Números 5
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Números 5
MacArthur - The purpose of the husband’s offering was to bring the secret iniquity (if it was present) to light. How this was done is explained in Nu 5:18, 25–26. Numbers 5:18 ‘The priest shall then have the woman stand before the LORD and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and place the grain offering of memorial in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse. Nu 5:25-26 ‘The priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before the LORD and bring it to the altar; 26 and the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial offering and offer it up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water. Gilbrant - Trial by ordeal was even used in the Middle Ages, where sometimes the trial was by walking through fire. Doubtless many innocent people died in such processes. This section of Numbers is not trial by ordeal. No physical endangerment was resorted to. John Currid notes that "A test for adultery was a common practice in the ancient Near East. The Code of Hammurabi, for example, contains the following two laws: 131. If a seignior’s wife was accused by her husband, but she was not caught while lying with another man, she shall make affirmation by god and return to her house. 132. If the finger was pointed at the wife of a seignior because of another man, but she has not been caught while lying with the other man, she shall throw herself into the river for the sake of her husband. Numbers 5:16 'Then the priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the LORD, NET Numbers 5:16 "'Then the priest will bring her near and have her stand before the LORD. NLT Numbers 5:16 "The priest will then present her to stand trial before the LORD. ESV Numbers 5:16 "And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the LORD. NIV Numbers 5:16 " 'The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the LORD. KJV Numbers 5:16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD: YLT Numbers 5:16 'And the priest hath brought her near, and hath caused her to stand before Jehovah, LXE Numbers 5:16 And the priest shall bring her, and cause her to stand before the Lord. ASV Numbers 5:16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before Jehovah: CSB Numbers 5:16 "The priest is to bring her forward and have her stand before the LORD. Lev 1:3 Jer 17:10 Heb 13:4 Rev 2:22,23 Numbers 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PRIEST PRESENTS WOMAN IN PRESENCE OF YAHWEH Then the priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the LORD - NLT = "The priest will then present her to stand trial before the LORD."Before (panim/paniym = face) the LORD (face to face with Yahweh). In this position her guilt or innocence was clearly exposed to the all seeing eye of God for Pr 15:3 says "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good." So He had already seen her "evil" or her "good." NET Note on stand - The verb is the Hiphil of the word “to stand.” It could be rendered “station her,” but that sounds too unnatural. This is a meeting between an accused person and the Judge of the whole earth. Brian Bell - This test was to reveal in her body the corruption that was in her heart. It was to bring evil to the surface. The drinking of the water was perfectly harmless in itself. It was a challenge to God on the part of the woman to demonstrate her purity as against an unjust charge! Like, “May God strike me dead if…”. Except there was actually the fear of it happening for them. So it wasn’t any action of the water, but by the direct intervention of Jehovah! Numbers 5:17 and the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel; and he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. BGT Numbers 5:17 καὶ λήμψεται ὁ ἱερεὺς ὕδωρ καθαρὸν ζῶν ἐν ἀγγείῳ ὀστρακίνῳ καὶ τῆς γῆς τῆς οὔσης ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου καὶ λαβὼν ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐμβαλεῖ εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ NET Numbers 5:17 The priest will then take holy water in a pottery jar, and take some33 of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and put it into the water. NLT Numbers 5:17 He must take some holy water in a clay jar and pour into it dust he has taken from the Tabernacle floor. ESV Numbers 5:17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. NIV Numbers 5:17 Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. KJV Numbers 5:17 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: YLT Numbers 5:17 and the priest hath taken holy water in an earthen vessel, and of the dust which is on the floor of the tabernacle doth the priest take, and hath put it into the water, LXE Numbers 5:17 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. holy water: Nu 19:2-9 Ex 30:18 of the dust: Job 2:12 Jer 17:13 La 3:29 Joh 8:6,8 Numbers 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PRIEST PREPARES "HOLY POTION" And the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel - The source of the holy water (Lxx = "pure running water") is uncertain but Mishnah says it is water from the laver that is used for priestly purification (Exod. 30:17–21). NET Note on holy water - This is probably water taken from the large bronze basin in the courtyard. It is water set apart for sacred service. “Clean water” (so NEB) does not capture the sense very well, but it does have the support of the Greek that has “pure running water.” That pure water would no doubt be from the bronze basin anyway. And he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle -- In a sense he mixes holy dust with holy water. And in Nu 5:23 we see this was mixed with some of the ink used to write the curses. Of course "holy dust" would still have various pollutants in it, so it would not have been "healthy" to drink. Bush - The design of putting dust into the water was to signify the reproach and shame she lay under. Ainsworth remarks, that as dust was the serpent’s food, so it was implied that if she had hearkened to the serpent’s temptation, she might expect to partake of the serpent’s curse. Yet it was to be dust taken from “the floor of the tabernacle,” whence it acquired a certain degree of sanctity, and thus an honor was put upon every thing pertaining to the place which God had chosen to put his name there, and an awe inspired of the divine judgments. “Nothing could be more unexceptionable than taking dust from the floor, and this in presence of the woman and her friends. This was very unlike the case of the ordeals among the heathen, when the persons accused were required to drink things naturally pernicious; to handle hot iron; or to dip their hands into boiling water, hot oil, etc., when nothing but a miracle, or some artifice, would save the innocent; whereas here, nothing but a miracle could hurt the guilty. It was therefore an excellent method to set the mind of the husband at ease, in a case which is frequently the occasion of much distress.”—Priestly. And put it into the water - "Heb. el hammáyim, to the water; as the Rabbinists say, “He put it upon the top of the water, that it might be seen upon the upper part of the water.” And again, “If he put in the dust before the water, it was unlawful.” (Bush) Numbers 5:18 'The priest shall then have the woman stand before the LORD and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and place the grain offering of memorial in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse. BGT Numbers 5:18 καὶ στήσει ὁ ἱερεὺς τὴν γυναῖκα ἔναντι κυρίου καὶ ἀποκαλύψει τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ δώσει ἐπὶ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς τὴν θυσίαν τοῦ μνημοσύνου τὴν θυσίαν τῆς ζηλοτυπίας ἐν δὲ τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ ἱερέως ἔσται τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ἐλεγμοῦ τοῦ ἐπικαταρωμένου τούτου NET Numbers 5:18 Then the priest will have the woman stand before the LORD, uncover the woman's head, and put the grain offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of suspicion. The priest will hold in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse. NLT Numbers 5:18 When the priest has presented the woman before the LORD, he must unbind her hair and place in her hands the offering of proof -- the jealousy offering to determine whether her husband's suspicions are justified. The priest will stand before her, holding the jar of bitter water that brings a curse to those who are guilty. ESV Numbers 5:18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD and unbind the hair of the woman's head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And in his hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the curse. NIV Numbers 5:18 After the priest has had the woman stand before the LORD, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. KJV Numbers 5:18 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: YLT Numbers 5:18 and the priest hath caused the woman to stand before Jehovah, and hath uncovered the woman's head, and hath given into her hands the present of the memorial, it is a present of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest are the bitter waters which cause the curse. LXE Numbers 5:18 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. the priest: Heb 13:4 Rev 2:19-23 uncover: Lev 13:45 1Co 11:15 Heb 4:12,13 and put: Nu 5:15,25,26 the bitter water: So called from the bitter effects which it had upon the guilty. Nu 5:17,22,24 De 29:18 1Sa 15:32 Pr 5:4 Ec 7:26 Isa 38:17 Jer 2:19 Rev 10:9,10 Numbers 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries The priest shall then have the woman stand before the LORD - "Heb. “Shall cause to stand.” She was to be placed before the door of the tabernacle with her face towards the ark, where was the symbol of the divine presence. This was a place of constant resort, and the publicity of the exposure would not only tend to affect duly her own feelings, but operate also as a warning to others not “to do after her lewdness.” (Bush) and let the hair of the woman's head go loose - Letting her down was a sign of mourning or disgrace (Lev 10:6, Lev 13:45; Lev 21:10). Some versions like the NET have " uncover the woman's head," about which Bush writes "A covering upon the head of a woman was regarded as a sign of subjection to her husband and of corresponding protection upon his part towards her." Constable on letting the hair go loose - The release of the woman’s hair, normally bound up, represented the temporary loss of her glory (i.e., her good reputation). Other possibilities are that it symbolized her openness, mourning, or uncleanness. And place the grain offering of memorial in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy - "This offering having been brought by her husband for her, v. 15, she was now to take and offer, emblematical of her offering herself to the Lord’s trial, as the oblation was to be presented to him." (Bush) and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse - Maimonides writes "All the while that her head is bare, and the meal-offering in her hands, the water is to be in a vessel in the priest’s hand, that she may see the water.” Bush on the water of bitterness that brings a curse - The bitter water that causeth the curse. Heb. më hammârim, waters of bitternesses. Gr. to hudor tou elegmou, water of conviction, so called from its convincing of guilt. NET Note - It seems to have been a temporary provision, for this is the only place that it appears, and no provision is made for its use later. It may have served as a didactic force, warning more than actually legislating. No provision is made in it for a similar charge to be brought against the man, but in the case of the suspicion of the woman the man would be very hesitant to demand this test given the harshness on false witnessing in Israel. The passage remains a rather strange section of the Law. Numbers 5:19 'The priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, "If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, being under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse; BGT Numbers 5:19 καὶ ὁρκιεῖ αὐτὴν ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ ἐρεῖ τῇ γυναικί εἰ μὴ κεκοίμηταί τις μετὰ σοῦ εἰ μὴ παραβέβηκας μιανθῆναι ὑπὸ τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν σεαυτῆς ἀθῴα ἴσθι ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐλεγμοῦ τοῦ ἐπικαταρωμένου τούτου NET Numbers 5:19 Then the priest will put the woman under oath and say to the her, "If no other man has had sexual relations with you, and if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband's authority, may you be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. NLT Numbers 5:19 The priest will then put the woman under oath and say to her, 'If no other man has had sex with you, and you have not gone astray and defiled yourself while under your husband's authority, may you be immune from the effects of this bitter water that brings on the curse. ESV Numbers 5:19 Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, 'If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband's authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse. NIV Numbers 5:19 Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, "If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. KJV Numbers 5:19 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: {with another...: or, being in the power of thy husband: Heb. under thy husband} YLT Numbers 5:19 'And the priest hath caused her to swear, and hath said unto the woman, If no man hath lain with thee, and if thou hast not turned aside to uncleanness under thy husband, be free from these bitter waters which cause the curse; LXE Numbers 5:19 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. charge her: Mt 26:63 with another: or, being in the power of they husband, Heb. under thy husband. Ro 7:2 Numbers 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE WOMAN IS PLACED UNDER OATH Note that vv19-24 will describe the makeup of the oath of the curse. The actual ritual before the LORD will pick back up in Nu 5:25. Bush - The priest was thus, in the most solemn manner, to adjure the woman to tell the truth, and to denounce the curse of God against her if she were guilty, at the same time declaring to her what would be the effect of her drinking the water. The priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, "If no man (other than her husband) has lain with you (Heb. tahath ishëkâ, under thy husband) and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, being under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse - Heb. “Be thou innocent,” that is, free, guiltless, clear; this water shall be innocuous to thee; thou shalt receive no harm from it. NET Note - Although there would be stress involved, a woman who was innocent would have nothing to hide, and would be confident. The wording of the priest’s oath is actually designed to enable the potion to keep her from harm and not produce the physical effects it was designed to do. Numbers 5:20 if you, however, have gone astray, being under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you" BGT Numbers 5:20 εἰ δὲ σὺ παραβέβηκας ὑπ᾽ ἀνδρὸς οὖσα ἢ μεμίανσαι καὶ ἔδωκέν τις τὴν κοίτην αὐτοῦ ἐν σοὶ πλὴν τοῦ ἀνδρός σου NET Numbers 5:20 But if you have gone astray while under your husband's authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has had sexual relations with you…." NLT Numbers 5:20 But if you have gone astray by being unfaithful to your husband, and have defiled yourself by having sex with another man -- ' ESV Numbers 5:20 But if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband's authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you, NIV Numbers 5:20 But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have defiled yourself by sleeping with a man other than your husband"-- KJV Numbers 5:20 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: YLT Numbers 5:20 and thou, if thou hast turned aside under thy husband, and if thou hast been defiled, and any man doth give his copulation to thee besides thy husband -- LXE Numbers 5:20 But if being a married woman thou hast transgressed, or been polluted, and any one has lain with thee, beside thy husband: Numbers 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries IF SHE IS GUILTY... if you, however have gone astray - The YOU is emphatic. Being under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you NET Note - This is an example of the rhetorical device known as aposiopesis, or “sudden silence.” The sentence is broken off due to the intensity or emphasis of the moment. The reader is left to conclude what the sentence would have said. Defile (make unclean) (02930) see note on tame Numbers 5:21 (then the priest shall have the woman swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman), "the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people by the LORD'S making your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell; BGT Numbers 5:21 καὶ ὁρκιεῖ ὁ ἱερεὺς τὴν γυναῖκα ἐν τοῖς ὅρκοις τῆς ἀρᾶς ταύτης καὶ ἐρεῖ ὁ ἱερεὺς τῇ γυναικί δῴη κύριός σε ἐν ἀρᾷ καὶ ἐνόρκιον ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου ἐν τῷ δοῦναι κύριον τὸν μηρόν σου διαπεπτωκότα καὶ τὴν κοιλίαν σου πεπρησμένην NET Numbers 5:21 Then the priest will put the woman under the oath of the curse and will say to the her, "The LORD make you an attested curse among your people, if the LORD makes your thigh fall away and your abdomen swell; NLT Numbers 5:21 "At this point the priest must put the woman under oath by saying, 'May the people know that the LORD's curse is upon you when he makes you infertile, causing your womb to shrivel and your abdomen to swell. ESV Numbers 5:21 then' (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) a'the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh fall away and your body swell. NIV Numbers 5:21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse of the oath-"may the LORD cause your people to curse and denounce you when he causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell. KJV Numbers 5:21 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; {rot: Heb. fall} YLT Numbers 5:21 (then the priest hath caused the woman to swear with an oath of execration, and the priest hath said to the woman) -- Jehovah doth give thee for an execration, and for a curse, in the midst of thy people, in Jehovah's giving thy thigh to fall, and thy belly to swell, LXE Numbers 5:21 then the priest shall adjure the woman by the oaths of this curse, and the priest shall say to the woman, The Lord bring thee into a curse and under an oath in the midst of thy people, in that the Lord should cause thy thigh to rot and thy belly to swell; an oath: Jos 6:26 1Sa 14:24 Ne 10:29 Mt 26:74 The Lord make: Isa 65:15 Jer 29:22 rot: Heb. fall, 2Ch 21:15 Pr 10:7 Numbers 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE LORD'S CURSE ON HER IF SHE IS GUILTY (then the priest shall have the woman swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman), "the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people by the LORD'S making your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell - NIV = "may the LORD cause your people to curse and denounce you." "The first part of the imprecation is a call for Yahweh to make the adulteress a byword and a lesson for the people of Israel. What the woman has done and her punishment will be proclaimed in the streets of Israel! " (Currid) Bush - The Lord make thee a curse and an oath. The context here contains a species or formula of adjuration which the priest administered to the accused party. It was equivalent to saying, “The Lord make thee such an object of cursing, that men may make thee a model of imprecation, saying, if I swear falsely, let God punish me, as he did such a woman.” NET Note - The outcome of this would be that she would be quoted by people in such forms of expression as an oath or a curse (see Jer 29:22). NET Note on under the oath of the curse - This interpretation takes the two nouns as a hendiadys. The literal wording is “the LORD make you a curse and an oath among the people.” In what sense would she be an oath? The point of the whole passage is that the priest is making her take an oath to see if she has been sinful and will be cursed. Currid interprets it this way - The term for ‘curse’ here is used of an imprecation that is added on to an oath. Thus, the woman is calling down punishment on herself if she is indeed guilty of the crime. BSB - The terms used to describe the malady befalling the guilty woman (vv. 22, 27) are probably figurative, referring to barrenness, or miscarriage if she was pregnant at the time. This is indicated by the opposite result if she was innocent (v. 28; cf. Deut. 24:1, note). Bush on your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell - The “rotting” of the thigh is in the Hebrew the “falling “of the thigh, and if we understand “thigh” in the euphemistic sense in which it is used Gen. 46:26, “the souls which came out of Jacob’s thigh,” we may infer that prolapsus uteri, or falling of the womb, was the real effect implied in the language of this clause and ovarian dropsy signified by the other. Numbers 5:22 and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away." And the woman shall say, "Amen. Amen." BGT Numbers 5:22 καὶ εἰσελεύσεται τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἐπικαταρώμενον τοῦτο εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν σου πρῆσαι γαστέρα καὶ διαπεσεῖν μηρόν σου καὶ ἐρεῖ ἡ γυνή γένοιτο γένοιτο NET Numbers 5:22 and this water that causes the curse will go47 into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh rot."48 Then the woman must say, "Amen, amen." NLT Numbers 5:22 Now may this water that brings the curse enter your body and cause your abdomen to swell and your womb to shrivel.1 ' And the woman will be required to say, 'Yes, let it be so.' ESV Numbers 5:22 May this water that brings the curse apass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.' And the woman shall say, b'Amen, Amen.' NIV Numbers 5:22 May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells and your thigh wastes away." 'Then the woman is to say, "Amen. So be it." KJV Numbers 5:22 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. YLT Numbers 5:22 and these waters which cause the curse have gone into thy bowels, to cause the belly to swell, and the thigh to fall; and the woman hath said, Amen, Amen. LXE Numbers 5:22 and this water bringing the curse shall enter into thy womb to cause thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot. And the woman shall say, So be it, So be it. go into: Nu 5:27 Ps 109:18 Pr 1:31 Eze 3:3 the woman: De 27:15-26 Job 31:21,22,39,40 Ps 7:4,5 Amen: Ps 41:13 72:19 89:52 Joh 3:3,11 5:24,25 6:53 Numbers 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away - As medical doctor and a pathology who has seen many stomachs, while some have tried to explain this naturally, it seems clearly to be supernatural. Yes it had "natural" manifestations, but the Source of the curse was God the Just and Righteous Judge. Nu 5:21 emphasizes that it was "by the LORD'S making" that her "thigh waste away and (her) abdomen swell."
Números 5
MacArthur - All of these prohibitions had sensible health benefits as well as serving to illustrate the need for moral cleanliness when approaching God. NET Note - The construction uses the Piel imperative (command) followed by this Piel imperfect/jussive form (send away); it is here subordinated to the preceding volitive, providing the content of the command. The verb שָׁלַח (shalakh) in this verbal stem is a strong word, meaning “expel, put out, send away, or release” (as in “let my people go”). Every leper - This is not necessarily classic leprosy like we refer to it today, but included a wide range of skin conditions, ranging from eczema to true leprosy (Hansen's disease).