Numbers 5

Unclean people to be put out of the camp 1
Payment for sins against others 5
Suspected adultery of a wife 11
Text
Comments
.And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
.2 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:
.3 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.
 4 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.
  2 - Put out of the camp This for all who were ceremonial unclean. It was not necessarily punishment. For the lepers it avoided the spread of the disease. The camp would have covered an large area as described in chapters 2 and 3. Compare 2ch3102.
  2 - Leper The disease was a divine punishment in some cases nu1210, 2ki0527, 2ki1505. The Jews later generalized it to as a sign of sin.
.5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
.6 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;
 7 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.
.8 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.
  6 - Men That is, "people."
  6 - Against the Lord Notice that wrong done to a person is "against the Lord." Jesus spoke in similar terms mt2540.
  8 - Kinsman Or "relative. from go'el. The term is applied to Christ as Redeemer. For example: jb1925, ps01914, ps10304, is4114, is4704, is5920.
 9 And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his. 
 10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
  9 - Offering ... shall be his This was the way the people could support the personal needs of the priests. nu1519, nu3129, nu3152, de1206.
.11 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
 12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
  11 - Any man's wife As you read the rules for suspected adultery, you might wonder why the man who sinned with her wasn't condemned in the same manner. We know that God is not gender biased v5. The husband was responsible for his wife ep0523. The man in adultery was also punished le2010.
 13 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;
.14 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:
 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 oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
  13 - No witness This is a special situation. nu3530, de1706.
  15 - No oil This was not a time for joy ps04507.
 16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:
.17 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:
 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 curse:
  17 - Water  ... dust We are not told specifically of a floor covering for the sanctuary. Perhaps there were animal skins in various places. It was a clean place because priests were to wash before entering ex3017.
  18 - Bitter water Literally "waters of bitterness." Thus the results of being guilty rather than the water, was bitter. je0219, je0418, ez2348.
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 19 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: 
 20 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:
 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 curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; 
  19 - Instead of thy husband The text actually reads "under thy husband" indicating her subjection. Compare ro0702.
  21 - Make thee a curse Her name could be used in an oath as an example of a wicked woman. Compare v27.
.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, Amen, amen.
 23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:
 24 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.
 25 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:
 26 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.

  22 - Amen See on mt0522.
  26 - Memorial Apparently symbolizing that Yahweh would not not allow the waters of bitterness to harm the woman if she was innocent. Other verses that use the Hebrew word: le0202, le0216, le0615, le2406
.27 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.
 28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
 29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;
 30 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.
 31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.
  28 - Free Or "innocent."
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