1Und der Ewige redete zu Mosche und sprach: 2«Gebiete den Kindern Jisraël, daß sie aus dem Lager hinausschicken jeden Aussätzigen und jeden Flußleidenden, sowie jeden an einer Leiche unrein Gewordenen. 3Mann wie Weib sollt ihr hinausschicken, außerhalb des Lagers sollt ihr sie hinausschicken, damit sie ihr Lager nicht verunreinigen, darin ich in ihrer Mitte wohne.» 4Da taten so die Kinder Jisraël, und sie schickten sie außerhalb des Lagers hin; wie der Ewige zu Mosche gesprochen, so taten die Kinder Jisraël. 5Und der Ewige redete zu Mosche und sprach: 6«Rede zu den Kindern Jisraël: Mann oder Weib, wenn sie irgendeine von den Sünden des Menschen begehen, daß sie eine Untreue gegen den Ewigen verüben, und diese Person Schuld auf sich lädt, 7so sollen sie ihre Sünde, die sie begangen haben, bekennen, und er soll seine Verschuldung erstatten in vollem Wert und ein Fünftel davon hinzufügen, und soll es dem geben, gegen den er sich verschuldet hat. 8Wenn aber der Mann keinen Löser hat, um diesem die Verschuldung zu erstatten, so gehöre die zu erstattende Verschuldung dem Ewigen, dem Priester, außer dem Sühnewidder, mit dem man für ihn Sühne erwirkt. 9Und alle Hebegabe bei allen Weihgaben der Kinder Jisraël, die sie dem Priester hinbringen, ihm soll sie gehören. 10Und eines jeden Weihgaben, ihm sollen sie gehören; was jemand dem Priester gibt, soll dem gehören.» 11Und der Ewige redete zu Mosche und sprach: 12«Rede zu den Kindern Jisraël und sprich zu ihnen: Jedermann, dessen Weib abirrt und eine Untreue gegen ihn begeht: 13Hat ein Mann ihr beigelegen zur Besamung, und es blieb verborgen vor den Augen ihres Mannes, da sie sich heimlich hielt, und sie ist unrein geworden, ein Zeuge aber ist nicht da gegen sie, und sie ist nicht ergriffen worden, 14und nun ist über ihn ein Geist des Eiferns gekommen, so daß er eifersüchtig wird auf sein Weib, und sie ist unrein geworden; oder ist über ihn ein Geist des Eiferns gekommen, so daß er eifersüchtig wird auf sein Weib, und sie ist nicht unrein geworden, 15so bringe der Mann sein Weib zum Priester und bringe für sie als ihr Opfer ein Zehntel Efa Gerstenmehl; nicht gieße er Öl darauf und nicht gebe er Weihrauch darauf, denn ein Opfer der Eifersucht ist es, Opfer der Erinnerung, erinnernd an Schuld. 16Und der Priester lasse sie hintreten und stelle sie vor den Ewigen. 17Und der Priester nehme heiliges Wasser in einem irdenen Gefäß, und von dem Staub, der auf dem Boden der Wohnung sich befindet, nehme der Priester und tue in das Wasser. 18Dann stelle der Priester das Weib vor den Ewigen und mache das Haupt des Weibes frei und lege auf ihre Hände das Opfer der Erinnerung, ein Opfer der Eifersucht ist es; in der Hand des Priesters aber sei das Wasser der Bitternisse, das fluchbringende. 19Und der Priester beschwöre sie und spreche zu dem Weib: ,Wenn kein Mann dir beigelegen hat und wenn du, unter deinem Mann stehend, nicht zur Unreinheit abgeirrt bist, so bleibe unverletzt von diesem Wasser der Bitternisse, dem fluchbringenden. 20Wenn du aber, unter deinem Mann stehend, abgeirrt und unrein geworden bist, und jemand sein Beilager bei dir gehalten hat außer deinem Mann' - 21so beschwöre der Priester das Weib mit dem Schwur des Fluches und spreche der Priester zum Weib - ,so mache dich der Ewige zum Fluch und zum Schwur unter deinem Volk, indem der Ewige deine Hüfte schrumpfen und deinen Leib schwellen läßt; 22und es komme dies fluchbringende Wasser in deine Eingeweide, um den Leib schwellen und die Hüfte schrumpfen zu lassen!' Und es spreche das Weib: ,Amen! Amen!' 23Und es schreibe der Priester diese Flüche auf das Schriftstück und lösche sie in dem Wasser der Bitternisse aus. 24Dann lasse er das Weib das Wasser der Bitternisse, das fluchbringende, trinken, daß das fluchbringende Wasser zu Bitternissen in sie komme. 