5 This law was given partly to deter wives from adulterous pra« ctiſes, and partly to ſecure wives againſt the rage of their hard« hea:ted husbands, who otherwiſe might upon meer ſuſpicions de- {troy them, or at leaſt pur them away. Queſt. Why was there not the ſame law forthe tryal of the husband, when the wife was jealous of him ? Avſ. This might be eicher 1. becauſe rhe womans ſin is greater, becauſe there isnot only filthineſs and falſneſs in it, whiclz iS alſo in the mans ſin, bur alſo peculiar unrigh"eouſneſs in diſho= nou-ing his name and family, and transferring his eſtate to ſtran= gers and orher mens children : Or 2. becauſe there was nor like fear of inconveniencies to the husband from the jealoufie of the wife who had nor that authority and power,and opportunity for the put= ting away or killing of the husband, as the husband had over the wite. O. 3. Becauſe being the inferiour and the weaker ſex, and more ſubje& ro jealouſies & groundleisſuſpicions it was not thoughe expedient to truſt them with ſuch a power or priviledge. # From the way of religion and juſtice,or from hes faith given to her hus- band, or to the by-paths of falſhood and filthineſs, and that either in truth, or in appearance, and in her husbands opinion.
13 And a man lie with her carnaliy, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept cloſe «,and ſhe be defiled, and there be no witneſs againſt her x
. . IF neither ſhe be taken with the manwer ;
% She utrerly denying it, Proz 39+ 20: and none being able and willing to diſcover it. x For if it was witneſſed, ſhe was to die for it, Lev: 20: 10, Deut: 22:22, :
14 And the ſpirit of jealouſie y come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and ſhe be defiled : or if the
ſpirit of jealouſie come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and ſhe be not defiled :
y (7.e.) A ſtrong opinion or ſuggeſtion or inward motion of thar kind, whether from a good or evil ſpirit. This we read of the ſpirit of wiſdom, Iſa: II: 2, of perverſeneſs, Iſa: 19: I4: of fornication Hoſe 33S: of fear, 2 Tim; 1; 7: of ſlumber, Rom: 11. 8. :
is Then = (hall che man bring his wife unto the prieſt, and he thall bring her offering a for her, the tenth pare of an Ephah of barley meal, he ſhall pour no oyl upon it, nor put frankincenſe thereon b ; for it is an offering of jea.oulic, an oitering of memorial, bring- ing iniquity to remembrancee:
z She perſiſting in her denial.and her kusband requiring her ſub- mithon to this way of tryal. # Which was partly belong { Fave to appear before God empty,Exod:23: 15. partly by way of tolemn appeal to God, whom hereby the deſired to judge between her and her hushand ; and partly by way of atronement to appeaſe God, who had for her fins ſtirred up her husband againſt her, and ſent an evil ſpirit between them. See 1 Sam: 26: 19. b Both becauſe it was a kind of ſin-offering, from which theſe were excluded, Lev: 5. 10, and to teſtihe her ſorrowful ſenſe of the hand of God, and of her husbands diſpleaſure, and becauſe ſhe came thither as a delinquent or one ſuſpected of delinquency, and under an ill fame, and un- pleaſing both ro God and men ; as one that wanted that grace and amiableneſs and joy which oy! ſignified God which frankincenſe deſigned, Pſal: 141. 2. c Both to God be- fore wt.om ſhe appeared as a ſinner, and ro her own conſcience, if ſhe were guilty, and, if ſhe were not guilty of this, yet it reminde@ her of her »ther ſins, for which this mighr be a puniſhment.
16 And the prieſt ſhall bring her 4 near and ſet her before the LORD e.
4 (6. e.) The woman : Bur of her he ſpeaks, wer: 18: or it, 7. e: t1e offering, which is laſt ſpoken of, ſo the feminine gender is put tor the maſculine or the neuter, of both which we have inſtances. e (ie e.) Before the ſanftuary where the Ark was.
17 And the prieſt ſhall take holy water fin an earthen veſſel g, and of the duſt b that is in the floor of the taber-
nacle z the prieſt (ball rake, and put it into the warer ks F Either water our of the holy laver, Exod: 3o. 18. or rather the water of purification appointed for ſuch kind of uſes, Num. 19. 9. This was uſed, that if the were guilty, ſhe might be afraid to add profaneneſs and the pollution of holy things to her other crime. g Either to. ſignific thar fraulty and vileneſs of which ſhe ſtood ac- cuſed, or expreſs her ſorrowful and ſhameful! condition,or becauſe, after this uſe, it was to be broken in pieces, that the remembrance, of it might be blotted out as far as was poſſible. Compare Levit: 6. 28. and 11: 33: and 15; 12. h Anemblem of vitenefs and miſery, as appears from Job 2. 12, Pſal. 22: 15 Lam: 3: 29. and the ſer- pents food, Gen: 3. 14. very proper for her who had been ſeduced ro folly by the ſerpents inftigation. / Which made it holy duſt and ſtruck the greater terrour into the woman, if ſhe were guilty. k To make it m re unpleaſant and bitter, which was ſuitable ro one
in that forcowful ſtate. Z 1 13 And
Chap. V,
, and that acceptance with -
* Levits | 10; 133
T. Chiap. =
of thy
t Heb.
ro fall.
13 And the pricft ſhall ſet the woman before the LORD J, and uncover the womans head »s, and put the offering of memorial in her hands » which is the jea- louſic-offering : and the prieſt ſhall haye in his hand the
bieter o water that cauſeth the curſe p.
1 Before the tabernacle with her face toward the Ark. 2: Part- ly that ſhe might be made ſenſible how manifeſt ſhe and all her ways were to God, and that ſhe might be more viſible to the con- gregation, that her ſhame might be greater if ſhe were guilty ; partly in token of her ſorrow either for her ſin, or at leaſt tor any cauſe of ſuſpicion which ſhe had given ; partly as a ſign that ſhe was after a ſort deprived of the help and prote&ion of her husband, which the covering of the womans head ſignified, 1 Cor: 113 5, 6,7, 10. and that ſhe was neither virgin nor loyal wife, for the heads of both theſe uſed to be covered. » That ſhe her ſelf might offer it, and therefore call God to be witneſs of her innocency: 0 So called either from the bitter taſt which the duſt gave it, or from the bitter effe&s of it upon her, if ſhe were guilty. Compare Exod; 32: 20. þ Not by any natural power, but by a ſupernatural eſh- cacy ordained and wrought by God for her puniſhment,and for the terrour and caution of orhers:
19 And the prieſt ſhail charge her by an oath q, and ſay unto the woman, If ne man r have lien with thee,