contrary to his will; and in that sense had
committed a trespass
and so had given him suspicion of her unchastity
for
which he might have some reason; if
as it is said in the MisnahF12Sotah
c. 1. sect. 1
2.
he gave her an admonition before two witnesses
saying
have no talk with such a man
and yet she talks with him; or
as the
commentators addF13Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Bava Kama
c. 9.
sect. 11.
be not secretly or in private with such an one
and yet goes into a
private place with him
and stays so long with him that she may be defiled;
this with them rendered her suspected.
Numbers 5:13 13 and a man lies with her carnally
and it is hidden
from the eyes of her husband
and it is concealed that she has defiled herself
and there was no witness against her
nor was she caught—
YLT
13and a man hath lain with
her [with] the seed of copulation
and it hath been hid from the eyes of her
husband
and concealed
and she hath been defiled
and there is no witness
against her
and she hath not been caught
And a man lie with her carnally
.... That is
is
suspected that he has so done
not that it is a clear case
for it follows:
and it be hid from the eyes of her husband
and be kept close; so that it is
not known by her husband
nor by any other; "she hath hid herself"
so Ainsworth
being in a private place with another man
though warned to the
contrary by her husband:
and she be defiled
and there be no witness against her; of her being
defiled
though there may be of her being in private with such a man:
neither she be taken with the manner; or in the act
of uncleanness.
Numbers 5:14 14 if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he
becomes jealous of his wife
who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of
jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife
although she has
not defiled herself—
YLT
14and a spirit of jealousy
hath passed over him
and he hath been jealous of his wife
and she hath been
defiled; -- or
a spirit of jealousy hath passed over him
and he hath been
jealous of his wife
and she hath not been defiled –
And the spirit of jealousy come upon him
.... A thought
rises up in his mind
a strong suspicion works in him
which he cannot resist
and throw off
but it remains with him
and makes him very uneasy
that his
wife has defiled his bed
as it follows:
and he be jealous of his wife
and she be defiled; that his wife
is defiled by a man; and which is the real case
as it afterwards appears
though at present he is not certain
only has a suspicion of it:
or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him
and he be jealous of
his wife
and she be not defiled; it is mere jealousy and
suspicion
without any foundation for it; and his wife proved a chaste and
virtuous woman; yet be it which it would
he being jealous
the following law
was to take place
and the following rules to be observed.
Numbers 5:15 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He
shall bring the offering required for her
one-tenth of an ephah of barley
meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it
because it is
a grain offering of jealousy
an offering for remembering
for bringing
iniquity to remembrance.
YLT 15`Then hath the man brought
in his wife unto the priest
and he hath brought in her offering for her
a
tenth of the ephah of barley meal
he doth not pour on it oil
nor doth he put
on it frankincense
for it [is] a present of jealousy
a present of memorial
causing remembrance of iniquity.
Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest
.... Not to
the high priest but to a common priest
anyone then officiating in his course;
for there was a jealousy offering to be offered up before the Lord upon the
altar
which none but a priest might do; and besides
the whole process in this
affair was to be carried
on by him: according to the MisnahF14Ut
supra
(Misn. Bava Kama
c. 9.) sect. 3
4.
the man brought his wife first to
the sanhedrim
or court of judicature in the place where he lived; before whom
as MaimonidesF15Hilchot Sotah
c. 3. sect. 1. says
he proved by
witnesses that he had warned his wife of being in private with such a man
and
yet she had done it again; and whereas she insisted on her chastity
he desired
that the bitter waters might be given her
that the truth might appear; and
then they sent him with two disciples of the wise men
to the great sanhedrim
at Jerusalem
where the trial was made; who
in order to bring her too
confession
endeavoured to terrify her
as they do persons in capital cases
and finding this wilt not do
then they used smooth words
saying
my daughter
perhaps much wine was the occasion of it
or much laughter
&c.
and he shall bring her offering for her: not the
priest
but her husband
and that whether he is willing or not
as Aben Ezra;
who also observes
that it may be interpreted
with her
or for her sake
not
to make any expiation for any fault of his
that when he first observed her
immodesty
did not reprove her; for the offering
though brought by him
was
not his
but his wife's
and not to expiate her sin
but to bring it to
remembrance
as is after expressed:
the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; which was an
omer
Exodus 16:36
the
quantity of manna for one man every day
Exodus 16:16
and
the quantity of flour in the daily meat offering
Exodus 29:40; only
that was of fine wheaten flour; this of barley
the food of beasts
as the
Targum of Jonathan remarks; and R. Gamaliel in the MisnahF16Sotah
c. 2. sect. 1. says
that as her deed was the deed of a beast
so her offering
was the food of a beast; and this is observed by Jarchi and Aben Ezra on the
text
as the reason of barley being used in this offering: some say it was a
symbol of her impudence
others of her being little at home
as the barley is
not long under groundF17Apud Muis. in loc. ; the true reason
it may
be
was for her humiliation
being vile
and mean
hence it follows:
he shall pour no oil upon it
nor put frankincense thereon; as used to be
oft meat offerings
denoting their acceptableness to God
Leviticus 2:1; the
reason seems to be
because these were tokens of joy and gladness
whereas this
was a mournful affair to the husband
that he should have any cause of
suspicion and jealousy
to the wife that she should be suspected
and to the
whole family on that account:
for it is an offering of jealousy
an offering of memorial
bringing iniquity to remembrance; if guilty of it
and
therefore oil and frankincense were forbidden in this kind of offering as in a
sin offering
Leviticus 5:11.
Numbers 5:16 16 ‘And the priest shall bring her near
and set her
before the Lord.
YLT
16`And the priest hath
brought her near
and hath caused her to stand before Jehovah
And the priest shall bring her near
.... Or "offer
it"
as the Vulgate Latin version
that is
the offering of jealousy:
and set her before the Lord; or "it"
the
offering; for which the Tigurine version is more express
"let the priest
offer that sacrifice
and set that before the Lord
'for the setting of the
woman before the Lord is spoken of in Numbers 5:18.
Numbers 5:17 17 The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel
and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it
into the water.
YLT
17and the priest hath taken
holy water in an earthen vessel
and of the dust which is on the floor of the
tabernacle doth the priest take
and hath put [it] into the water
And the priest shall take holy water
.... Out of
the laver
as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan
and so Jarchi and Aben Ezra:
in an earthen vessel; which held half a log
and that was but a quarter of a pint
or three egg shells; for no more was
assigned
to a suspected woman
according to the MisnahF18Sotah
c.
2. sect. 2. Menachot
c. 9. sect. 3. . Some say only a fourth part: an earthen
vessel was made use of
as everything vile and mean was in this affair:
and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest
shall take
and put it into the water; first the water was put
in
and then the dust
as Ben Gersom observes: there was a place a cubit
square
where was a marble table
and a ring fixed in it
and when he lifted it
up he took dust from under it
and put it so as it might be upon the top of the
waterF19Sotah
c. 2. sect. 2. ; which was used
either
as the
Targum of Jonathan suggests
because the end of all flesh is to come to dust
and so to put her in mind of her original and her end; and in like manner the
earthen vessel might signify
that she would be broke to pieces as that vessel;
as also it might direct her thoughts to the tempter
by the influence of whose
temptation she had been drawn into this sin
dust being the serpent's food; and
this being taken off the floor of the tabernacle
might add to the veneration
of it
and make it more solemn and awful to drink of it.
Numbers 5:18 18 Then the priest shall stand the woman before the Lord
uncover the woman’s head
and put the offering for remembering in
her hands
which is the grain offering of jealousy. And the priest shall
have in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse.
YLT
18and the priest hath caused
the woman to stand before Jehovah
and hath uncovered the woman's head
and
hath given into her hands the present of the memorial
it [is] a present of
jealousy
and in the hand of the priest are the bitter waters which cause the
curse.
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 watersF20Sotah
c. 1. sect. 5. :
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 MisnahF21Sotah
c. 1. sect.
5
6.
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 MisnahF23Sotah
c. 2.
sect. 1. 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.
Numbers 5:19 19 And the priest shall put her under oath
and say to
the woman
“If no man has lain with you
and if you have not gone astray to
uncleanness while under your husband’s authority
be free from
this bitter water that brings a curse.
YLT
19`And the priest hath caused
her to swear
and hath said unto the woman
If no man hath lain with thee
and
if thou hast not turned aside [to] uncleanness under thy husband
be free from
these bitter waters which cause the curse;
And the priest shall charge her by an oath
.... Or give
her her oath:
and say unto the woman
if no man hath lain with thee: besides her
husband:
and thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another
instead of thy husband; which is but another phrase expressive of the same thing
the
sin of adultery:
be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse; if this is
the case
it shall produce no bitter effects
or bring any curse upon thee.
Numbers 5:20 20 But if you have gone astray while under your
husband’s authority
and if you have defiled yourself and some man other
than your husband has lain with you”—
YLT
20and thou
if thou hast
turned aside under thy husband
and if thou hast been defiled
and any man doth
give his copulation to thee besides thy husband –
But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband
.... Gone
aside from the paths of modesty and chastity
and betook herself to another
man's bed instead of her husband's:
and if thou be defiled
by committing adultery:
and some man hath lain with thee beside thy husband; these phrases
are all synonymous
and a heap of words are made use of to express the sin
and
that there might be no evasion of it
and that it might be clear what was
intended
this being said on oath.
Numbers 5:21 21 then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of
the curse
and he shall say to the woman—“the Lord make you a
curse and an oath among your people
when the Lord makes your
thigh rot and your belly swell;
YLT
21(then the priest hath
caused the woman to swear with an oath of execration
and the priest hath said
to the woman) -- Jehovah doth give thee for an execration
and for a curse
in
the midst of thy people
in Jehovah's giving thy thigh to fall
and thy belly
to swell
Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing
.... An oath
which has a curse annexed to it
if taken falsely
which was to be pronounced
upon the woman if guilty:
and the priest shall say unto the woman; pronouncing
the imprecation or curse upon her
she having taken the oath
should she be
guilty of the crime suspected of
and she had swore concerning:
the Lord make thee a curse
and an oath among the people; accursed
according to the oath taken; or let this be the form of an oath and imprecation
used by the people
saying
if I have done so and so
let me be accursed as
such a woman
or let not that happen to me
as did to such a woman
so Jarchi:
when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot
and thy belly to swell; upon drinking
the bitter waters; but though these things followed upon that
yet not as the
natural cause of them
for they are ascribed to the Lord
and to a supernatural
and miraculous power of his
which went along with the drinking of them.
Numbers 5:22 22 and may this water that causes the curse go into your
stomach
and make your belly swell and your thigh rot.” ‘Then the
woman shall say
“Amen
so be it.”
YLT
22and these waters which
cause the curse have gone into thy bowels
to cause the belly to swell
and the
thigh to fall; and the woman hath said
Amen
Amen.
And this water that causeth the curse
.... Upon the
drinking of which the curse follows
if guilty:
shall go into thy bowels; and there operate and
produce the above effects
which are repeated again to inject terror:
to make thy belly to swell
and thy thigh to rot; here ends the
form of the oath
which begins Numbers 5:19
and the woman shall say
amen
amen; so be it; let it be as
pronounced
if I am guilty; which
as Aben Ezra observes
is repeated for the
sake of confirmation; though the Jewish writers commonly understand it as
respecting various things
the oath and the curse
the thing charged with
and
the persons suspected ofF24Misn. ib. sect. 5. Targum Jon. &
Jerus. & Jarchi in loc. .
Numbers 5:23 23 ‘Then the priest shall write these curses in a book
and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water.
YLT
23`And the priest hath
written these execrations in a book
and hath blotted [them] out with the
bitter waters
And the priest shall write these curses in a book
.... The above
curses imprecated on herself by an oath; the words and the letters of them were
written at length
in a scroll of parchment; and
as some say also
her name
but not her double amen to themF25Misnah
ut supra
(Sotah
c. 2)
sect. 3. :
and he shall blot them out with the bitter water: wash them out
with it
and into it
or scrape them off of the parchment into it.
Numbers 5:24 24 And he shall make the woman drink the bitter water
that brings a curse
and the water that brings the curse shall enter her to
become bitter.
YLT
24and hath caused the woman
to drink the bitter waters which cause the curse
and the waters which cause
the curse have entered into her for bitter things.
And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that
causeth the curse
..... Having the curse imprecated upon herself
if guilty
scraped into it; and this she was obliged to drink
whether she would or not;
so it is said
if the roll is blotted out
and she says I am defiled
the water
is poured out
and her offering is scattered in the place of ashes; if the roll
is blotted out
and she says I will not drink
then force her
and make her
drink whether she will or noF26Misnah
ut supra
(Sotah) c. 3. sect.
3. :
and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her
and
become bitter; produce the sad and bitter effects mentioned.
Numbers 5:25 25 Then the priest shall take the grain offering of
jealousy from the woman’s hand
shall wave the offering before the Lord
and bring it to the altar;
YLT
25`And the priest hath taken
out of the hand of the woman the present of jealousy
and hath waved the
present before Jehovah
and hath brought it near unto the altar;
Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the
woman's hand
.... Which she was obliged to hold in her hand while the above
rites and ceremonies were performed; which was very heavy
being an omer of
barley flour
a measure about three quarts
which was put into an Egyptian
basket made of small palm tree twigs: and this was put into her hands to weary
her
as before observed
that
having her mind distressed
she might the sooner
confess her crime:
and shall wave the offering before the Lord: backwards and
forwards
upwards and downwards
as Jarchi; who also observes
that the woman
waved with him
for her hand was above the hand of the priest so the tradition
is
"he (her husband) took her offering out of the Egyptian basket
and put
it into a ministering vessel
and gave it into her hand
and the priest put his
hand under hers
and waved itF1Misnah
ut supra
(Sotah) c. 3. sect.
1. :"
and offer it upon the altar: this was the bringing of
it to the southwest corner of the altar
as Jarchi says
before he took a
handful out of it
as in other meat offerings.
Numbers 5:26 26 and the priest shall take a handful of the offering
as its memorial portion
burn it on the altar
and afterward make the
woman drink the water.
YLT
26and the priest hath taken a
handful of the present
its memorial
and hath made perfume on the altar
and
afterwards doth cause the woman to drink the water:
And the priest shall take an handful of the offering
even
the memorial thereof
.... For good or evil
according as her works were
as Aben Ezra
observes; a memorial for good
if innocent
and a memorial for evil
if guilty:
and burn it upon the altar; as the handful of other
meat offerings used to be
Leviticus 1:2
and afterwards shall cause the woman to drink the water; oblige her to
it; having proceeded thus far
and no confession made
namely
an oath taken
the curses of it written in a scroll and scraped into the waters
and the
jealousy offering waved and offered.
Numbers 5:27 27 When he has made her drink the water
then it shall
be
if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband
that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter
and
her belly will swell
her thigh will rot
and the woman will become a curse
among her people.
YLT
27yea
he hath caused her to
drink the water
and it hath come to pass
if she hath been defiled
and doth
commit a trespass against her husband
that the waters which cause the curse
have gone into her for bitter things
and her belly hath swelled
and her thigh
hath fallen
and the woman hath become an execration in the midst of her
people.
And when he hath made her to drink the water
.... For
as
before observed
and here by Jarchi again
if she says I will not drink it
after the roll is blotted out
they oblige her
and make her drink it whether
she will or not
unless she says I am defiled:
then it shall come to pass
that if she be defiled
and
have done trespass against her husband; or has committed
adultery:
that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her
and
become bitter; the water drank by her
and having the curses scraped into it
shall enter into her
and operate and produce bitter and dreadful effects:
and her belly shall swell
and her thigh shall rot; not through
any natural virtue in the water
or what is put into it
either the dust of the
floor of the tabernacle
or the scrapings of the parchment roll
these could
have no physical influence to produce such effects; but they must be ascribed
to a supernatural cause
the power and curse of God attending this draught. A
certain Jewish writerF2R. Samuel Tzartzah
Mekor Chayim
fol. 91. 3.
says
though very falsely
that the priest put poison into the water
which
produced such effects; but then
how could an innocent woman escape the effects
of it? that must be allowed to be miraculous and supernatural
was it so; but
there is no manner of reason to believe that anything of this kind was put into
it
The Jews sayF3Misn. Sotah
c. 3. sect. 4.
as soon
or before
she had made an end of drinking: the water
the effects appeared; her face
turned pale immediately
her eyes bolted out
and she was filled with veins
her body swelled
and they called out
Cast her out
cast her out
that she may
not defile the court. And the text seems to intimate
as if the operation was
immediate; yea
moreover
they sayF4Ibid. c. 5. sect. 1.
that as
the waters searched her
so they searched him (the adulterer)
because it is
said twice
"shall enter
shall enter"; and that the same effects
appeared in him as in her
but in neither
unless the husband was innocent; for
if he was not pure from the same sin himself
the waters would not search his
wifeF5T. Bab. Sotah
fol. 28. 1. Gersom in loc. hence they sayF6Misn.
Sotah
c. 2. sect. 9.
when adulterers increased (under the second temple) the
bitter waters ceased
according to Hosea 4:14; see Matthew 12:39. This
practice has been imitated by the Heathens; the river Rhine
according to
Julian the emperorF7Orat. 2. p. 151. Ep. 16. p. 131.
tried the
legitimacy of children; and so lakes have been used for the trial of perjury
and unchastity
as the Stygian lake for perjury
and another of the same name
near Ephesus for unchastity; into which
if persons suspected of adultery
descended
having the form of an oath hanging about their necks
if they were
pure
the waters stood unmoved
but if corrupt
they swelled up to their necks
and covered the tablet on which the oath was writtenF8Vid. Salden.
Otia
l. 1. Exercitat. 6. sect. 24. . The priestesses of a certain deity being
obliged to live a single life
were tried by drinking bullocks' blood
upon
which
if false to their oath and corrupt
they immediately died
as PausaniasF9Achaica
sive
l. 7. p. 450. relates; and MacrobiusF11Saturnal. l. 5. c. 19.
speaks of some lakes in Sicily
the inhabitants called the Cups
to which
recourse was had when persons were suspected of any ill
and where an oath was
taken of them; if the person swore truly
he departed unhurt
but if falsely
he immediately lost his life in the lake. PhilostratusF12Vita
Apollonii
l. 1. c. 4. relates of a water near Tyana
a city in Cappadocia
sacred
to Jupiter
which the inhabitants call Asbamaea
which to those that kept their
oaths was placid and sweet
but to perjured persons the reverse; it affected
their eyes
hands
and feet
and seized them with dropsies and consumptions;
nor could they depart from the water
but remained by it
mourning their sad
case
and confessing their perjury: but what comes nearest to this usage of the
Jews is a custom at marriages among the savages at Cape BretonF13Genuine
Letters and Memoirs relating to the Isle of Cape Breton
&c. : at a
marriage feast
two dishes of meat are brought to the bridegroom and bride in
two "ouragans" (basins made of the bark of a tree)
and the president
of the feast addresses himself to the bride thus
"and thou that art upon
the point of entering into a respectable state
know
that the nourishment thou
art going to take forebodes the greatest calamities to thee
if thy heart is
capable of harbouring any ill design against thy husband
or against thy
nation: shouldest thou ever be led astray by the caresses of a stranger; or
shouldest thou betray thy husband
and thy country
the victuals contained in
this "ouragan" will have the effects of a slow poison
with which
thou wilt be tainted from this very instant; but if
on the other hand
thou
remainest faithful to thy husband
and to thy country
if thou wilt never
insult the one for his defect
nor give a description of the other to the
enemy
thou wilt find this nourishment both agreeable and wholesome.'Now if
these relations can be credited
then much more this of the bitter waters
for
though there was something wonderful and supernatural in them
yet nothing
incredible:
and the woman shall be a curse among her people: the time she
lives; but then all this while she was looked upon as an accursed person
and
despised and shunned by all.
Numbers 5:28 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself
and is
clean
then she shall be free and may conceive children.
