Numbers 5:13

Numbers 5:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And a man lie with her carnally, 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, neither she be taken with the manner;
• New International Version (NIV)so that another man has sexual relations with her, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act),
• English Standard Version (ESV)if a man lies with her sexually, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, since she was not taken in the act,
• New King James Version (NKJV)and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught—

Context of Numbers 5:13

11The Lord said to Moses: 12“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: A man’s wife may have been unfaithful to him and may have had sexual intercourse with another man without her husband’s knowledge. She may have kept it secret if there were no witnesses to accuse her and she wasn’t caught in the act. 14“A husband may have a fit of jealousy and suspect his wife, whether she was actually unfaithful or not. 15He must then take his wife to the priest along with eight cups of barley flour as an offering for her. He must not pour olive oil on the flour or put frankincense on it, since it is a grain offering brought because of the husband’s jealousy, an offering used for a confession—to remind someone of a sin that was committed.

Numbers 5:13 word by word

וְשָׁכַ֨ב אִ֣ישׁ אֹתָהּ֮ שִׁכְבַת־זֶרַע֒ וְנֶעְלַם֙ מֵעֵינֵ֣י אִישָׁ֔הּ וְנִסְתְּרָ֖ה וְהִ֣יא נִטְמָ֑אָה וְעֵד֙ אֵ֣ין בָּ֔הּ וְהִ֖וא לֹ֥א נִתְפָּֽשָׂה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• lieשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: have sexH7901
• with her carnallyזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: semenH2233
• with her carnallyשְׁכָבָהshekâbâh · semenH7902
• and it be hidעָלַם‛âlam · to concealH5956
• from the eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• of her husbandאִישׁ'îysh · man: husbandH376
• and be kept closeסָתַרsâthar · to hideH5641
• and she be defiledטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
• no witnessעֵד‛êd · witnessH5707
• against her, neither she be takenתָּפַשׂtâphaώ · to captureH8610

Cross-references for Numbers 5:13

• Leviticus 18:20Never have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife and become unclean with her.
• Leviticus 20:10“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife or with his neighbor’s wife, both he and the woman must be put to death for their adultery.
• Proverbs 7:18Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning. Let’s enjoy making love,
• Proverbs 30:20This is the way of a woman who commits adultery: She eats, wipes her mouth, and says, “I haven’t done anything wrong!”

Commentaries on Numbers 5:13

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11-31Verses 11-31 The trial of jealousy. Since the crime of adultery is especially defiling and destructive of the very foundations of social order, the whole subject is dealt with at a length proportionate to its importance. The process prescribed has lately been strikingly illustrated from an Egyptian “romance,” which refers to the time of Rameses the Great, and may therefore well serve to illustrate the manners and customs of the Mosaic times. This mode of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-31Verses 11-31 This law would make the women of Israel watch against giving cause for suspicion. On the other hand, it would hinder the cruel treatment such suspicions might occasion. It would also hinder the guilty from escaping, and the innocent from coming under just suspicion. When no proof could be brought, the wife was called on to make this solemn appeal to a heart-searching God. No woman, if she were guilty, could say "Amen" to the adjuration, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-31This detailed test for adultery, a "trial by ordeal," is the only one in the Old Testament. Yet, trial by ordeal was common in the ancient Near East. God had a special interest in protecting marriage. It was the foundation of Hebrew society. The ordeal was intended to promote marital faithfulness. We do not know how often such ordeals actually happened. This procedure relied on God to intervene so that justice occurred when evidence was lacking (see 1…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-3112-15. if any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him--This law was given both as a strong discouragement to conjugal infidelity on the part of a wife, and a sufficient protection of her from the consequences of a hasty and groundless suspicion on the part of the husband. His suspicions, however, were sufficient in the absence of witnesses (Le 20:10) to warrant the trial described; and the course of proceeding to be followed was for the…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 5:13

• Adultery
• Husband
• Jealousy
• Self-Incrimination
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Adultery
• Close
• Conceive
• Cross
• Curse
• Jealousy offering
• Jealousy, Waters of
• Recompense
• Sinai
• Water of jealousy

Commentaries on Numbers 5

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary