BibleWord.ai› Bible› Numbers› Chapter 5› Verse 24

Numbers 5:24

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 5:24 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her [and become] bitter.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her [and become] bitter.
Numbers 5:24 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 5

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
21then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, Jehovah make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when Jehovah doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy body to swell;
22and this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy body to swell, and thy thigh to fall away. And the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.
23And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness:
24and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her [and become] bitter.
25And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy out of the woman`s hand, and shall wave the meal-offering before Jehovah, and bring it unto the altar:
26and the priest shall take a handful of the meal-offering, as the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.
27And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her [and become] bitter, and her body shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
← Numbers 5:23Numbers 5:25 →
← Full Chapter 5 Numbers Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse, etc.]. Having the curse imprecated upon herself, if guilty, scraped into it; and this she was obliged to drink, whether she would or not; so it is said, if the roll is blotted out, and she says I am defiled, the water is poured out, and her offering is scattered in the place of ashes; if the roll is blotted out, and she says I will not drink, then force her, and make her drink whether she will or no f45: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, [and become] bitter; produce the sad and bitter effects mentioned.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The trial of jealousy. Since the crime of adultery is especially defiling and destructive of the very foundations of social order, the whole subject is dealt with at a length proportionate to its importance. The process prescribed has lately been strikingly illustrated from an Egyptian “romance,” which refers to the time of Rameses the Great, and may therefore well serve to illustrate the manners and customs of the Mosaic times. This mode of trial, like several other ordinances, was adopted by Moses from existing and probably very ancient and widely spread institutions. Numbers 5:15 The offering was to be of the cheapest and coarsest kind, barley (compare 2 Kings 7:1, 2 Kings 7:16, 2 Kings…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“To drink - That is, after the jealousy - offering was offered. Numbers 5:28”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Zac 5:3, Zac 5:4; Mal 3:5 Numbers 5:25”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read Numbers 5 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification