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Texts -- Numbers 19:1-19 (NET)

Context
The Red Heifer Ritual
19:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron : 19:2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded : ‘Instruct the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without blemish , which has no defect and has never carried a yoke . 19:3 You must give it to Eleazar the priest so that he can take it outside the camp , and it must be slaughtered before him. 19:4 Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger , and sprinkle some of the blood seven times directly in front of the tent of meeting . 19:5 Then the heifer must be burned in his sight – its skin , its flesh , its blood , and its offal is to be burned . 19:6 And the priest must take cedar wood , hyssop , and scarlet wool and throw them into the midst of the fire where the heifer is burning . 19:7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water , and afterward he may come into the camp , but the priest will be ceremonially unclean until evening . 19:8 The one who burns it must wash his clothes in water and bathe himself in water . He will be ceremonially unclean until evening . 19:9 “‘Then a man who is ceremonially clean must gather up the ashes of the red heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp . They must be kept for the community of the Israelites for use in the water of purification – it is a purification for sin . 19:10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be ceremonially unclean until evening . This will be a permanent ordinance both for the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them.
Purification from Uncleanness
19:11 “‘Whoever touches the corpse of any person will be ceremonially unclean seven days . 19:12 He must purify himself with water on the third day and on the seventh day , and so will be clean . But if he does not purify himself on the third day and the seventh day , then he will not be clean . 19:13 Anyone who touches the corpse of any dead person and does not purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord . And that person must be cut off from Israel , because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him. He will be unclean ; his uncleanness remains on him. 19:14 “‘This is the law : When a man dies in a tent , anyone who comes into the tent and all who are in the tent will be ceremonially unclean seven days . 19:15 And every open container that has no covering fastened on it is unclean . 19:16 And whoever touches the body of someone killed with a sword in the open fields , or the body of someone who died of natural causes, or a human bone , or a grave , will be unclean seven days . 19:17 “‘For a ceremonially unclean person you must take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin and pour fresh running water over them in a vessel . 19:18 Then a ceremonially clean person must take hyssop , dip it in the water , and sprinkle it on the tent , on all its furnishings , and on the people who were there , or on the one who touched a bone , or one killed , or one who died , or a grave . 19:19 And the clean person must sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day ; and on the seventh day he must purify him, and then he must wash his clothes , and bathe in water , and he will be clean in the evening .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Heifer

    [ebd] Heb. 'eglah, (Deut. 21:4, 6; Jer. 46:20). Untrained to the yoke (Hos. 10:11); giving milk (Isa. 7:21); ploughing (Judg. 14:18); treading out grain (Jer. 50:11); unsubdued to the yoke an emblem of Judah (Isa. 15:5; Jer. 48:34...
    [isbe] HEIFER - hef'-er (parah, in Nu 19(see following article) and Hos 4:16; `eghlah, elsewhere in the Old Testament; damalis, in Heb 9:13):For the "heifer of three years old" in the King James Version, the Revised Version margin ...
    [nave] HEIFER When used as sacrifice, must be without blemish and must not have come under the yoke, Num. 19:2; Deut. 21:3. An atonement for murder, Deut. 21:1-9. The red heifer used for the water of separation, Num. 19; Heb. 9:1...

  • CLEAN

    [ebd] The various forms of uncleanness according to the Mosaic law are enumerated in Lev. 11-15; Num. 19. The division of animals into clean and unclean was probably founded on the practice of sacrifice. It existed before the Floo...
    [isbe] CLEAN - klen (Anglo-Saxon cloene, "clear," "pure"): Rendering four Hebrew roots: bar, etc., "purify," "select," "make shining"; zakh, etc., "bright," "clean" "pure"; naqi, "free from," "exempt"; Taher, "clean," "pure," "empt...

  • OLIVES, MOUNT OF

    [isbe] OLIVES, MOUNT OF - ol'-ivz, (har ha-zethim (Zec 14:4), ma`aleh ha-zethim, "the ascent of the mount of Olives" (2 Sam 15:30, the King James Version "the ascent of (mount) Olivet"); to oros ton elaion, "the Mount of Olives" (M...

  • SEPARATION

    [isbe] SEPARATION - sep-a-ra'-shun: In the Pentateuch the word niddah specially points to a state of ceremonial uncleanness (Lev 12:2,5; 15:20 ff; Nu 6:4 ff; 12:13; 19:21). For a description of the "water of purification," used for...

  • CORPSE

    [isbe] CORPSE - korps: This word in the King James Version is the translations of two Hebrew words, pegher, and gewiyah, while nebhelah, and guphah, which mean the same, are translated "body," with which the English word "corpse" (...

  • Water

    [isbe] WATER - wo'-ter (mayim; hudor): (1) The Greek philosophers believed water to be the original substance and that all things were made from it. The Koran states, "From water we have made all things." In the story of the creati...
    [nave] WATER Creation of, Psa. 148:4, 5. Covered the whole earth, Gen. 1:9. Daily allowance of, Ezek. 4:11. City waterworks, 2 Kin. 20:20. Vision of, by Ezekiel, Ezek. 47:1-5. Of separation, Num. 19:2-22. Libation of, 1 Sam. ...

  • Uncleaess

    [nave] UNCLEAESS, Lev. 5:2, 3; 7:20, 21; 17:15; 21:1-15; 22:2-8; Num. 5:2, 3; 9:6-11; 19; 31:19; Deut. 23:10, 11. See: Defilement; Purification; Sanitation; Washing.

  • Red Heifer

    [nave] RED HEIFER, of purification, Num. 19.

  • Water of separation

    [ebd] used along with the ashes of a red heifer for the ceremonial cleansing of persons defiled by contact with a dead body (Num. 19).

  • SPRINKLE; SPRINKLING

    [isbe] SPRINKLE; SPRINKLING - sprin'-k'-l, sprin'-kling (zaraq, nazah; rhantizein): The first word means "to toss" or "scatter abundantly," e.g. in handfuls, as dust on the head (Job 2:12) or blood from a bowl (Ex 9:8). The other H...

  • HEIFER, RED

    [isbe] HEIFER, RED - In Nu 19 a rite is described in which the ashes of a "red heifer" and of certain objects are mixed with running water to obtain the so-called "water for impurity." (Such is the correct translation of the Americ...

  • Exodus

    [ebd] the great deliverance wrought for the children of Isreal when they were brought out of the land of Egypt with "a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm" (Ex 12:51; Deut. 26:8; Ps 114; 136), about B.C. 1490, and four hundre...

  • UNCLEANNESS

    [isbe] UNCLEANNESS - un-klen'-nes: I. TERMS 1. In the Old Testament (Hebrew) 2. In the New Testament 3. In the Septuagint II. POSSIBLE RELATION OF ISRAEL'S LAWS ON UNCLEANNESS WITH THE LAWS OF TABOO AMONG THE NATIONS III. TEACHING ...
    [smith] The distinctive idea attached to ceremonial uncleanness among the Hebrews was that it cut a person off for the time from social privileges, and left his citizenship among God?s people for the while in abeyance. There is an in...

  • Defilement

    [nave] DEFILEMENT Laws relating to, Lev. 7:18-21; 11:43; 22:2-7. Caused by leprosy, Lev. 13:3, 44-46; 14; 22:4-7; gonorrhea, Lev. 15:1-15; 22:4; copulation, Lev. 15:17; emission of semen, Lev. 15:16, 17; childbirth, Lev. 12:2-8; L...

  • SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2

    [isbe] SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2 - V. The Mosaic Sacrificial System. 1. The Covenant Sacrifice: The fundamental function of Moses' work was to establish the covenant between Israel and God. This important transaction took ...

  • Purification

    [ebd] the process by which a person unclean, according to the Levitical law, and thereby cut off from the sanctuary and the festivals, was restored to the enjoyment of all these privileges. The great annual purification of the peo...
    [smith] in its legal and technical sense, is applied to the ritual observances whereby an Israelite was formally absolved from the taint of uncleanness. The essence of purification, in all eases, consisted in the use of water, whethe...
    [nave] PURIFICATION, sanitary and symbolical. For women before marriage, Esth. 2:12; after childbirth, Lev. 12:6-8; Luke 2:22; after menstruation, Lev. 15:19-33; 2 Sam. 11:4. Of the Jews before the passover, John 11:55. For those ...

  • Sanitation

    [nave] SANITATION. Carcasses Lev. 5:2; Lev. 10:4, 5; Lev. 11:24-28, 31-40; Lev. 22:4, 6; Num. 9:6, 10; Num. 19:11-16; Num. 31:19; Deut. 21:22, 23 Childbirth Lev. 12:3; Ezek. 16:4 Circumcision See: Circumcision. Contagion Le...

  • Mourning

    [nave] MOURNING For the dead: Head uncovered, Lev. 10:6; 21:10; lying on ground, 2 Sam. 12:16; personal appearance neglected, 2 Sam. 14:2; cutting the flesh, Lev. 19:28; 21:1-5; Deut. 14:1; Jer. 16:6, 7; 41:5; lamentations, Gen. 50...

  • Types

    [nave] TYPES. Miscellaneous Bride, a type of the Church, Rev. 21:2, 9; 22:17. The sanctuary a type of the heavenly sanctuary, Ex. 40:2, 24; Heb. 8:2, 5; 9:1-12. The saving of Noah and his family, of the salvation through the go...

