5:3
Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that
they defile not their camps, in the a
midst whereof I dwell.
(a) There were three types of tents: of the Lord,
of the Levites, and of the Israelites.
5:6 Speak
unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin b
that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty;
(b) Commit any fault willingly.
5:8 But if the c
man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be
recompensed unto the LORD, [even] to the priest; beside the ram of the
atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.
(c) If he is dead to whom the wrong is done and
also has no relatives.
5:9 And every offering of all the d
holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall
be his.
(d) Or, things offered to the Lord, as first
fruits, etc.
5:12 Speak
unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife e
go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
(e) By breaking the band of marriage, and playing
the harlot.
5:15 Then
shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering
for her, the tenth [part] of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no f
oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it [is] an offering of jealousy,
an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to g
remembrance.
(f) Only in the sin offering, and so this
offering of jealousy were neither oil nor incense offered.
(g) Or, making the sin known, and not purging it.
5:17 And the priest shall take h
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:
(h) Which also is called the water of
purification of sprinkling, read (Numbers
19:9).
5:18 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 i
curse:
(i) It was so called by the effect, because it
declared the woman to be accursed, and turned to her destruction.
5:21 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 k
curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot,
and thy belly to swell;
(k) Both because she had committed so heinous a
fault, and forswore herself in denying the same.
5:22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go
into thy bowels, to make [thy] belly to swell, and [thy] thigh to rot: And the
woman shall say, l Amen, amen.
5:23 And the priest shall write these curses in a
book, and he shall m blot [them] out
with the bitter water:
(m) Shall wash the curses, which are written,
into the water in the vessel.
5:26 And
the priest shall take an handful of the offering, [even] the memorial thereof,
and burn [it] upon the n altar, and
afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
(n) Where the incense was offered.
5:31
Then shall the man be o guiltless from
iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.
(o) The man might accuse his wife on suspicion
and not be reproved.
Numbers 5 Bible Commentary
The Geneva Study Bible
(a) There were three types of tents: of the Lord, of the Levites, and of the Israelites.
5:6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin b that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty;
(b) Commit any fault willingly.
5:8 But if the c man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, [even] to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.
(c) If he is dead to whom the wrong is done and also has no relatives.
5:9 And every offering of all the d holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.
(d) Or, things offered to the Lord, as first fruits, etc.
5:12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife e go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
(e) By breaking the band of marriage, and playing the harlot.
5:15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth [part] of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no f oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it [is] an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to g remembrance.
(f) Only in the sin offering, and so this offering of jealousy were neither oil nor incense offered.
(g) Or, making the sin known, and not purging it.
5:17 And the priest shall take h 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:
(h) Which also is called the water of purification of sprinkling, read (Numbers 19:9).
5:18 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 i curse:
(i) It was so called by the effect, because it declared the woman to be accursed, and turned to her destruction.
5:21 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 k curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
(k) Both because she had committed so heinous a fault, and forswore herself in denying the same.
5:22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make [thy] belly to swell, and [thy] thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, l Amen, amen.
(l) That is, may it be as you wished, as in (Psalms 41:13; Deuteronomy 27:15).
5:23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall m blot [them] out with the bitter water:
(m) Shall wash the curses, which are written, into the water in the vessel.
5:26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, [even] the memorial thereof, and burn [it] upon the n altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
(n) Where the incense was offered.
5:31 Then shall the man be o guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.
(o) The man might accuse his wife on suspicion and not be reproved.