And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:
Parallel translations
- WEB One shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her meat, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn.
- BSB Then the heifer must be burned in his sight. Its hide, its flesh, and its blood are to be burned, along with its dung.
- NKJV Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned.
- NASB Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; its hide, its flesh, and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned.
- NLT As Eleazar watches, the heifer must be burned—its hide, meat, blood, and dung.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The whole heifer, skin, flesh, blood, and dung, was burned in the priest's sight to produce the purifying ashes.
Overview
The complete burning of the animal, including its blood and waste, was unusual and produced the ashes essential to the water of purification. Nothing was reserved; the entire offering was consumed. This total consumption highlights the costliness of cleansing from death's defilement and the thoroughness required for purity before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Exod 29:14But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.
- Lev 4:11–12And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung,
- Lev 4:21And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.
- Ps 22:14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
- Isa 53:10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 19:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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