YLT
28`And if the woman hath not
been defiled
and is clean
then she hath been acquitted
and hath been sown
[with] seed.
And if the woman be not defiled
but be clean
.... If she is
not guilty of adultery
but pure from that sin:
then she shall be free; from the effects of the
bitter water; they shall have no such influence upon her
but she shall be as
soured and healthful as ever; nay
the Jewish writers say more so
that if she
had any sickness or disease upon her she would now be freed from itF14Maimon.
Hilchot Sotah
c. 3. sect. 22. ; the Targum of Jonathan has it
her splendour
shall shine
the brightness and beauty of her countenance:
and shall conceive seed; a man child
as the same
Targum; and the Jewish writers say
if she was barren before
now she would be
fruitful; but no more is meant by it than that her husband should receive her
gladly
and she should live comfortably with him hereafter
and the blessing of
God would be upon her
which would still be a confirmation of her chastity.
Numbers 5:29 29 ‘This is the law of jealousy
when a wife
while
under her husband’s authority
goes astray and defiles herself
YLT
29`This [is] the law of
jealousies
when a wife turneth aside under her husband
and hath been defiled
This is the law of jealousies
.... Which was
appointed by God to deter wives from adultery
and preserve the people of
Israel
the worshippers of him
from having a spurious brood among them; and to
keep husbands from being cruel to their wives they might be jealous of
and to
protect virtue and innocence
and to detect lewdness committed in the most
secret manner; whereby God gave proof of his omniscience
that he had knowledge
of the most private acts of uncleanness
and was the avenger of all such. The
reasons why such a law was not made equally in favour of women
as of men
are
supposed to be these: because of the greater authority of the man over the
woman
which would seem to be lessened
if such a power was granted her;
because marriage was not so much hurt
or so much damage came to families by
the adultery of men
as of women; because women are more apt to be suspicious
than men
and in those times more prone to adultery
through their eager desire
of children
that they might not lie under reproachF15Vid. Salden.
ut supra
(Otia
l. 1. Exercitat. 6.) sect. 19. :
when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband
and is defiled; is suspected of going aside to another man
and is supposed to
be defiled by him.
Numbers 5:30 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes upon a man
and
he becomes jealous of his wife; then he shall stand the woman before the Lord
and the priest shall execute all this law upon her.
YLT
30or when a spirit of
jealousy passeth over a man
and he hath been jealous of his wife
then he hath
caused the woman to stand before Jehovah
and the priest hath done to her all
this law
Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him
and he be jealous
over his wife
.... See Gill on Numbers 5:14
and shall set the woman before the Lord; has carried
the matter so far as to bring his wife to the priest or civil magistrate
and
declare his suspicion
and the ground of it:
and the priest shall execute upon her all this law; he shall
proceed according to the law
and perform every rite and ceremony required; nor
could any stop be put to it
unless the woman owned she was defiled.
Numbers 5:31 31 Then the man shall be free from iniquity
but that
woman shall bear her guilt.’”
YLT
31and the man hath been
acquitted from iniquity
and that woman doth bear her iniquity.'
Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity
.... Which
otherwise he would not
by conniving at her loose way of living
and not
reproving her for it
and bringing her either to repentance or punishment; and
retaining and encouraging jealousy in his mind
without declaring it
and his
reasons for it: the sense of the passage seems to be
that when a man had any
ground for his suspicion and jealousy
and he proceeded according as this law
directs
whether his wife was guilty or not guilty
no sin was chargeable on
him
or blame to be laid to him
or punishment inflicted on him:
and the woman shall bear her iniquity; the
punishment of it
through the effects of the bitter waters upon her
if guilty;
nor was her husband chargeable with her death
she justly brought it on
herself: or if not guilty
yet as she had by some unbecoming behaviour raised
such a suspicion in him
nor would she be reclaimed
though warned to the
contrary
she for it justly bore the infamy of such a process; which was such
as Maimonides saysF16Moreh Nevochim
par. 3. c. 49. p. 499.
that
innocent women would give all that they had to escape it
and reckoned death
itself more agreeable than that
as to be served as such a woman was; See Gill
on Numbers 5:18.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》