Numbers 5
BBCNumbers 5:1
C. Cleanliness and Confession (5:1-10)This section deals with precautions the Israelites were to take to keep the camp free from defilement. The reason for the command in verse 3 can be found in Deu_23:14 : God was walking in the midst of the camp. 5:1-4 Lepers, people with running sores, and those who had touched a dead body were to be put . . . outside the camp. The camp was composed of the tabernacle area plus that space around it occupied by the tents of Israel. 5:5-10 When a man or woman . . . committed any sin against another, he or she was required to confess the sin, to offer a trespass offering, to make restitution, and to add one-fifth part. If the person who was wronged had died or could not be located, and if no near relatives were available, then payment was to be made to the priest.
Numbers 5:11
D. The Law of Jealousy (5:11-31)5:11-15 This passage describes a lie-detecting ritual known as the trial of jealousy. The purpose of this ceremony was to determine the guilt or innocence of a woman who was suspected of being unfaithful to her husband. The woman was required to drink . . . water mixed with dust from the floor of the tabernacle. If she was guilty, it would prove a curse to her, causing swelling of the stomach and rotting of the thigh. If she was innocent, no ill effects would follow. It is obvious from verses 12-14 that the husband did not know whether his wife had been unfaithful. He first was required to bring his wife to the priest, together with a grain offering. 5:16-31 The priest prepared the mixture of water and dust . . . in an earthen vessel. He brought her to the altar before the LORD, unbound the hair of her head, and put the meal offering . . . in her hands. Then he made her agree to an oath whereby she would be cursed if guilty. After writing the curses in a book and scraping them off into the bitter water, he waved the grain offering before the LORD, burned a handful of it on the altar, and then made the woman drink the water. The statement in verse 24 that he caused the woman to drink the water is repeated in verse 26. She drank only once.
If she was guilty, the threatened judgments came upon her, including sterility. If innocent, then she was pronounced clean, was free from punishment, and was able to live a normal married life, bearing children. Verses 29-31 summarize the trial of jealousy. Jealousy can destroy a marriage, whether it has justifiable grounds or not. This ritual provided a way to settle the issue once for all. The judgment of God would be upon the guilty, and the innocent would be freed from the suspicion of her partner. Some Bible students believe that this section will have a special application in a coming day, when the nation of Israel will be tried for its unfaithfulness to Jehovah.