1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, and everyone who has an issue, and whoever is unclean by the dead. 3 Both you shall put male and female outside of the camp; that they not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell." 4 The children of Israel did so, and put them out outside of the camp; as Yahweh spoke to Moses, so did the children of Israel. 5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 6 "Speak to the children of Israel: 'When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Yahweh, and that soul is guilty; 7 then he shall confess his sin which he has done, and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add to it the fifth part of it, and give it to him in respect of whom he has been guilty. 8 But if the man has no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made to Yahweh shall be the priest's; besides the ram of the atonement, by which atonement shall be made for him. 9 Every heave offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present to the priest, shall be his. 10 Every man's holy things shall be his: whatever any man gives the priest, it shall be his.'" 11 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 "Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: 'If any man's wife goes astray, and is unfaithful to him, 13 and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and is kept close, and she is defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she isn't taken in the act; 14 and the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she is defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she isn't defiled: 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering for her: the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to memory. 16 The priest shall bring her near, and set her before Yahweh; 17 and the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water. 18 The priest shall set the woman before Yahweh, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal offering of jealousy. The priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings a curse. 19 The priest shall cause her to swear, and shall tell the woman, "If no man has lain with you, and if you haven't gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray, being under your husband, and if you are defiled, and some man has lain with you besides your husband:" 21 then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall tell the woman, "Yahweh make you a curse and an oath among your people, when Yahweh allows your thigh to fall away, and your body to swell; 22 and this water that brings a curse will go into your bowels, and make your body swell, and your thigh fall away." The woman shall say, "Amen, Amen." 23 "'The priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness. 24 He shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causes the curse; and the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter. 25 The priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the meal offering before Yahweh, and bring it to the altar. 26 The priest shall take a handful of the meal offering, as its memorial, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall happen, if she is defiled, and has committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causes the curse will enter into her and become bitter, and her body will swell, and her thigh will fall away: and the woman will be a curse among her people. 28 If the woman isn't defiled, but is clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. 29 "'This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, and is defiled; 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes on a man, and he is jealous of his wife; then he shall set the woman before Yahweh, and the priest shall execute on her all this law. 31 The man shall be free from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.'"
The Israelites are commanded to purify the camp by excluding all lepers, and all diseased and unclean persons, Numbers 5:1-3. They do so, Numbers 5:4. Law concerning him who has defrauded another - he shall confess his sin, restore the principal and add besides one fifth of its value, Numbers 5:5-7. If he have no kinsman to whom the recompense can be made, it shall be given unto the Lord, Numbers 5:8. All the holy things offered to the Lord shall be the priest's portion, Numbers 5:9, Numbers 5:10. The law concerning jealousy, Numbers 5:11-14. The suspected woman's offering, Numbers 5:15. She is to be brought before the Lord, Numbers 5:16. The priest shall take holy water, and put it in dust from the floor of the tabernacle, Numbers 5:17. Shall put the offering in her hand, and adjure her, Numbers 5:18-20. The form of the oath, Numbers 5:21, Numbers 5:22; which is to be written on a book, blotted out in the bitter waters, and these the suspected person shall be obliged to drink, Numbers 5:23, Numbers 5:24. The jealousy-offering shall be waved before the Lord, Numbers 5:25, Numbers 5:26. The effect which shall be produced if the suspected person be guilty, Numbers 5:27. The effect if not guilty, Numbers 5:28. Recapitulation, with the purpose and design of the law, Numbers 5:29, Numbers 5:30.
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 5:1-10) The unclean to be removed out of the camp, Restitution to be made for trespasses.
(v. 11-31) The trial of jealousy.
Spiritual Organization of theCongregation of Israel - Numbers 5-6
From the outward organization of the tribes of Israel as the army of Jehovah, the law proceeds to their internal moral and spiritual order, for the purpose of giving an _inward support, both moral and religious, to their outward or social and political unity. This is the object of the directions concerning the removal of unclean persons from the camp (Numbers 5:1-4), the restitution of anything unjustly appropriated (Numbers 5:5-10), the course to be pursued with a wife suspected of adultery (Numbers 5:11-31), and also of the laws relating to the Nazarite (Numbers 6:1-21), and to the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:22-27).
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.