The practice was deep-rooted as well as universal. in an earthen vessel--This fragile ware was chosen because, after being used, it was broken in pieces ( Leviticus 6:28 , 11:33 ). Small societies of excluded lepers live miserably in paltry huts. i. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. Then the man shall be free from iniquity, but that woman shall bear her guilt. Many of them are beggars, going out into the roads to solicit alms, which they receive in a wooden bowl; charitable people also sometimes bring different articles of food, which they leave on the ground at a short distance from the hut of the lepers, for whom it is intended. Obviously, unfounded jealousy has spoiled many a marriage, and justified jealousy has forced attention on confronting the sin of adultery – in this passage, God gives Israel a way to deal with it. 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. But on the occasion referred to, both these ingredients were to be excluded, partly because it was a solemn appeal to God in distressing circumstances, and partly because it was a sin offering on the part of the wife, who came before God in the character of a real or suspected offender. i. This exclusion of lepers from society has … You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. And this vigilant care to maintain external cleanliness in the people was typically designed to teach them the practice of moral purity, or cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. The rabbis also said that if the woman was guilty, the same disease would come upon the man she had committed adultery with; but they also said that even if the wife had been guilty, but her husband had been guilty of adultery also, the bitter water would have no effect on her. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. 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. Take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water: This water was made bitter from the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle; and while the woman held the grain offering in her hand (a reminder of fellowship with God), the priest pronounced an oath over the woman. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. 9, 10. every offering . If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him: This unique passage deals with the problem of a spirit of jealousy in a marriage. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. It usually appears in a comparatively mild form in Egypt, Palestine, and other countries where the disorder is, or was, endemic. We should be forced to drink a bitter cup that would destroy us. Numbers 5 Commentary, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this verse-by-verse commentary contain gems of information found nowhere outside the ancient Jewish writings “This law was given partly to deter wives from adulterous practices, and partly to secure wives against the rage of their hard-hearted husbands, who otherwise might upon mere suspicions destroy them, or at least put them away.” (Poole). 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. ii. But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she shall be free and may conceive children. The restitution for the wrong must go to the LORD: If there is not a surviving kinsman to make restitution to, then the restitution payment must go to the LORD. We may request cookies to be set on your device. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Numbers 5 Commentary, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the Church of Christ, presents a verse level look at the Bible. Commentary on Numbers 5:1-10. When a man or a woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord--This is a wrong or injury done by one man to the property of another, and as it is called "a trespass against the Lord," it is implied, in the case supposed, that the offense has been aggravated by prevaricating--by a false oath, or a fraudulent lie in denying it, which is a "trespass" committed against God, who is the sole judge of what is falsely sworn or spoken ( Acts 5:3 Acts 5:4 ). c. The priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water: After reading the curse, and hearing the woman’s agreement, the priest would write the oath on a scroll – and scrape the dried ink into the bitter water. But if she was free from disease, and continued to bear children, it would be seen as vindication. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “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, then he shall confess the sin which he has committed. They are generally obliged to wear a distinctive badge that people may know them at first sight and be warned to avoid them. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper--The exclusion of leprous persons from the camp in the wilderness, as from cities and villages afterwards, was a sanitary measure taken according to prescribed rules (Leviticus 13:1-14:57'). a. But their general treatment, as to exclusion from society, was the same as now described. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. ‘Lepers’ had to let their hair hang loose as a mark of their uncleanness.” (Wenham). a. v. Surely, both the holiness of God and the perfection of His word testifies against us. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. first, confession, a penitential acknowledgment of sin; secondly, restitution of the property, or the giving of an equivalent, with the additional fine of a fifth part, both as a compensation to the person defrauded, and as a penalty inflicted on the injurer, to deter others from the commission of similar trespasses. This ceremony only dealt with an adulterous wife and not a husband because for the most part, the Mosaic Law was “case law” – not meant to anticipate every potential situation, but to give examples that will set precedence for other cases. ii. This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself, 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. 2. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. THE UNCLEAN TO BE REMOVED OUT OF THE CAMP. 6-8. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him, 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; 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;’”. In the midst of this chapter on the separation from sin, God therefore reminds Israel of the purpose of this separation – fellowship with God. i. Viewed in this light, its sanction by divine authority in a corrected and improved form exhibits a proof at once of the wisdom and condescension of God. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. If she came down with some type of internal disease, especially affecting her womb, it would be seen as evidence of her guilt. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. of ii. The idea of the phrase uncover the woman’s head (Numbers 5:18) is to unbind and “let down” her hair.