Numbers 5:13-15
New English Translation
13 and a man goes to bed with her for sexual relations[a] without her husband knowing it,[b] and it is undetected that she has defiled herself since[c] there was no witness against her, nor was she caught in the act— 14 and if jealous feelings[d] come over him and he becomes suspicious of[e] his wife when she is defiled,[f] or if jealous feelings come over him and he becomes suspicious of his wife, when she is not defiled— 15 then[g] the man must bring his wife to the priest, and he must bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he must not pour olive oil on it or put frankincense on it because it is a grain offering of suspicion,[h] a grain offering for remembering,[i] for bringing[j] iniquity to remembrance.
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- Numbers 5:13 tn Heb “And a man when he lies with her, the lying of seed.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) “to lie down” acts as a euphemism, implying going to bed for sexual relations. In this case, the phrase “lying for (a man’s) seed” specifies that it refers to sexual intercourse.
- Numbers 5:13 tn Heb “and it is concealed from the eyes of her husband.”
- Numbers 5:13 tn The noun clause beginning with the simple conjunction is here a circumstantial clause, explaining that there was no witness to the sin.
- Numbers 5:14 tn The Hebrew text has the construct case, “spirit of jealousy.” The word “spirit” here has the sense of attitude, mood, feelings. The word קִנְאָה (qinʾah) is the genitive of attribute, modifying what kind of feelings they are. The word means either “zeal” or “jealousy,” depending on the context. It is a passionate feeling to guard or protect an institution or relationship. It can also express strong emotional possessiveness such as envy and coveting. Here there is a feeling of jealousy, but no proof of infidelity.
- Numbers 5:14 tn The word is now used in the Piel stem; the connotation is certainly “suspicious,” for his jealousy seems now to have some basis, even if it is merely suspicion.
- Numbers 5:14 tn The noun clause begins with the conjunction and the pronoun; here it is forming a circumstantial clause, either temporal or causal.
- Numbers 5:15 tn All the conditions have been laid down now for the instruction to begin—if all this happened, then this is the procedure to follow.
- Numbers 5:15 tn The Hebrew word is “jealousy,” which also would be an acceptable translation here. But since the connotation is that suspicion has been raised about the other person, “suspicion” seems to be a better rendering in this context.
- Numbers 5:15 tn The word “remembering” is זִכָּרוֹן (zikkaron); the meaning of the word here is not so much “memorial,” which would not communicate much, but the idea of bearing witness before God concerning the charges. The truth would come to light through this ritual, and so the attestation would stand. This memorial would bring the truth to light. It was a somber occasion, and so no sweet smelling additives were placed on the altar.
- Numbers 5:15 tn The final verbal form, מַזְכֶּרֶת (mazkeret), explains what the memorial was all about—it was causing iniquity to be remembered.
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