Numbers 19:17

Good News Translation

To remove the uncleanness, some ashes from the red cow which was burned to remove sin shall be taken and put in a pot, and fresh water added.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
For the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin-offering; and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:

King James Version
And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:

Lexham English Bible
For the unclean person they will take from the powder of the burnt purification offering, and they will put running water into a container.

English Standard Version
For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh water shall be added in a vessel.

New Century Version
"So you must use the ashes from the burnt offering to make that person clean again. Pour fresh water over the ashes into a jar.

New English Translation
"‘For a ceremonially unclean person you must take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin and pour fresh running water over them in a vessel.

Amplified Bible
'Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for the purification from sin, and running water shall be added to them in a container.

New American Standard Bible
'Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and running water shall be added to them in a container.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therfore for an vncleane person they shall take of the burnt ashes of the sinne offring, and pure water shalbe put thereto in a vessel.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in a vessel.

Contemporary English Version
Before you can be made clean, someone who is clean must take some of the ashes from the burnt cow and stir them into a pot of spring water. That same person must dip a hyssop branch in the water and ashes, then sprinkle it on the tent and everything in it, including everyone who was inside. If you have touched a human bone, a grave, or a dead body, you must be sprinkled with that water.

Complete Jewish Bible
"For the unclean person they are to take some of the ashes of the animal burned up as a purification from sin and add them to fresh water in a container.

Darby Translation
And they shall take for the unclean of the ashes of the purification-offering that hath been burned, and shall put running water thereon in a vessel;

Easy-to-Read Version
"If you have become unclean, someone must use the ashes from the burned cow to make you clean again. They must pour fresh water over the ashes into a jar.

George Lamsa Translation
And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering and shall pour running water into it in a vessel;

Christian Standard Bible®
For the purification of the unclean person, they are to take some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, put them in a jar, and add fresh water to them.

Literal Translation
And for the unclean they shall take the ashes of the burning of the sin offering, and running water in a vessel shall be put on it.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So now for the vncleane personne, they shal take of ye a?shes of this burntsynofferinge, & put springinge water theron in to a vessell,

American Standard Version
And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin-offering; and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:

Bible in Basic English
And for the unclean, they are to take the dust of the burning of the sin-offering, and put flowing water on it in a vessel:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore, for an vncleane person they shal take of the burnt asshes of the sinne offeryng, and runnyng water shalbe put therto in a vessell.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the purification from sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel.

King James Version (1611)
And for an vncleane person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sinne, and running water shall bee put thereto in a vessell:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they shall take for the unclean of the burnt ashes of purification, and they shall pour upon them running water into a vessel.

English Revised Version
And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:

Berean Standard Bible
For the purification of the unclean person, take some of the ashes of the burnt purification offering, put them in a jar, and pour fresh running water over them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei schulen take `of the aischis of the brennyng, and of the synne, and thei schulen sende quyk watris in to a vessel on tho aischis;

Young's Literal Translation
and they have taken for the unclean person of the ashes of the burning of the [cleansing], and he hath put upon it running water unto a vessel;

Update Bible Version
And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin-offering; and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:

Webster's Bible Translation
And for an unclean [person] they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put to it in a vessel:

World English Bible
For the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin-offering; and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:

New King James Version
"And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel.

New Living Translation
"To remove the defilement, put some of the ashes from the burnt purification offering in a jar, and pour fresh water over them.

New Life Bible
The person who is unclean must take some of the ashes from the burning of the sin gift. Clean water must be added to them in a pot.

New Revised Standard
For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt purification offering, and running water shall be added in a vessel;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they shall take, for him that is un-clean, of the ashes of the burning of the sin-bearer, - and living water shall be put thereon in a vessel,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall take of the ashes of the burning and of the sin offering, and shall pour living waters upon them into a vessel.

Revised Standard Version
For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and running water shall be added in a vessel;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in a vessel.

