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:

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
priest	הַכֹּהֵ֥ן ha.ko.Hen	H3548	literally one officiating · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
set	וְהֶעֱמִ֨יד ve.he.'e.Mid	H5975	to stand · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
woman	הָאִשָּׁה֮ ha.'i.Shah	H802	a woman · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
before	לִפְנֵ֣י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
LORD	יְהוָה֒ Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
uncover	וּפָרַע֙ u.fa.Ra'	H6544	to loosen · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
woman’s	הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה ha.'i.Shah	H802	a woman · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
head	רֹ֣אשׁ rosh	H7218	the head (as most easily shaken) · noun, common masculine singular construct
put	וְנָתַ֣ן ve.na.Tan	H5414	to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
offering	מִנְחַ֣ת min.Chat	H4503	a donation · noun, common feminine singular construct
memorial	הַזִּכָּר֔וֹן ha.zi.ka.Ron	H2146	a memento (or memorable thing · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
hands	כַּפֶּ֗יהָ ka.Pei.ha	H3709	the hollow hand or palm (so of the paw of an animal · noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
jealousy	קְנָאֹ֖ת ke.na.'Ot	H7068	jealousy or envy · noun, common feminine plural absolute
offering	מִנְחַ֥ת min.Chat	H4503	a donation · noun, common feminine singular construct
priest	הַכֹּהֵן֙ ha.ko.Hen	H3548	literally one officiating · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
hand	וּבְיַ֤ד u.ve.Yad	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · conjunction + preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
bitter	הַמָּרִ֖ים ha.ma.Rim	H4751	bitter (literally or figuratively) · definite article + adjective, masculine plural absolute
water	מֵ֥י mei	H4325	water · noun, common masculine plural construct
curse	הַמְאָֽרֲרִֽים ham.'A.ra.Rim	H779	to execrate · definite article + verb, piel active participle, masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Leviticus 13:45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall…
Numbers 5:15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he sh…
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…
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, A…
Numbers 5:24-26 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, an…
Deuteronomy 29:18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve…
1 Samuel 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitter…
Proverbs 5:4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 5:11–end

We have here the law concerning the solemn trial of a wife whose husband was jealous of her. Observe, I. What was the case supposed: That a man had some reason to suspect his wife to have committed adultery, Num 5:12-14. Here, 1. The sin of adultery is justly represented as an exceedingly sinful sin; it is going aside from God and virtue, and the good way, Pro 2:17. It is committing a trespass against the husband, robbing him of his honour, alienating his right, introducing a spurious breed into his family to share with his children in his estate, and violating her covenant with him. It is being defiled; for nothing pollutes the mind and conscience more than this sin does. 2. It is supposed…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 5:17

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; Psa 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 (Co1 11:7) --the bitter potion being put into her hands preparatory to an appeal to God--the solemn adjuration of the priest (Num 5:19-22), all were calculated in no common degree to excite and appall the imagination of a person conscious of guilt.

John Gill on Numbers 5:18

And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord,.... In the east of the tabernacle, with her face to the west, where was the holy of holies, so Ben Gersom; but not immediately for they had her from place to place, as Jarchi says, till she was weary, and her mind disturbed, that she might confess; and if she said, I am defiled, she rent the writing of her dowry, and went out; but if she said, I am pure, they brought her to the eastern gate, the gate of Nicanor, for there they made women suspected of adultery to drink the waters (t): and uncover the woman's head; as a token of her immodesty and non-subjection to her husband, and that she might be seen by all, to cause shame in her: accordi…

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Dictionary and topics

Adultery — Conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried…
Water of jealousy — A phrase employed (not, however, in Scripture) to denote the water used in the solemn ordeal prescribed by the law of Moses (Num. 5:11-31) in cases of “jealousy.”
Adultery · 19:20-22;20:10-12;21:9; — 19:20-22;20:10-12;21:9;
Bitter Water · A ceremonial water used by the priest — A ceremonial water used by the priest
Husband · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Jealousy · Law concerning, when husband is jealous for his wife — Law concerning, when husband is jealous for his wife
Self-Incrimination · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Wife · Unfaithful — Unfaithful
Woman · Unfaithfulness of, when married found out by the waters of jealousy — Unfaithfulness of, when married found out by the waters of jealousy
Women · was to be — was to be

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Numbers 5:18

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 5:11–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 5:17

John Gill on Numbers 5:18

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 5:18

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 5:11–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 5:17

John Gill on Numbers 5:18

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Numbers 5:11–end

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 5:11–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 5:17

Rashi on Numbers 5:18