25Und der Priester nehme aus der Hand des Weibes das Opfer der Eifersucht, und er schwinge das Opfer vor dem Ewigen und bringe es hin zum Altar. 26Dann nehme der Priester eine Hand voll von dem Opfer als dessen Duftgabe und lasse es auf dem Altar in Rauch aufgehn, und danach lasse er das Weib das Wasser trinken. 27Und hat er sie das Wasser trinken lassen, so wird es sein: Wenn sie unrein geworden ist und eine Untreue begangen hat gegen ihren Mann, so kommt das fluchbringende Wasser in sie zu Bitternissen, es schwillt ihr Leib und es schrumpft ihre Hüfte, und das Weib wird zum Fluch werden in der Mitte ihres Volkes. 28Wenn das Weib aber nicht unrein geworden, sondern rein ist, so wird sie unverletzt bleiben und Samen empfangen. 29Dies ist die Weisung von der Eifersucht, wenn ein Weib, unter ihrem Mann stehend, abirrt und unrein wird; 30oder wenn über einen Mann der Geist des Eiferns kommt, und er eifersüchtig wird auf sein Weib, so stelle er das Weib vor den Ewigen, und der Priester vollführe an ihr diese ganze Weisung. 31Und der Mann ist frei von Schuld, aber jenes Weib hat ihre Schuld zu tragen.»
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 2 THE UNCLEAN TO BE REMOVED OUT OF THE CAMP. (
Num 5:1-
Num 5:4)
Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper--The exclusion of leprous persons from the camp in the wilderness, as from cities and villages afterwards, was a sanitary measure taken according to prescribed rules (Lev. 13:1-14:57). This exclusion of lepers from society has been acted upon ever since; and it affords almost the only instance in which any kind of attention is paid in the East to the prevention of contagion. The usage still more or less prevails in the East among people who do not think the least precaution against the plague or cholera necessary; but judging from personal observation, we think that in Asia the leprosy has now much abated in frequency and virulence. It usually appears in a comparatively mild form in Egypt, Palestine, and other countries where the disorder is, or was, endemic. Small societies of excluded lepers live miserably in paltry huts. Many of them are beggars, going out into the roads to solicit alms, which they receive in a wooden bowl; charitable people also sometimes bring different articles of food, which they leave on the ground at a short distance from the hut of the lepers, for whom it is intended. They are generally obliged to wear a distinctive badge that people may know them at first sight and be warned to avoid them. Other means were adopted among the ancient Jews by putting their hand on their mouth and crying, "Unclean, unclean" [
Lev 13:45]. But their general treatment, as to exclusion from society, was the same as now described. The association of the lepers, however, in this passage, with those who were subject only to ceremonial uncleanness, shows that one important design in the temporary exile of such persons was to remove all impurities that reflected dishonor on the character and residence of Israel's King. And this vigilant care to maintain external cleanliness in the people was typically designed to teach them the practice of moral purity, or cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. The regulations made for ensuring cleanliness in the camp suggest the adoption of similar means for maintaining purity in the church. And although, in large communities of Christians, it may be often difficult or delicate to do this, the suspension or, in flagrant cases of sin, the total excommunication of the offender from the privileges and communion of the church is an imperative duty, as necessary to the moral purity of the Christian as the exclusion of the leper from the camp was to physical health and ceremonial purity in the Jewish church.
6 RESTITUTION ENJOINED. (
Num 5:5-
Num 5:10)
When a man or a woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord--This is a wrong or injury done by one man to the property of another, and as it is called "a trespass against the Lord," it is implied, in the case supposed, that the offense has been aggravated by prevaricating--by a false oath, or a fraudulent lie in denying it, which is a "trespass" committed against God, who is the sole judge of what is falsely sworn or spoken (
Acts 5:3-
Acts 5:4).
and that person be guilty--that is, from the obvious tenor of the passage, conscience-smitten, or brought to a sense and conviction of his evil conduct. (See on
Lev 6:2). In that case, there must be: first, confession, a penitential acknowledgment of sin; secondly, restitution of the property, or the giving of an equivalent, with the additional fine of a fifth part, both as a compensation to the person defrauded, and as a penalty inflicted on the injurer, to deter others from the commission of similar trespasses. (See on
Exod 22:1). The difference between the law recorded in that passage and this is that the one was enacted against flagrant and determined thieves, the other against those whose necessities might have urged them into fraud, and whose consciences were distressed by their sin. This law also supposes the injured party to be dead, in which case, the compensation due to his representatives was to be paid to the priest, who, as God's deputy, received the required satisfaction.
9 every offering . . . shall be his--Whatever was given in this way, or otherwise, as by freewill offerings, irrevocably belonged to the priest.
12 THE TRIAL OF JEALOUSY. (Num. 5:11-31)
if any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him--This law was given both as a strong discouragement to conjugal infidelity on the part of a wife, and a sufficient protection of her from the consequences of a hasty and groundless suspicion on the part of the husband. His suspicions, however, were sufficient in the absence of witnesses (
Lev 20:10) to warrant the trial described; and the course of proceeding to be followed was for the jealous husband to bring his wife unto the priest with an offering of barley meal, because none were allowed to approach the sanctuary empty handed (
Exod 23:15). On other occasions, there were mingled with the offering, oil which signified joy, and frankincense which denoted acceptance (
Ps 141:2). But on the occasion referred to, both these ingredients were to be excluded, partly because it was a solemn appeal to God in distressing circumstances, and partly because it was a sin offering on the part of the wife, who came before God in the character of a real or suspected offender.
17 the priest shall take holy water--Water from the laver, which was to be mixed with dust--an emblem of vileness and misery (
Gen 3:14;
Ps 22:15).
in an earthen vessel--This fragile ware was chosen because, after being used, it was broken in pieces (
Lev 6:28;
Lev 11:33). All the circumstances of this awful ceremony--her being placed with her face toward the ark--her uncovered head, a sign of her being deprived of the protection of her husband (
1Cor 11:7) --the bitter potion being put into her hands preparatory to an appeal to God--the solemn adjuration of the priest (
Num 5:19-
Num 5:22), all were calculated in no common degree to excite and appall the imagination of a person conscious of guilt.
21 The Lord make thee a curse, &c.--a usual form of imprecation (
Isa 65:15;
Jer 29:22).
22 the woman shall say, Amen, Amen--The Israelites were accustomed, instead of formally repeating the words of an oath merely to say, "Amen," a "so be it" to the imprecations it contained. The reduplication of the word was designed as an evidence of the woman's innocence, and a willingness that God would do to her according to her desert.
23 write these curses in a book--The imprecations, along with her name, were inscribed in some kind of record--on parchment, or more probably on a wooden tablet.
blot them out with the bitter water--If she were innocent, they could be easily erased, and were perfectly harmless; but if guilty, she would experience the fatal effects of the water she had drunk.
29 This is the law of jealousies--Adultery discovered and proved was punished with death. But strongly suspected cases would occur, and this law made provision for the conviction of the guilty person. It was, however, not a trial conducted according to the forms of judicial process, but an ordeal through which a suspected adulteress was made to go--the ceremony being of that terrifying nature, that, on the known principles of human nature, guilt or innocence could not fail to appear. From the earliest times, the jealousy of Eastern people has established ordeals for the detection and punishment of suspected unchastity in wives. The practice was deep-rooted as well as universal. And it has been thought, that the Israelites being strongly biassed in favor of such usages, this law of jealousies "was incorporated among the other institutions of the Mosaic economy, in order to free it from the idolatrous rites which the heathens had blended with it." Viewed in this light, its sanction by divine authority in a corrected and improved form exhibits a proof at once of the wisdom and condescension of God.