10 Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.' "
10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
10 Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his."
10 Each person's sacred offerings are his own, but what one gives to the priest stays with the priest."
10 And every man's holy things shall be his; whatever any man gives the priest shall be his.' "
10 Each priest may keep all the sacred donations that he receives."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 5:10
Commentary on Numbers 5:1-10
(Read Numbers 5:1-10)
The camp was to be cleansed. The purity of the church must be kept as carefully as the peace and order of it. Every polluted Israelite must be separated. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable. The greater profession of religion any house or family makes, the more they are obliged to put away iniquity far from them. If a man overreach or defraud his brother in any matter, it is a trespass against the Lord, who strictly charges and commands us to do justly. What is to be done when a man's awakened conscience charges him with guilt of this kind, though done long ago? He must confess his sin, confess it to God, confess it to his neighbour, and take shame to himself; though it go against him to own himself in a lie, yet he must do it. Satisfaction must be made for the offence done to God, as well as for the loss sustained by the neighbour; restitution in that case is not enough without faith and repentance. While that which is wrongly gotten is knowingly kept, the guilt remains on the conscience, and is not done away by sacrifice or offering, prayers or tears; for it is the same act of sin persisted in. This is the doctrine of right reason, and of the word of God. It detects hypocrites, and directs the tender conscience to proper conduct, which, springing from faith in Christ, will make way for inward peace.