Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

Numbers 5:29

This is the law of jealousy, wherein a married woman should happen to transgress, and be defiled;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Husband;   Jealousy;   Priest;   Wife;   Women;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Adultery;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Husband;   Oath;   Priest;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Jealousy;   Offerings and Sacrifices;   Priest, Priesthood;   Woman;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Adultery;   Water of Jealousy;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Adultery;   Priest;   Water of Jealousy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bitter Water;   Court Systems;   Jealousy;   Jealousy, Ordeal of;   Judge (Office);   Sex, Biblical Teaching on;   Woman;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jealousy;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Marriage;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Dropsy;   Nazirite;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Adultery;   Jealousy,;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Elisha;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Adultery;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Water of Jealousy;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Jealousy;   Swell;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abner of Burgos;   Abrogation of Laws;   Adultery;   'Akabia ben Mahalalel;   Hammurabi;   Hezekiah ben Parnak;   Marriage;   Mishnah;   Nashim;   Ordeal;   Sidra;   Soá¹­ah;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, and is defiled;
King James Version
This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;
Lexham English Bible
"‘This is the regulation of jealousy, when a woman has an affair under her husband and she is defiled,
New Century Version
"‘So this is the teaching about jealousy. This is what to do when a woman does wrong and is unfaithful while she is married to her husband.
New English Translation
"‘This is the law for cases of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
Amplified Bible
'This is the law of jealousy: when a wife goes astray [while married] and defiles herself,
New American Standard Bible
'This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, who is under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself,
Geneva Bible (1587)
This is the law of ielousie, when a wife turneth from her husband and is defiled,
Legacy Standard Bible
‘This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, being under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself,
Contemporary English Version
This is the ceremony that must take place at my altar when a husband suspects that his wife has been unfaithful. The priest must have the woman stand in my presence and carefully follow these instructions.
Complete Jewish Bible
This is the law for jealousy: when either a wife under her husband's authority goes astray and becomes unclean,
Darby Translation
This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth astray to another instead of her husband and is defiled,
Easy-to-Read Version
"So this is the law about jealousy. This is what you should do when a woman sins against her husband while she is married to him.
English Standard Version
"This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, though under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
George Lamsa Translation
This is the law of jealousy when a woman does wrong by having lain with another man besides her husband and defiles herself,
Good News Translation
This is the law in cases where a man is jealous and becomes suspicious that his wife has committed adultery. The woman shall be made to stand in front of the altar, and the priest shall perform this ritual.
Christian Standard Bible®
“This is the law regarding jealousy when a wife goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband’s authority,
Literal Translation
This is the law of jealousies when a wife turns aside under her husband, and has been defiled;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This is the lawe of gelousy, whan a wyfe goeth asyde from hir hu?bande, and is defyled:
American Standard Version
This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goeth aside, and is defiled;
Bible in Basic English
This is the law for testing a wife who goes with another in place of her husband and becomes unclean;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
This is the lawe of gelousie, when a wyfe goeth aside from her husbande, and is defiled:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goeth aside, and is defiled;
King James Version (1611)
This is the law of ielousies, when a wife goeth aside to another in stead of her husband, and is defiled:
English Revised Version
This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goeth aside, and is defiled;
Berean Standard Bible
This is the law of jealousy when a wife goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband's authority,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
This is the lawe of gelousie, if a womman bowith awei fro hir hosebonde, and is defoulid,
Young's Literal Translation
`This [is] the law of jealousies, when a wife turneth aside under her husband, and hath been defiled,
Update Bible Version
This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes aside, and is defiled;
Webster's Bible Translation
This [is] the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth astray [to another] instead of her husband, and is defiled;
World English Bible
"This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, and is defiled;
New King James Version
"This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
New Living Translation
"This is the ritual law for dealing with suspicion. If a woman goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband's authority,
New Life Bible
‘This is the law of jealousy. If a wife who is under the power of her husband turns away and makes herself unclean,
New Revised Standard
This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
This, is the law of jealousies, - when a wife shall turn aside to another instead of her husband, and fall into uncleanness;
Douay-Rheims Bible
This is the law of jealousy. If a woman hath gone aside from her husband, and be defiled,
Revised Standard Version
"This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, though under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
THE MESSAGE
"This is the law of jealousy in a case where a woman goes off and has an affair and defiles herself while married to her husband, or a husband is tormented with feelings of jealousy because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand in the presence of God and go through this entire procedure with her. The husband will be cleared of wrong, but the woman will pay for her wrong."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, being under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself,

Contextual Overview

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Whosesoever wife shall transgress against him, and slight and despise him, 13 and supposing any one shall lie with her carnally, and the thing shall be hid from the eyes of her husband, and she should conceal it and be herself defiled, and there be no witness with her, and she should not be taken; 14 and there should come upon him a spirit of jealousy, and he should be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled; or there should come upon him a spirit of jealousy, and he should be jealous of his wife, and she should not be defiled; 15 then shall the man bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring his gift for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley-meal: he shall not pour oil upon it, neither shall he put frankincense upon it; for it is a sacrifice of jealousy, a sacrifice of memorial, recalling sin to remembrance. 16 And the priest shall bring her, and cause her to stand before the Lord. 17 And the priest shall take pure running water in an earthen vessel, and he shall take of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle of witness, and the priest having taken it shall cast it into the water. 18 And the priest shall cause the woman to stand before the Lord, and shall uncover the head of the woman, and shall put into her hands the sacrifice of memorial, the sacrifice of jealousy; and in the hand of the priest shall be the water of this conviction that brings the curse. 19 And the priest shall adjure her, and shall say to the woman, If no one has lain with thee, and if thou hast not transgressed so as to be polluted, being under the power of thy husband, be free from this water of the conviction that causes the curse. 20 But if being a married woman thou hast transgressed, or been polluted, and any one has lain with thee, beside thy husband:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the law: Leviticus 7:11, Leviticus 11:46, Leviticus 13:59, Leviticus 14:54-57, Leviticus 15:32, Leviticus 15:33

when a wife goeth: Numbers 5:12, Numbers 5:15, Numbers 5:19, Isaiah 5:7, Isaiah 5:8

