Numbers5

Numbers 5 outlines three distinct laws given by the LORD to Moses for the Israelite camp. It begins with the command to remove all ceremonially unclean individuals from the camp to maintain its purity. Next, it details the process for restitution for sins committed against the LORD or another, requiring confession and repayment with an added fifth part. Finally, the chapter institutes the "law of jealousies," a ritual for a husband to ascertain his wife's fidelity through a divinely administered test involving bitter water.

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Maintaining Camp Holiness

¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:

Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.

And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.

Restitution for Trespass

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto 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;

Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.

But if the 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.

And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.

And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.

The Law of the Jealousy Offering

¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

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;

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:

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 oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:

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:

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:

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 aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:

But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:

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;

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, Amen, amen.

And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:

And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.

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 upon the altar:

And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.

And when he hath 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 causeth 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.

And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.

Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

Study Notes for Numbers 5

Verse 2

These three categories (leprosy, bodily discharge, contact with the dead) represent the major sources of ritual uncleanness in the Mosaic Law, requiring temporary separation from the community.

Verse 3

The strict sanitation and separation laws were fundamentally theological. Since the Tabernacle, God's dwelling place, was in the center of the camp, maintaining ritual purity was necessary to protect the holiness of God.

Verse 6

This law addresses trespasses committed against a neighbor. The text frames such actions as 'a trespass against the LORD,' emphasizing that all sin, even interpersonal conflict, ultimately violates God's covenant standards.

Verse 7

Confession must be accompanied by full financial restitution. The requirement to add 'the fifth part' (20%) serves as a punitive fine, ensuring the wrongdoer pays more than the original damage.

Verse 8

If the victim has died and left no kinsman (relative/redeemer) to receive the payment, the restitution is directed to the officiating priest on behalf of the LORD. This ensures the trespass is always fully recompensed.

Verse 12

This unique judicial procedure, known as the *sotah* ritual, addresses cases of suspected adultery where there are no witnesses. It provides a means to resolve domestic suspicion through divine intervention.

Verse 14

The ritual is required whether the wife is actually guilty or if the 'spirit of jealousy' (unfounded suspicion) is simply threatening the marriage. God intervenes to confirm guilt or innocence.

Verse 15

The offering is unusual: barley flour (food of the poor) with no oil or frankincense. It is a humble offering of memorial, signifying distress and accusation, not standard fellowship or cleansing.

Verse 17

The mixture of 'holy water' (likely from the laver) and dust from the Tabernacle floor symbolizes the sacredness of the oath, grounding the judgment in both the divine presence and the earthly reality of sin.

Verse 18

Uncovering the woman's head was a public sign of shame or vulnerability during the judicial process, placing her under the scrutiny of the community and the judgment of God.

Verse 21

The physical consequences—swelling of the belly and rotting of the thigh—are understood as miraculous divine judgment, possibly referring to miscarriage, sterility, or a debilitating disease confirming guilt.

Verse 23

The priest writing the curses and then blotting them out with the water symbolically transfers the power of the oath into the drink, making the water a literal carrier of judgment if guilt is present.

Verse 27

If the woman is guilty, the physical curse confirms the trespass publicly, making her an example of divine justice and establishing her as 'a curse' (a reference point for swearing oaths) among the people.

Verse 28

If innocent, she is cleared of all suspicion. The promise that she 'shall conceive seed' is often interpreted as a divine blessing of fertility, publicly confirming her purity and restoring the marriage.

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Numbers5

Maintaining Camp Holiness

Restitution for Trespass

The Law of the Jealousy Offering

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