Numbers 19:1-22

H. LAWS OF THE RED HEIFER AND UNCLEANNESS (Numbers 19)

TEXT

Numbers 19:1. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2. This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke. 3. And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: 4. And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times. 5. And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: 6. And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 7. Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. 8. And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. 9. 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. 10. And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statue for ever.

11. He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. 12. He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. 13. Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. 14. This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 15. And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. 16. And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17. And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: 18. And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: 19. And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in Water, and shall be clean at even. 20. But the man that shall be unclean, and. shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. 21. And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even. 22. And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 19:1. Then the Lord said unto Moses, and Aaron, 2. This is the regulation of the Law which the Lord has commanded, saying, -Speak to the children of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer, without defect, on which no yoke has ever been put; 3. and you shall give her to Eleazar the priest, in order that he may bring her outside the camp. And she shall be slaughtered in his presence. 4. Then Eleazar the priest shall take some of her blood upon his finger and sprinkle of her blood toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times. 5. After this, the heifer shall be burned in his sight: her skin, her flesh, her blood, with her refuse shall she be burned. 6. And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet material and throw it into the midst of the burning heifer. 7. Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, after which he shall come into the camp; and he shall be unclean until the evening. 8. The one who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until the evening. 9. And a man who is clean shall collect the ashes of the heifer and put them outside the camp in a clean place; they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification offering. 10. And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. And this shall be a law forever to the children of Israel, as well as to the foreigner Who sojourns among them.

11. -Anyone who touches the corpse of any man shall be unclean for seven days. 12. If he purifies himself with it on the third day and on the seventh day, he shall be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he shall not be clean. 13. Whoever touches a dead body of any man who has died but does not cleanse himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Since the water of sprinkling was not thrown upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness still is upon him. 14. -This is the Law: when a man dies in a tent, all who come into the tent, and every one who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days. 15. And every open vessel which has no lid fastened upon it is unclean. 16. Any one who touches one who is killed with a sword in the open field, or a corpse, or a man's bone, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17. For the unclean persons they shall take some ashes of the burnt offering and running water shall be added in a container; 18. then a clean person shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, upon all the vessels, upon the people who were there, and upon that one who touched a bone, or one killed, or a corpse, or a grave; 19. and the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; in this manner on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean at evening. 20. -But the man who shall be unclean and shall not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the congregation because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord, since he has not had the water of sprinkling thrown upon him; he is unclean. 21. And it shall be a perpetual regulation for them that he who sprinkles the water of sprinkling shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of sprinkling shall be unclean until evening; and anything the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.-'

COMMENTARY

Attitudes toward death have been many and varied in all ages, and they have run the gamut of human emotions. Perhaps the predominant attitude has been a combination of fear and frustration. Along with the varying sentiments held toward death itself are the attitudes toward the dead. From the most ancient days have come the beliefs that the living would be contaminated by contact with any corpse. Nobody knows where the belief arose, since it is, with notable exceptions, found in various records throughout the world.

If the living man was looked upon as the creation of God in whom lived His very breath, the corpse quickly suggested the departure of this breath, or spirit. It was nothing but the clay from which man had been originally made (see Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:19). God had not yet revealed the marvelous full promises of eternal life in heaven; these remained for full disclosure through His Son and the Spirit-inspired writers of the New Testament. But death was formidable, and Sheol, the abode of the dead, mysterious. The fact of death was viewed as the result of man's sin since the time of Adam (Genesis 2:17). When a man died, he was a symbol of sin, and his body a source of defilement to the living.

Carefully detailed instructions now are given by the Lord to provide for the purification of one who had come into contact with a dead body. Of the sacrifice of the red heifer, PC comments, This offering was obviously intended, apart from its symbolic significance, to be studiedly simple and cheap. In contradiction to the many and costly and ever-repeated sacrifices of the Sinaitic legislation, this was a single individual, a female, and of the most ordinary colour of cattle, and a young heifer is of less value than any other beast of its kind, p. 240. The stipulations are clear the red heifer must be unblemished, and one which had never been used for work under the yoke. Delivered to Eleazar, son of Aaron, the heifer then was killed outside the encampment. A small sample of her bloodsuch as would adhere to the priest's fingerwas then brought toward the front of the Tent of Meeting to be sprinkled there seven times, after which the animal was burned up in its entirety. Wood from the cedar, along with hyssop and scarlet were thrown into the fire. Both the priest and the one presiding over the burning of the heifer bathed themselves and their clothing, remaining unclean until the evening. During this time, one who was clean took the heifer's ashes and preserved them for the purifying water. This liquid was used to remove uncleanness from death, as well as to cleanse a leprous man or house (see Leviticus 14:4 f., Leviticus 14:49-52).

Uncleanness from coming in contact with a dead body lasted for seven days. During this time the unclean person was required to offer himself on the third and seventh days for cleansing with the purification water. Failure to comply with this regulation would result in his being cut off from his people. Such a one became as much as dead, even to his immediate family, and forfeited all of the rights and privileges extended to the chosen people. The threat is great enough to impress all with the severity of the offense.
Beyond actually coming into contact with a corpse, the Israelite might be rendered unclean by entering the place of habitation in which death had occurred, or by touching any uncovered vessel within the dwelling. His uncleanness was of the same days-' duration, and required the same manner of expurgation. Outside the dwelling, contamination might result from touching the corpse of one killed out of doors by the sword, or touching any remains of the corpse, or even the grave in which such a body had been placed.

The mode of purification remained the same in all above instances. Numbers 19:17 specifies the use of living waterwater from a flowing source, such as a riveras the basic ingredient. The water was to be administered by means of a twig of hyssop, at the hands of one who was clean. The water was administered to the contaminated man, the dwelling which had been made unclean, and all furnishings on the two days specified. Two facts emphasize the importance of the entire provision: it is termed a perpetual statue, a phrase reserved for matters of the most solemn importance; and, the penalty is repeated for the sake of underscoring the significance. Of the circumstance and the remedy, PC says, But the whole design of this ordinance, down to its minutest detail, was to stamp upon physical death a far-reaching power of defiling and separating from God, which extended even to the very means Divinely appointed as a remedy, (p. 242).

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

330.

Where and when did the belief arise that the living would be contaminated by contact with the dead?

331.

Show how the attitude and instructions here, as well as the Biblical teachings regarding man, make this account stand in contrast with pagan superstitions.

332.

What reasons have been suggested for the selection of a red heifer in this offering?

333.

For what special purposes was the purifying water to be used in conjunction with death and the dead?

334.

Explain what it would mean to an Israelite to be cut off from among his people.

335.

How might an individual become contaminated without actually coming into contact with a dead body?

336.

What is hyssop and how was it to be used in the purification ceremony?

337.

Can you see in this law some suggestion of an explanation for the conduct of the priest and the Levite in the story of the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10:30-32)?

338.

What lesson was being impressed upon the people's minds through the law of purification from uncleanness by the dead?