Numbers 5:11-31 - Jealousy and Adultery

Numbers 5:11-31

Concerning Unfaithful Wives

11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him, 13 and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught— 14 if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she has not defiled herself— 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16 ‘And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD. 17 The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. 18 Then the priest shall stand the woman before the LORD, uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. 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 lain with you”— 21 then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman—“the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; 22 and may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot.”

‘Then the woman shall say, “Amen, so be it.”

23 ‘Then the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water. 24 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. 25 Then the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, shall wave the offering before the LORD, and bring it to the altar; 26 and the priest shall take a handful of the offering, as its memorial portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water. 27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she shall be free and may conceive children.

29 ‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself, 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes upon a man, and he becomes jealous of his wife; then he shall stand the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute all this law upon her. 31 Then the man shall be free from iniquity, but that woman shall bear her guilt.’”

Laws concerning suspected and proven adultery are covered here.  Just the suspicion that a man’s wife was being unfaithful to their marriage covenant was not enough; proof had to be found before accountability and punishment could be given.  This seems strange to modern age ears because such immorality is seldom seen with the same accountability before God is a society that seeks self over the seriousness of the marriage vows.  In God’s theocracy this was taken very seriously and had rules to follow if a husband suspected an unproven extramarital affair between his wife and another man.  The feeling might have been true, but it had to be proven if it was well hidden.  Justice demanded more than a feeling, even if it was based on truth.  The husband therefore would bring the suspected wife to the priest with a jealousy offering.  The priest would put her under oath and make her drink a bitter mixture to let the LORD prove of disprove the accusation by whether she got sick or not after swearing her innocence and drinking the water while waving the jealousy offering in the presence of God and her.  If she was guilty, her belly would swell and if not she would still be able to have children in her validated innocence.  The husband had to do these procedures before the LORD to remain free from his own sin if he falsely accused her or if he looked the other way and ignored the sin.  This law of jealousy and adultery therefore was for the good of the marriage and not just to protect the husband.  The same could be said if the man was the adulterer even if it is not specifically stated here because adulterers of both husbands and wives are addressed (Leviticus 20:10) in other scriptures, along with other sexual perversions (Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27) of both man and woman.  Marriage is the divine covenant between one man and one woman only and forever, not to be defiled (Hebrews 13:4) with adultery or other relationships sought in any way different from God’s design (Genesis 1:27-28, Matthew 19:4, 6, 1 Corinthians 7:2-4) of man and woman in this sacred promised covenant of marriage between the two and no others before God.  Just as marriage is a picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32), so we in the Lord are not to join to any other false gods but remain committed in the New Covenant of His blood to Him and not any other to remain in spiritual faithfulness to Him.