This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, 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 5:19And 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:
- Num 5:12Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
- Lev 7:11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.
- Lev 13:59This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
- Lev 11:46This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
- Isa 5:7–8For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
- Num 5:15Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
- Lev 15:32–33This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;
- Lev 14:54–57This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall,
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.