“‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, and is defiled;
Parallel translations
- KJV This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;
- BSB This is the law of jealousy when a wife goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband’s authority,
- NKJV ‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
- NASB ‘This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, who is under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself,
- NLT “This is the ritual law for dealing with suspicion. If a woman goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband’s authority,
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
This sums up the 'law of jealousy' for cases where a wife may have gone astray.
Overview
Verses 29-31 conclude the passage by labeling it the law of jealousy, providing a fixed procedure rather than arbitrary response. It addresses the real damage of suspicion within marriage by giving the matter a God-ordained resolution. The covenant seriousness of marriage points forward to Christ and the church (Eph 5).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Num 5:19The priest shall cause her to swear, and shall tell the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you haven’t gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse.
- Num 5:12“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray, and is unfaithful to him,
- Lev 7:11“‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer to Yahweh.
- Lev 13:59This is the law of the plague of mildew in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or in anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
- Lev 11:46“‘This is the law of the animal, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,
- Isa 5:7–8For the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for justice, but, behold, oppression; for righteousness, but, behold, a cry of distress.
- Num 5:15then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering for her: one tenth of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to memory.
- Lev 15:32–33This is the law of him who has a discharge, and of him who has an emission of semen, so that he is unclean thereby;
- Lev 14:54–57This is the law for any plague of leprosy, and for an itch,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 5:29 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.