{| jOr,bcing and if thou haſt not gone alide to uncleanneſs|| F 2vith | :nehepower cher £ inftead of thy husband, be thou free from this
995" Litter water that cauſeth the curſe.
band. R , ; To anſwer truely to his queſtion, or to declare by oath whe- | -»5 gy ther ſhe be guilty -4 no, and after ſuch oath ſhall ſay as follows.
» To wit, except thy husband, as is manifeſt from the whole con- text, or 70 other man, the word another being underſteod here, as it is thought to be alſo, Gen: 14: 1: and 36. 6: Exod. 22: 20. s Or, with him, i: e: the man now mentioned» So it is an Ellipfis caſily ſupplied out of the Texr. f
20 But if thou haſt gone aſide to another in ſtead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled ; and fome man have cn with thee beſide thins husband ;
21. Then the prieſt ſhall charge the woman with an oath of curſing, and the prieſt ſhall ſay unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curſe, and an oath : among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh #« to + rot x and thy belly to ſwell y.
t (i.c.) A form of curſing or imprecatory. oaths, that when they would curſe a perſon, they may wiſh that they may be as curſed and miſerable as thou waſt upon this occaſion. See-the phraſe, Iſa: 65: 15. Jer: 29: 22: and compare Gen: 48: 20. Ruth 4: 11, 12. u A modeſt ſignification of the pony parts, uſed borh in Scripture, as Gen: 46. 26, Exod; 1: 5. and other authors, that the fin might be evident in the puniſhment. x Heb. zo fall, 3. e. to die or waſt away, as the word is uſ:d, 1 Chron: 21: 14. compared with 2 Sam: 24: 15. y Suddenly and violencly till it burſt, which the Jews note was frequent in this and like caſes, as Exod: 32: 20. And it was a clear evidence of the truth of their religion,
22 And this water that cauſeth the curſe ſhall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to ſwell, and by thigh to rot : and the woman ſhall ſay, Amen, amen =.
z (5. e, ) So let it be if I be guilty. The word is doubled by her as an evidence of her innocency, and ardent deſire that God would deal with her according to her deſert. ,
23 And the prieft ſhall write theſe curſes ain a book,
and he ſhall blor them out with the bitter water c. a Wherewith ſhe curſed her ſelf. to which peradventure her name was added. b (5. e.) In a ſcroll of parchment, which the He- brews commonly call a book, as Dent: 24. 1: 2 Sam 11. 14. 1/a: 39: 1. c Or, raſe or ſcrape them out and caſt them into the bitter water. W hereby it was ſignified that if ſhe was innocent, the curſes ſhould be bloted out and come to nothing, and, if ſhe were guilty, ſhe ſhould find in her the.effes of this water which the drunk, after the words of this curſe had been ſcraped and pur in.
24 And he ſhall cauſe the woman to drink dthe bit- ter water, that cauſeth the curſe : and the water that cauſeth the curſe ſhall enter into her, and become bitter.
dTo wit,after the jealouſic-offering was offered, as is afftirmed,v:26.
25 Then the prieſt ſhall cake the jealouſic-offering out of the womans hand, and ſhall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar.
26 And the prieft (ball take an handfu] of the offering,
© even the memorial thereof e, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward ſhall cauſe the woman to drink the water. 8 Of which, ſte Lev: 2. 2. l 27-And when he hath made her to drink the water then it ſhall come to paſs,zbar if ſhe be defiled, and have done treſpaſs againſt her husband, that the water that cauſeth the curſe, ſhall enter into her, and become bitter,
- and her belly ſhall ſwell, and her thigh ſhall rot : and
*Deut: the woman ſhall be * a curſe among her people. 28.37 . 28 Andif the woman be not difiled, but be clean, 4 fal:83? then ſhe ſhall be free f, and ſhall conceive ſeed g.
Jer:24:9: , 5 and 29. brin
f To wit, from theſe bitter curſes aud miſeries. g (7.e.) Shall forth children, as the Jews ſay,in caſe of her innocency, in- fallibly ſhe did, yea though ſhe was barren before : or ſhall be as
: gs capable of bearing children, as other women: 6 29 This is the law of jealouſies, when a wife goeth 8:13, aſide ts another in ſtead of her husband, and is defiled.
30 Or when the ſpirit of jealouſie cometh upon him, ahd he be jealous over his wife,and ſhall ſer the woman before the LORD,and the prisſt (ball ex5cute upon her all this law.
NUMBERS
Chan, V1 l
31 Then (ball the man be guiltleſs from iniquity ».
and this woman ſhall bear her iniquity z.
þ Which he ſhould not have been,if he had either diſſembled c. indulged her in ſo great a wickedneſs,and not endeavoured to brin.. her either to repentance or puniſhment : See Mt: 1:19. or cheriſheu ſuſpicions in his breaſt,and thereupon proceeded to hate her or caſt her off Whereas now, whatſoever the con{equent 1s, tne hu«banG ſhall not be blamed or cenſured either for bringing ſuch curſes an.? miſchiefs upon her, or for defaming her, if ſhe appar to be inn cent. # (3. e.) The puniſhment of her iniquity, wether ſhe vw - falſe to her husband, or. by any light and fooliſi carriage gave hu: occaſion to ſuſpeCt her to be ſo.
CHAP YL
The law of the Nazaritcs : From what they ſhould abſtzin : How becor- © Unclean they. were to be purified, 1 The Vow of ſeparation +. fulfilled, the Ceremonies to be obſerved, 13-»===21, The form of Ec)" _ to be uſed by the prieſt in the Congregation, 22, 27.
A N D the LORD ſpake unto Moſes ſaying,
2 Speak unto the children of Hrael and ſay ui them, When eicher man or woman #4 ſhall || ſepatete :;>, :..,, | themſelves to vow a vow of a Nazarite b,to ſeparate thcm- 11; | ſelves unto the LORD : On |
a For both ſexes might make this vow, if they were fiee and ar 044 # their own diſpoſe, for etherwiſe their parents or hu:bands cc uld diſanul the vow, Numb: 30: 4. and in that caſe they ſinned in taking Gods name in vain, and vowing what they could not perform: bW hereby they did ſequeſter themſelves in a great part from world- ly employ ments and enjoyments,that they might intirely conſecrate tiemſclves to Gods ſervice,and this either for their whole life time, of which ſee Judg; 13: 5. and 16. 17. 1 Sam: 1: 11. Luke 1+ 15. or for a leſs and limited ſpace of time, of which in this chapter.
3 He ſhall ſeparate himſelf from wine and ftrong drink c, and ſhall drink no vinegar of wine,nor vinegar of ſtrong drink, neither ſhall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moiſt grapes, or dried c.