Numbers 5:25

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 5:25 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And 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:” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And 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:
Numbers 5:25 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 5

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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:

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, etc.] Which she was obliged to hold in her hand while the above rites and ceremonies were performed; which was very heavy, being an omer of barley flour, a measure about three quarts, which was put into an Egyptian basket made of small palm tree twigs: and this was put into her hands to weary her, as before observed, that, having her mind distressed, she might the sooner confess her crime: and shall wave the offering before the Lord: backwards and forwards, upwards and downwards, as Jarchi; who also observes, that the woman waved with him, for her hand was above the hand of the priest so the tradition is, “he (her…”
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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…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“priest: Num 5:15, Num 5:18 wave: Exo 29:24; Lev 8:27 Numbers 5:26”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification