God’s Word Translation
Numbers 19:9
9“A man who is clean will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. They will be kept by the community of Israel and used in the water that takes away uncleanness. The cow is an offering for sin.
Numbers 19:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.
- New International Version (NIV)“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin.
Context of Numbers 19:9
7The priest must then wash his clothes and his body. After that, he may go into the camp. But he will be unclean until evening. 8The person who burned the calf must also wash his clothes and his body. He, too, will be unclean until evening. “A man who is clean will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. They will be kept by the community of Israel and used in the water that takes away uncleanness. The cow is an offering for sin. 10The person who collected the ashes from the cow must also wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. This will be a permanent law for the Israelites and for the foreigners who live with them. 11“Whoever touches the dead body of any human being will be unclean for seven days.
Read all of Numbers 19Numbers 19:9 word by word
וְאָסַ֣ף׀ אִ֣ישׁ טָה֗וֹר אֵ֚ת אֵ֣פֶר הַפָּרָ֔ה וְהִנִּ֛יחַ מִח֥וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה בְּמָק֣וֹם טָה֑וֹר וְ֠הָיְתָה לַעֲדַ֨ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל לְמִשְׁמֶ֛רֶת לְמֵ֥י נִדָּ֖ה חַטָּ֥את הִֽוא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- cleanטָהוֹרţâhôr ţâhôr · pureH2889
- shall gatherאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
- up the ashesאֵ֫פֶר'êpher · ashesH665
- of the heiferפָּרָהpârâh · heiferH6510
- upיָנַחyânach · to restH3240
- withoutחוּץchûts chûts · outsideH2351
- the campמַחֲנֶהmachăneh · campH4264
- placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
- and it shall be keptמִשְׁמֶ֫רֶתmishmereth · chargeH4931
- for the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
- of the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- for a waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- of separationנִדָּהniddâh · impurityH5079
- a purification for sinחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sin: sin offeringH2403
Cross-references for Numbers 19:9
- Numbers 19:18A person who is clean will take a sprig of hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and all the people who were in the tent ⌞with the dead body⌟. He must also sprinkle any person who has touched a human bone or a grave and any person who has touched someone who has been killed or who has died naturally.
- Numbers 9:13But if you are clean and not on a trip and yet don’t bother to celebrate the Passover, you must be excluded from the people. You didn’t bring your offering to the Lord at the right time. You must suffer the consequences for your sin.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through him.
- Hebrews 7:26We need a chief priest who is holy, innocent, pure, set apart from sinners, and who holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne.
- Hebrews 9:13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of cows sprinkled on unclean people made their bodies holy and clean.
- Numbers 19:17“⌞This is what you must do⌟ for people who become unclean from touching a dead body. Put some of the ashes from the red cow that was burned as an offering for sin into a container. Then pour fresh water on them.
- Numbers 19:13Whoever touches the dead body of a human being and doesn’t use this water to take away his sin makes the Lord’s tent unclean. That person must be excluded from Israel, because the water that takes away uncleanness wasn’t sprinkled on him. He is unclean; his uncleanness stays with him.
- Numbers 6:12Once again he will dedicate himself to the Lord as a Nazirite for the same length of time as before. He must bring a one-year-old male lamb as an offering for guilt. The first time period won’t count. He has to start over from when he became unclean.
- Numbers 31:23anything that won’t burn—must be put through fire in order to make it clean. Then it must also be put through the ritual water in order to take away its sin. Whatever might burn must ⌞only⌟ be put through the ritual water.
- Leviticus 15:20Everything she lies on or sits on during her period will be unclean.
- Zechariah 13:1⌞The Lord declares,⌟ “On that day a fountain will be opened for David’s family and for those who live in Jerusalem to wash away ⌞their⌟ sin and stain.
- 2 Corinthians 7:1Since we have these promises, dear friends, we need to cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit and live a holy life in the fear of God.
Commentaries on Numbers 19:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9For a water of separation - That is, the ashes were to be kept, in order to be mixed with water, Numbers 19:17, and sprinkled on those who had contracted any legal defilement.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Water of separation - In Numbers 8:7, the water of purification from sin is the “water of purifying.” So that which was to remedy a state of legal separation is here called “water of separation.”Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9The ceremony of burning the red heifer intended to produce ashes. They collected these ashes and stored them in a pure place outside the camp. The Israelites used them in water for purification ceremonies to remove pollution, such as contact with a corpse (19:11–22).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-222. This is the ordinance of the law--an institution of a peculiar nature ordained by law for the purification of sin, and provided at the public expense because it was for the good of the whole community. Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, &c.--This is the only case in which the color of the victim is specified. It has been supposed the ordinance was designed in opposition to the superstitious notions of the…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 19:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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