Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
Parallel translations
- WEB “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray, and is unfaithful to him,
- BSB “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him
- NKJV “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him,
- NASB “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,
- NLT “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. “Suppose a man’s wife goes astray, and she is unfaithful to her husband
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 law concerns a wife who goes astray and is unfaithful to her husband. It addresses suspected marital infidelity.
Overview
This verse sets the case: a wife suspected of breaking the marriage covenant through unfaithfulness. The seriousness with which the Law treats adultery reflects God's high regard for the marriage bond. Marriage's covenant fidelity itself images God's faithful covenant love for His people, which Christ embodies toward His church (Ephesians 5:25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Num 5:19–20And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:
- Prov 2:16–17To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 5:12 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.