Numbers 5:24

Complete Jewish Bible

and make the woman drink the water of embitterment and cursing — the water of cursing will enter her and become bitter.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
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.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
He will make the woman drink the waters of the bitterness that brings a curse, and the waters of bitterness that bring a curse will go into her.

New Century Version
and make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse. If she is guilty, the water will make her sick.

New English Translation
He will make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings a curse will enter her to produce bitterness.

Amplified Bible
and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse will go into her and cause bitterness.

New American Standard Bible
'Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her and cause bitterness.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And shal cause the woman to drinke ye bitter and cursed water, and the cursed water, turned into bitternesse, shal enter into her.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings curses, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her to cause bitterness.

Contemporary English Version
so that when the woman drinks this water, the curses will enter her body.

Darby Translation
and he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that bringeth the curse, that the water that bringeth the curse may enter into her for bitterness.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then the woman must drink the water that brings trouble. This water will enter her and, if she is guilty, it will cause her much suffering.

English Standard Version
And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain.

George Lamsa Translation
And he shall make the woman drink the bitter water of testing; and the water of testing shall enter into her, to try her.

Good News Translation
Before he makes the woman drink the water, which may then cause her bitter pain,

Christian Standard Bible®
He will require the woman to drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her to cause bitter suffering.

Literal Translation
And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter waters which cause the curse. And the waters which cause the curse shall enter into her for bitter things.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and shall geue the wife of the bytter cursinge waters to drynke.

American Standard Version
and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter.

Bible in Basic English
And he will give to the woman the bitter water for drink; and the bitter water causing the curse will go into her.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And geue the woman those bitter and cursed waters to drinke, yt those cursed and bitter waters may enter into her.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter.

King James Version (1611)
And he shall cause the woman to drinke the bitter water, that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he shall cause the woman to drink the water of the conviction that brings the curse; and the water of the conviction that brings the curse shall enter into her.

English Revised Version
and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter.

Berean Standard Bible
He is to have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and cause her bitter suffering.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he schal yyue to hir to drynke. And whanne sche hath drunke tho watris,

Young's Literal Translation
and hath caused the woman to drink the bitter waters which cause the curse, and the waters which cause the curse have entered into her for bitter things.

Update Bible Version
and 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.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
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.

New King James Version
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.

New Living Translation
He will make the woman drink the bitter water that brings on the curse. When the water enters her body, it will cause bitter suffering if she is guilty.

New Life Bible
He will make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse. The water that brings a curse will go into her and give her pain.

New Revised Standard
He shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter her and cause bitter pain.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and shall cause the woman to drink the deadly water that causeth a curse, - and the deadly water that causeth a curse shall enter into her.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he shall give them her to drink. And when she hath drunk them up,

Revised Standard Version
and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her and cause bitterness.

Contextual Overview

¹¹ (A: iv) Adonai said to Moshe, ¹² "Tell the people of Isra'el, ‘If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him; ¹³ that is, if another man goes to bed with her without her husband's knowledge, so that she becomes impure secretly, and there is no witness against her, and she was not caught in the act; ¹⁴ then, if a spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she has become impure — or, for that matter, if the spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she has not become impure — ¹⁵ he is to bring his wife to the cohen, along with the offering for her, two quarts of barley flour on which he has not poured olive oil or put frankincense, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a grain offering for remembering, for recalling guilt to mind. ¹⁶ The cohen will bring her forward and place her before Adonai . ¹⁷ The cohen will put holy water in a clay pot, and then the cohen will take some of the dust on the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water. ¹⁸ The cohen will place the woman before Adonai , unbind the woman's hair and put the grain offering for remembering in her hands, the grain offering for jealousy; while the cohen has in his hand the water of embitterment and cursing. ¹⁹ The cohen will make her swear by saying to her, "If no man has gone to bed with you, if you have not gone astray to make yourself unclean while under your husband's authority, then be free from this water of embitterment and cursing. ²⁰ But if you have in fact gone astray while under your husband's authority and become unclean, because some man other than your husband has gone to bed with you . . ."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Zechariah 5:3, Zechariah 5:4, Malachi 3:5

Reciprocal: Numbers 5:18 - the bitter water

Cross-References

Genesis 5:5
In all, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:6
Shet lived 105 years and fathered Enosh.

Genesis 5:22
After Metushelach was born, Hanokh walked with God 300 years and had sons and daughters.

Genesis 37:30
He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I go now?"

Genesis 42:36
Ya‘akov their father said to them, "You have robbed me of my children! Yosef is gone, Shim‘on is gone, now you're taking Binyamin away — it all falls on me!"

2 Kings 2:1
The time came for Adonai to take Eliyahu up into heaven in a whirlwind. Eliyahu and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal,

Jeremiah 31:15
This is what Adonai says: "Stop your weeping, and dry your eyes, for your work will be rewarded," says Adonai . "They will return from the enemy's land;

Matthew 2:18
"A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and lamenting loudly. It was Rachel sobbing for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no longer alive."

Luke 23:43
Yeshua said to him, "Yes! I promise that you will be with me today in Gan-‘Eden."

1 John 1:7
But if we are walking in the light, as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of his Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse,..... Having the curse imprecated upon herself, if guilty, scraped into it; and this she was obliged to drink, whether she would or not; so it is said, if the roll is blotted out, and she says I am defiled, the water is poured out, and her offering is scattered in the place of ashes; if the roll is blotted out, and she says I will not drink, then force her, and make her drink whether she will or no z:

and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, [and become] bitter; produce the sad and bitter effects mentioned.

z Misnah, ut supra, (Sotah) c. 3. sect. 3.

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 5:24. The bitter water that causeth the curse — Though the rabbins think that the priest put some bitter substance in the water, yet as nothing of the kind is intimated by Moses, we may consider the word as used here metaphorically for affliction, death, c. These waters were afflicting and deadly to her who drank them, being guilty. In this sense afflictions are said to be bitter, Isaiah 38:17 so also is death, 1 Samuel 15:32: Ecclesiastes 7:26.