Reciprocal: Numbers 6:21 - the law Numbers 30:16 - General John 4:18 - is not

Cross-References

Genesis 5:8
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
Genesis 5:9
And Enos lived an hundred and ninety years, and begot Cainan.
Genesis 5:11
And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
Genesis 5:12
And Cainan lived an hundred and seventy years, and he begot Maleleel.
Genesis 5:17
And all the days of Maleleel were eight hundred and ninety and five years, and he died.
Genesis 5:19
and Jared lived after his begetting Enoch, eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:26
And Mathusala lived after his begetting Lamech eight hundred and two years, and begot sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:27
And all the days of Mathusala which he lived, were nine hundred and sixty and nine years, and he died.
Genesis 7:23
And God blotted out every offspring which was upon the face of the earth, both man and beast, and reptiles, and birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth, and Noe was left alone, and those with him in the ark.
Genesis 9:24
And Noe recovered from the wine, and knew all that his younger son had done to him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This [is] the law of jealousies,.... Which was appointed by God to deter wives from adultery, and preserve the people of Israel, the worshippers of him, from having a spurious brood among them; and to keep husbands from being cruel to their wives they might be jealous of, and to protect virtue and innocence, and to detect lewdness committed in the most secret manner; whereby God gave proof of his omniscience, that he had knowledge of the most private acts of uncleanness, and was the avenger of all such. The reasons why such a law was not made equally in favour of women, as of men, are supposed to be these: because of the greater authority of the man over the woman, which would seem to be lessened, if such a power was granted her; because marriage was not so much hurt, or so much damage came to families by the adultery of men, as of women; because women are more apt to be suspicious than men, and in those times more prone to adultery, through their eager desire of children, that they might not lie under reproach o:

when a wife goeth aside [to another] instead of her husband, and is defiled; is suspected of going aside to another man, and is supposed to be defiled by him.

o Vid. Salden. ut supra, (Otia, l. 1. Exercitat. 6.) sect. 19.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The trial of jealousy. Since the crime of adultery is especially defiling and destructive of the very foundations of social order, the whole subject is dealt with at a length proportionate to its importance. The process prescribed has lately been strikingly illustrated from an Egyptian “romance,” which refers to the time of Rameses the Great, and may therefore well serve to illustrate the manners and customs of the Mosaic times. This mode of trial, like several other ordinances, was adopted by Moses from existing and probably very ancient and widely spread institutions.

Numbers 5:15

The offering was to be of the cheapest and coarsest kind, barley (compare 2 Kings 7:1, 2 Kings 7:16, 2 Kings 7:18), representing the abused condition of the suspected woman. It was, like the sin-offering Leviticus 5:11, to be made without oil and frankincense, the symbols of grace and acceptableness. The woman herself stood with head uncovered Numbers 5:18, in token of her shame.

Numbers 5:17

The dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle - To set forth the fact that the water was endued with extraordinary power by Him who dwelt in the tabernacle. Dust is an emblem of a state of condemnation Genesis 3:14; Micah 7:17.

Numbers 5:19

Gone aside ... - literally, “gone astray from” thy husband by uncleanness; compare Hosea 4:12.

Numbers 5:23

Blot them out with the bitter water - In order to transfer the curses to the water. The action was symbolic. Travelers speak of the natives of Africa as still habitually seeking to obtain the full force of a written charm by drinking the water into which they have washed it.

Numbers 5:24

Shall cause the woman to drink - Thus was symbolised both her full acceptance of the hypothetical curse (compare Ezekiel 3:1-3; Jeremiah 15:16; Revelation 10:9), and its actual operation upon her if she should be guilty (compare Psalms 109:18).

Numbers 5:26

The memorial thereof - See the marginal reference. “Memorial” here is not the same as “memorial” in Numbers 5:15.

Numbers 5:27

Of itself, the drink was not noxious; and could only produce the effects here described by a special interposition of God. We do not read of any instance in which this ordeal was resorted to: a fact which may be explained either (with the Jews) as a proof of its efficacy, since the guilty could not be brought to face its terrors at all, and avoided them by confession; or more probably by the license of divorce tolerated by the law of Moses. Since a husband could put away his wife at pleasure, a jealous man would naturally prefer to take this course with a suspected wife rather than to call public attention to his own shame by having recourse to the trial of jealousy. The trial by red water, which bears a general resemblance to that here prescribed by Moses, is still in use among the tribes of Western Africa.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 5:29. This is the law of jealousies — And this is the most singular law in the whole Pentateuch: a law that seems to have been copied by almost all the nations of the earth, whether civilized or barbarian, as we find that similar modes of trial for suspected offences were used when complete evidence was wanting to convict; and where it was expected that the object of their worship would interfere for the sake of justice, in order that the guilty should be brought to punishment, and the innocent be cleared. For general information on this head see at the end of this chapter. Numbers 5:31; Numbers 5:31.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile