Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.
Parallel translations
- WEB Both you shall put male and female outside of the camp; that they not defile their camp, in the middle of which I dwell.”
- BSB You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.”
- NKJV You shall put out both male and female; you shall put them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camps in the midst of which I dwell.”
- NASB You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they do not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.”
- NLT This command applies to men and women alike. Remove them so they will not defile the camp in which I live among them.”
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
Both men and women were to be put outside so the camp where God dwells would not be defiled. God's dwelling among His people demanded purity from all alike.
Overview
The law applied without partiality, since the issue was the holiness of the camp, not the status of the person. The stated reason—'in the middle of which I dwell'—reveals that God's presence is the heart of the matter. This anticipates the New Testament truth that God's people are His temple, called to purity because His Spirit dwells among them (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Deut 23:14For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
- Lev 26:11–12And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
- Rev 21:3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
- Ps 68:18Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
- Num 35:34Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.
- 2 Th 3:6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
- Heb 12:15–16Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
- Isa 12:6Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
- Titus 3:10A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
- Rev 21:27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
- 1 Kgs 7:3And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.
- 2 Cor 6:16–17And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
- 1 Cor 5:7–13Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
- Num 19:22And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.
- 2 Jn 1:10–11If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
- Hag 2:13–14Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
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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 5:3 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.