Contextual Overview

¹¹ Those who touch a corpse are ritually unclean for seven days. ¹² They must purify themselves with the water for purification on the third day and on the seventh day, and then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on both the third and the seventh day, they will not be clean. ¹³ Those who touch a corpse and do not purify themselves remain unclean, because the water for purification has not been thrown over them. They defile the Lord 's Tent, and they will no longer be considered God's people. ¹⁴ In the case of a person who dies in a tent, anyone who is in the tent at the time of death or who enters it becomes ritually unclean for seven days. ¹⁵ Every jar and pot in the tent that has no lid on it also becomes unclean. ¹⁶ If any touch a person who has been killed or has died a natural death outdoors or if any touch a human bone or a grave, they become unclean for seven days. ¹⁷ To remove the uncleanness, some ashes from the red cow which was burned to remove sin shall be taken and put in a pot, and fresh water added. ¹⁸ In the first case, someone who is ritually clean is to take a sprig of hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, everything in it, and the people who were there. In the second case, someone who is ritually clean is to sprinkle the water on those who had touched the human bone or the dead body or the grave. ¹⁹ On the third day and on the seventh the person who is ritually clean is to sprinkle the water on the unclean persons. On the seventh day he is to purify those, who, after washing their clothes and pouring water over themselves, become ritually clean at sunset. ²⁰ Those who have become ritually unclean and do not purify themselves remain unclean, because the water for purification has not been thrown over them. They defile the Lord 's Tent and will no longer be considered God's people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ashes: Heb. dust, Numbers 19:9

running water shall be put thereto: Heb. living waters shall be given, Genesis 26:19, *marg. Song of Solomon 4:15, John 4:10, John 4:11, John 7:38, Revelation 7:17

Reciprocal: Exodus 40:36 - when Numbers 8:7 - water Numbers 19:12 - He shall purify Numbers 31:23 - it shall be purified Acts 21:24 - and purify

Cross-References

Genesis 13:10
Lot looked around and saw that the whole Jordan Valley, all the way to Zoar, had plenty of water, like the Garden of the Lord or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.)

Genesis 18:22
Then the two men left and went on toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham.

Genesis 19:13
because we are going to destroy this place. The Lord has heard the terrible accusations against these people and has sent us to destroy Sodom."

Genesis 19:14
Then Lot went to the men that his daughters were going to marry, and said, "Hurry up and get out of here; the Lord is going to destroy this place." But they thought he was joking.

Genesis 19:15
At dawn the angels tried to make Lot hurry. "Quick!" they said. "Take your wife and your two daughters and get out, so that you will not lose your lives when the city is destroyed."

Genesis 19:16
Lot hesitated. The Lord , however, had pity on him; so the men took him, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.

Genesis 19:18
But Lot answered, "No, please don't make us do that, sir.

Genesis 19:22
Hurry! Run! I can't do anything until you get there." Because Lot called it small, the town was named Zoar.

Genesis 19:26
But Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19:31
The older daughter said to her sister, "Our father is getting old, and there are no men in the whole world to marry us so that we can have children.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And for an unclean person,.... Defiled by any of the above means:

they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin; from the place where they were laid up for this use;

:- and some have thought that they were laid up in various cities and places in the country, as well as at Jerusalem, that they might be come at easily upon occasion; otherwise they could not be had without great trouble and expense, and in some places not so soon as the law required for their purification, namely, on the third day after their defilement:

and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel; the Targum Jonathan is,

"fountain water in the midst of earthen vessel;''

for no water but fountain, spring, or river water, was made use of; and it should seem by what is said that ashes were first put into the vessel, and then the running water was put to them; and yet the Jewish writers say s, that if the ashes were put in first, and then the water, it was not right; and the meaning of what is said here is, that the water and ashes should be mixed together; for it is urged from the words: "running water in a vessel", that it is plain, that the water is put in the vessel and not to the ashes; and therefore that which is said, "shall be put thereto", is to caution the person, that after he has put the ashes upon the water, that he mixes them well with his finger, and cause the water below to rise above t.

s Maimon. Milchot, Parah Adumah, c. 9. sect. 1. t Bartenora in Misn. Temurah, c. 1. sect. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

One practical effect of attaching defilement to a dead body, and to all that touched it, etc., would be to insure early burial, and to correct a practice not uncommon in the East, of leaving the deal to be devoured by the wild beasts.