Numbers 5:12
New International Version
“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him

New Living Translation
“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. “Suppose a man’s wife goes astray, and she is unfaithful to her husband

English Standard Version
“Speak to the people of Israel, If any man’s wife goes astray and breaks faith with him,

Berean Standard Bible
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him

King James Bible
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

New King James Version
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him,

New American Standard Bible
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,

NASB 1995
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,

NASB 1977
“Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,

Legacy Standard Bible
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,

Amplified Bible
“Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray (deviates) and is unfaithful to him,

Christian Standard Bible
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If any man’s wife goes astray, is unfaithful to him,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If any man’s wife goes astray, is unfaithful to him,

American Standard Version
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

English Revised Version
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Speak to the Israelites and tell them: A man's wife may have been unfaithful to him

International Standard Version
"Instruct the Israelis what to do if a man's wife turns astray so that she unfaithfully acts against him,

Majority Standard Bible
?Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if any man?s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him

NET Bible
"Speak to the Israelites and tell them, 'If any man's wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him,

New Heart English Bible
"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: If any man's wife goes astray, and is unfaithful to him,

Webster's Bible Translation
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, If any man's wife shall go astray, and commit a trespass against him,

World English Bible
“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you have said to them: When any man’s wife turns aside, and has committed a trespass against him,

Young's Literal Translation
'Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When any man's wife turneth aside, and hath committed against him a trespass,

Smith's Literal Translation
Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, A man, a man when his wife shall turn aside, and she covered a transgression against him,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: The man whose wife shall have gone astray, and contemning her husband,

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: The man whose wife will have gone astray, and, disdaining her husband,

New American Bible
Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If a man’s wife goes astray and becomes unfaithful to him

New Revised Standard Version
Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, If any man's wife does wrong, and commits a trespass against him,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“Speak with the children of Israel and say to them: ‘When a man’s wife will go wrong and she will do evil to him.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: If any man's wife go aside, and act unfaithfully against him,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Whosesoever wife shall transgress against him, and slight and despise him,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Adultery Test
11Then the LORD said to Moses, 12“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13by sleeping with another man, and it is concealed from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she was not caught in the act),…

Cross References
Leviticus 20:10
If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy 22:22
If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

John 8:3-5
The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them / and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. / In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?”

Matthew 5:27-28
You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ / But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Proverbs 6:32-35
He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. / Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away. / For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance. ...

Hosea 3:1
Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.”

Jeremiah 3:8-9
She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well. / Indifferent to her own infidelity, Israel had defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.

Ezekiel 16:38
And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

James 4:4
You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

Revelation 2:20-22
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. / Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. / Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.

Malachi 2:14-16
Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. / Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. / “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.

2 Samuel 11:2-5
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. / So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” / Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home. ...

Matthew 19:9
Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”


Treasury of Scripture

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

Numbers 5:19,20
And 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: …

Proverbs 2:16,17
To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; …

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Act Acts Astray Children Commit Committed Goes Israel Israelites Sinning Speak Trespass Turneth Unfaithful Unfaithfully Wife Wrong
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Act Acts Astray Children Commit Committed Goes Israel Israelites Sinning Speak Trespass Turneth Unfaithful Unfaithfully Wife Wrong
Numbers 5
1. The unclean are removed out of camp
5. Restitution is to be made in trespass
11. The trial of jealously














Speak to the Israelites
This phrase underscores the direct communication between God and His chosen people, the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "speak" is "דבר" (dabar), which implies not just casual conversation but a formal declaration or command. This highlights the seriousness and divine authority behind the instructions being given. Historically, the Israelites were a covenant community, and God's laws were central to their identity and relationship with Him. This command is part of maintaining the holiness and purity of the community.

and tell them
The phrase "tell them" reinforces the responsibility of Moses as a mediator between God and the people. The Hebrew word "אמר" (amar) is used here, which often conveys the idea of making something known or declaring it. This reflects the importance of clear communication in ensuring that God's laws are understood and followed by the community.

If any man’s wife
This phrase introduces the subject of the law being discussed. The focus on "man’s wife" indicates the patriarchal structure of ancient Israelite society, where family and marital relationships were governed by specific laws. The Hebrew word for "wife" is "אִשָּׁה" (ishah), which can also mean "woman," but in this context, it specifically refers to a married woman, highlighting the sanctity and exclusivity of the marital bond.

goes astray
The phrase "goes astray" is translated from the Hebrew word "שָׂטָה" (satah), which means to deviate or wander. This term is often used in a moral or spiritual sense, indicating a departure from the path of righteousness. In the context of marriage, it suggests infidelity or unfaithfulness, which was considered a serious breach of covenant in Israelite society.

and is unfaithful to him
The concept of unfaithfulness is central to this passage. The Hebrew word "מָעַל" (maal) is used here, which means to act treacherously or to commit a trespass. This term is often associated with breaking faith or trust, not only in human relationships but also in one's relationship with God. In the context of marriage, it underscores the gravity of adultery as a violation of the covenantal relationship between husband and wife, reflecting the broader theme of faithfulness that is prevalent throughout Scripture.

Verse 12. - If any man's wife... commit a trespass against him. The adultery of the wife is here regarded only from a social point of view; the injury to the husband, the destruction of his peace of mind, even by the bare suspicion, and the consequent troubling of Israel, is the thing dwelt upon. The punishment of adultery as a sin had been already prescribed (Leviticus 20:10).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Speak
דַּבֵּר֙ (dab·bêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the Israelites
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

and tell them that
וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ (wə·’ā·mar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

if
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

any man’s
אִ֥ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

wife
אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ (’iš·tōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

goes astray
תִשְׂטֶ֣ה (ṯiś·ṭeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7847: To deviate from duty

and is unfaithful
וּמָעֲלָ֥ה (ū·mā·‘ă·lāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 4603: To cover up, to act covertly, treacherously

to him
מָֽעַל׃ (mā·‘al)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4604: An unfaithful or treacherous act


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OT Law: Numbers 5:12 Speak to the children of Israel (Nu Num.)
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