  • Hyssop

    [ebd] (Heb. 'ezob; LXX. hyssopos), first mentioned in Ex. 12:22 in connection with the institution of the Passover. We find it afterwards mentioned in Lev. 14:4, 6, 52; Num. 19:6, 18; Heb. 9:19. It is spoken of as a plant "springi...
    [isbe] HYSSOP - his'-up ('ezobh; hussspos, Ex 12:22; Lev 14:4,6,4:9 ff; Nu 19:6,18; 1 Ki 4:33; Ps 51:7; Jn 19:29; Heb 9:19): A plant used for ritual cleansing purposes; a humble plant springing out of the wall (1 Ki 4:33), the extr...
    [nave] HYSSOP An indigenous plant to western Asia and northern Africa, 1 Kin. 4:33. The Israelites used, in sprinkling the blood of the paschal lamb upon the lintels of their doors, Ex. 12:22; in sprinkling blood in purifications,...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Jews called their first month Abib (v. 2). After the Babylonian captivity they renamed it Nisan (Neh. 2:1; Esth. 3:7). It corresponds to our March-April. Abib means "ear-month"referring to the month when the grain was in ...
  • Hyssop grew commonly on rocks and walls in the Near East and Egypt (v. 22). If it was the same plant that we identify as hyssop today, masses of tiny white flowers and a fragrant aroma characterized it. The Jews used it for a...
  • To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
  • I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
  • The end of chapter 10 is the high point of the Book of Numbers spiritually. The beginning of chapter 11 records the beginning of the spiritual decline of Israel that resulted in God's judging the nation. He postponed the fulf...
  • Having received their sentence from the Lord, the people then presumptuously proceeded to go up on their own to take the land (vv. 40-42)."They are like children who had broken a valuable vase and decided to make it better' b...
  • A complete and comprehensive explanation of the official duties and revenues of the priests and Levites appropriately follows the confirmation of Aaron's priesthood. This was God's reply to the frightened cries of the people ...
  • God gave this law so the nation might maintain purity as the older generation died off in the wilderness. Its purpose was not to remove sin itself but to remove the uncleanness that death represented because of its connection...
  • Here begins the fourth and last leg of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.1. From Egypt to Sinai (Exod. 12-19)2. From Sinai to Kadesh (Num. 11-12)3. From Kadesh back to Kadesh--38 years of wilderness wand...
  • The Book of Numbers is a lesson in the importance of trust and obedience. The Israelites frequently failed to trust and obey God in the hours of their trials, and consequently God postponed His blessing. Most of them never en...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • "Ezekiel's vision of God's glory had provided the needed perspectivefor his task (1:4-2:7). The messagehe was to deliver was provided by God (2:8-3:11). Then he needed motivationto direct him to the task. That motivation was ...
  • 9:1 In his vision Ezekiel heard the Lord (cf. v. 4) cry out loudly for the executioners (guards), who would punish the people of Jerusalem, to draw near to Him with their weapons in hand. The Lord had predicted that the peopl...
  • 44:15-16 The Levites from Zadok's branch of the priestly family, however, would have special privileges since Zadok and his sons had served the Lord faithfully in the past (cf. 40:46; 1 Sam. 2:35; 2 Sam. 8:17; 15:24-29; 1 Kin...
  • 9:1-2 The Lord told Israel not to rejoice like other nations at the prospect of an abundant harvest; that would not be her experience. He promised to remove her grain and wine. These were threatened curses for covenant unfait...
  • 2:10 Another prophecy came from the Lord on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of 520 B.C. (Kislev 24, December 18). During the two months between this prophecy and the former one (vv. 1-9), Zechariah began his ministry...
  • It was common when Jesus lived for forerunners to precede important individuals to prepare the way for their arrival. For example, when a king would visit a town in his realm his emissaries would go before him to announce his...
  • This miracle raised the popular appreciation of Jesus' authority to new heights. Luke also continued to stress Jesus' compassion for people, in this case a widow whose son had died, by including this incident in his Gospel. T...
  • Jesus now specified two examples of the Pharisees' spiritual myopia (vv. 42-43), and then He compared them to something similar that defiles (v. 44). Jesus announced His condemnation with the use of "woe."11:42-43 The Pharise...
  • Luke did not record Jesus' actual entrance into the city of Jerusalem. He stressed Jesus' approach to Jerusalem and His lamentation over it (vv. 41-44). This presentation has the effect of eliminating the triumphant spirit of...
  • John now presented evidence that Jesus knew people as no others did and that many believed in His name (2:23). This constitutes further witness that He is the Son of God. John summarized several conversations that Jesus had w...
  • Peter began this epistle in the manner that was customary in this day.9He introduced himself and his original readers, and he wished God's blessing on them to prepare them for what he had to say. He prepared them for dealing ...
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