Numbers 5:19
New International Version
Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you.

New Living Translation
The priest will then put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has had sex with you, and you have not gone astray and defiled yourself while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune from the effects of this bitter water that brings on the curse.

English Standard Version
Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse.

Berean Standard Bible
And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.

King James Bible
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:

New King James Version
And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse.

New American Standard Bible
And the priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, “If no man has had sexual relations with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, as you are under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;

NASB 1995
The priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, being under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;

NASB 1977
‘And the priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, being under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the priest shall have her swear an oath and shall say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray into defilement, being under the authority of your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings curses;

Amplified Bible
Then the priest shall have her take an oath and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness [while married], then be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;

Christian Standard Bible
The priest will require the woman to take an oath and will say to her, ‘If no man has slept with you, if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, be unaffected by this bitter water that brings a curse.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The priest will require the woman to take an oath and will say to her, ‘If no man has slept with you, if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, be unaffected by this bitter water that brings a curse.

American Standard Version
And the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou have not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causeth the curse.

English Revised Version
and the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causeth the curse:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Then the priest will say to her, 'If no other man has had sexual intercourse with you and you haven't been unfaithful to your husband, you're not guilty. This bitter water that can bring a curse will not harm you.

Good News Translation
Then the priest shall make the woman agree to this oath spoken by the priest: "If you have not committed adultery, you will not be harmed by the curse that this water brings.

International Standard Version
"The priest is to administer this oath to the woman: 'If indeed another man didn't have sexual relations with you and you didn't become unfaithful to your husband, then may you be free from these waters that bring a curse.

Majority Standard Bible
And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ?If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband?s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.

NET Bible
Then the priest will put the woman under oath and say to the her, "If no other man has had sexual relations with you, and if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband's authority, may you be free from this bitter water that brings a curse.

New Heart English Bible
The priest shall cause her to swear, and shall tell the woman, 'If no man has lain with you, and if you haven't gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say to the woman, If no man hath 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:

World English Bible
The priest shall cause her to take an oath and shall tell the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you haven’t gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the priest has caused her to swear, and has said to the woman, If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside [to] uncleanness under your husband, be free from these bitter waters which cause the curse;

Young's Literal Translation
And the priest hath caused her to swear, and hath said unto the woman, If no man hath lain with thee, and if thou hast not turned aside to uncleanness under thy husband, be free from these bitter waters which cause the curse;

Smith's Literal Translation
And the priest bound her by an oath, and said to the woman, If a man lay not with thee, and thou didst not turn aside to be defiled instead of thy husband, be thou unpunished from the water of contradiction, causing the curse.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he shall adjure her, and shall say: If another man hath not slept with thee, and if thou be not defiled by forsaking thy husband's bed, these most bitter waters, on which I have heaped curses, shall not hurt thee.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he shall bind her by an oath, and he shall say: ‘If another man has not slept with you, and if you have not been polluted by forsaking the bed of your husband, these most bitter waters, into which I have gathered curses, shall not harm you.

New American Bible
Then the priest shall adjure the woman, saying to her, “If no other man has had intercourse with you, and you have not gone astray by defiling yourself while under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse.

New Revised Standard Version
Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, “If no man has lain with you, if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings the curse.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the priest shall charge the woman by an oath, and say to her, If no man has lain with you besides your husband, and if you have not done wrong and become unclean, be absolved from these charges by this bitter water of testing;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Priest shall put the woman under oath and shall say to her: "If a man has not had sexual intercourse with you and you have not done wrong and you have not been defiled outside of your husband, be cleared from these bitter waters of testing.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman: 'If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causeth the curse;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the priest shall adjure her, and shall say to the woman, If no one has lain with thee, and if thou hast not transgressed so as to be polluted, being under the power of thy husband, be free from this water of the conviction that causes the curse.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Adultery Test
18After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse. 19And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse. 20But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority and have defiled yourself and lain carnally with a man other than your husband’—…

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 8:3-11
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?” ...

Proverbs 6:32
He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.

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.

Exodus 20:14
You shall not commit adultery.

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.

Leviticus 18:20
You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.

Deuteronomy 5:18
You shall not commit adultery.

Romans 7:2-3
For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. / So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

1 Corinthians 7:10-11
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. / But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

Hosea 4:14
I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin.

Jeremiah 3:1
“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD.

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.


Treasury of Scripture

And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say to the woman, If no man have lain with you, and if you have not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of your husband, be you free from this bitter water that causes the curse:

Jump to Previous
Astray Authority Bitter Bitterness Cause Causeth Charge Curse Free Husband Instead Lain Oath Swear Uncleanness Water
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Astray Authority Bitter Bitterness Cause Causeth Charge Curse Free Husband Instead Lain Oath Swear Uncleanness Water
Numbers 5
1. The unclean are removed out of camp
5. Restitution is to be made in trespass
11. The trial of jealously














And he is to require the woman to take an oath
In the ancient Hebrew context, an oath was a solemn promise or declaration, often invoking divine witness. The Hebrew word for "oath" is "שְׁבוּעָה" (shevu'ah), which signifies a binding commitment. This practice underscores the seriousness with which truth and fidelity were regarded in Israelite society. The priest's role in administering the oath highlights the sacred nature of marriage and the community's commitment to uphold divine law.

and say to her
The act of speaking directly to the woman emphasizes personal responsibility and accountability. In a patriarchal society, this direct address also acknowledges the woman's agency in the matter. It reflects the biblical principle that each individual is accountable before God for their actions, as seen throughout Scripture.

‘If no man has slept with you
The phrase "slept with you" is a euphemism for sexual relations, indicating the intimate nature of the accusation. The Hebrew verb "שָׁכַב" (shakab) is often used in legal contexts to describe illicit sexual activity. This part of the oath serves to clarify the specific nature of the alleged infidelity, which is central to the ritual's purpose.

and you have not gone astray
The term "gone astray" translates from the Hebrew "שָׂטָה" (satah), meaning to deviate or wander. This word is often used metaphorically in Scripture to describe unfaithfulness to God or one's spouse. It conveys the idea of leaving the path of righteousness, which in this context refers to marital fidelity.

and become impure
"Impure" is derived from the Hebrew "טָמֵא" (tamei), which denotes ceremonial or moral uncleanness. In the Israelite community, purity was not only a physical state but also a spiritual one, affecting one's relationship with God and the community. This phrase underscores the gravity of the accusation, as impurity would have significant religious and social implications.

while married to your husband
This phrase highlights the covenantal nature of marriage, which is a recurring theme in the Bible. The Hebrew word for husband, "אִישׁ" (ish), also means "man," emphasizing the personal and relational aspect of the marriage bond. The marital covenant is a reflection of God's covenant with His people, characterized by faithfulness and exclusivity.

may this bitter water that brings a curse
The "bitter water" refers to a concoction used in the ritual of the ordeal of jealousy, described earlier in Numbers 5. The Hebrew word for "bitter," "מָרָה" (marah), conveys the idea of something unpleasant or distressing. The water serves as a physical representation of the curse, a tangible reminder of the consequences of sin.

not harm you
The phrase "not harm you" implies divine protection for the innocent. The Hebrew root "יָרַע" (yara) means to be bad or evil, suggesting that the water would only affect the guilty. This part of the oath reassures the woman that if she is innocent, she has nothing to fear, highlighting God's justice and mercy. The ritual ultimately serves to restore trust and peace within the marriage and the community.

Verse 19. - If no man. The oath presupposed her innocence. With another instead of thy husband. Hebrew, "under thy husband, i.e., as a wife subject to a husband (Ezekiel 23:5; Hosea 4:12). "Υπανδρος οῦσα, Septuagint. It was only as a femme couverte that she could commit this sin.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And [he]
הַכֹּהֵ֗ן (hak·kō·hên)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

is to require the woman to take an oath
וְהִשְׁבִּ֨יעַ (wə·hiš·bî·a‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7650: To seven oneself, swear

and say
וְאָמַ֤ר (wə·’ā·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

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

her,
הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ (hā·’iš·šāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

‘If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

no other
לֹ֨א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

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

has slept with you
שָׁכַ֥ב (šā·ḵaḇ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7901: To lie down

and
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

you have not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

gone astray
שָׂטִ֛ית (śā·ṭîṯ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 7847: To deviate from duty

and become defiled
טֻמְאָ֖ה (ṭum·’āh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2932: Religious impurity

while under
תַּ֣חַת (ta·ḥaṯ)
Preposition
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of

your husband’s authority,
אִישֵׁ֑ךְ (’î·šêḵ)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

may you be immune
הִנָּקִ֕י (hin·nā·qî)
Verb - Nifal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 5352: To be, clean, to be bare, extirpated

to this
הָאֵֽלֶּה׃ (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

bitter
הַמָּרִ֥ים (ham·mā·rîm)
Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 4751: Bitter, bitterness, bitterly

water
מִמֵּ֛י (mim·mê)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

that brings a curse.
הַֽמְאָרֲרִ֖ים (ham·’ā·ră·rîm)
Article | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 779: To execrate


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OT Law: Numbers 5:19 The priest shall cause her to swear (Nu Num.)
Numbers 5:18
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