“For the unclean, they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering; and running water shall be poured on them in a vessel. A clean person shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, and on him who touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave. The clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. On the seventh day, he shall purify him. He shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening.
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Numbers 19:17-19 sits inside this longer paragraph.
“For the unclean, they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering; and running water shall be poured on them in a vessel. A clean person shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, and on him who touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave. The clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. On the seventh day, he shall purify him. He shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening. But the man who shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of Yahweh. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him. He is unclean. It shall be a perpetual statute to them. He who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening.
Parallel Translations
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“For the unclean, they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering; and running water shall be poured on them in a vessel.
A clean person shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, and on him who touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave.
The clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. On the seventh day, he shall purify him. He shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening.
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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:
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:
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.
Show all 3 translations
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And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the purification from sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel.
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 the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave.
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 him; and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Commandments (1)
The laws of the Torah, each cited and shown as a primary source.
Cross-references (27)
- 1 John 1:7 (v19) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses…
- Ezekiel 36:25-27 (v18) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols. I will…
- Hebrews 10:22 (v19) let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed…
- Ezekiel 36:25 (v19) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols.
- Hebrews 9:14 (v18) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from…
Show all 26 cross-references
- Ephesians 5:25-27 (v19) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed…
- Numbers 19:9 (vv17–18) “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up outside of the camp in a clean place; and it shall be kept for…
- Numbers 19:12 (v19) He shall purify himself with water on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean; but if he doesn’t purify himself the third…
- Leviticus 14:9 (v19) It shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall…
- Genesis 2:2 (v19) On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
- Genesis 26:19 (v17) Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
- Numbers 31:19 (v19) “Encamp outside of the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the…
- Psalms 51:7 (v18) Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
- Song of Solomon 4:15 (v17) a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, flowing streams from Lebanon.
- John 4:10-11 (v17) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would…
- John 7:38 (v17) He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.”
- John 15:2-3 (v18) Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are…
- John 17:17 (v18) Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 (v18) Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
- Titus 2:14 (v19) who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for…
- Titus 3:3-5 (v19) For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating…
- 1 John 2:1-2 (v19) My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ,…
- Jude 1:23 (v19) and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
- Revelation 1:5-6 (v19) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and…
- Revelation 7:17 (v17) for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them and leads them to springs of life-giving waters. And God will wipe away…
- John 17:19 (v18) For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
26 distinct cross-references across this passage (27 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv17–19 Of the red cow burnt for sin.
Of the red cow burnt for sin.
Water of the fountain or river.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv17–18 Num 19:17 And for an unclean [person] they shall…
Num 19:17 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:
Ver. 17. And running water.] Signifying the ashes of Christ’s merit, and the water of his Spirit. See 1Co 6:11 Joh 7:38-39.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv17–18 Running water, i.e, waters flowing from a spring or…
Running water, i.e, waters flowing from a spring or river which are the purest. These manifestly signify God’s Spirit, which is oft compared to water, Joh 7:38,39, and by which alone true purification is obtained.
In a vessel, where they were to be mixed, and then the water was to be strained out and kept for this use.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv17–19 And for an unclean person,.... Defiled by any of…
And for an unclean person,.... Defiled by any of the above means:
they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin; from the place where they were laid up for this use; See Gill on Num 19:9 and some have thought that they were laid up in various cities and places in the country, as well as at Jerusalem, that they might be come at easily upon occasion; otherwise they could not be had without great trouble and expense, and in some places not so soon as the law required for their purification, namely, on the third day after their defilement:
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and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel; the Targum Jonathan is,"fountain water in the midst of earthen vessel;''for no water but fountain, spring, or river water, was made use of; and it should seem by what is said that ashes were first put into the vessel, and then the running water was put to them; and yet the Jewish writers say (s), that if the ashes were put in first, and then the water, it was not right; and the meaning of what is said here is, that the water and ashes should be mixed together; for it is urged from the words: "running water in a vessel", that it is plain, that the water is put in the vessel and not to the ashes; and therefore that which is said, "shall be put thereto", is to caution the person, that after he has put the ashes upon the water, that he mixes them well with his finger, and cause the water below to rise above (t).
(s) Maimon. Milchot, Parah Adumah, c. 9. sect. 1. (t) Bartenora in Misn. Temurah, c. 1. sect. 5.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v17 Running water - Waters flowing from a spring or…
Running water - Waters flowing from a spring or river, which are the purest. These manifestly signify God's spirit, which is oft compared to water, and by which alone true purification is obtained. Those who promise themselves benefit by the righteousness of Christ, while they submit not to the influence of his spirit, do but deceive themselves; for they cannot be purified by the ashes, otherwise than in the running water.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v18 Num 19:18. A clean person shall take hyssop —…
Num 19:18. A clean person shall take hyssop — In allusion to this David prays, Purge me with hyssop. Faith is the bunch of hyssop, wherewith the conscience is sprinkled and the heart purified. And the blood of Christ, being applied by faith, is termed, (Heb 12:24,) the blood of sprinkling, and with it we are said to be sprinkled from an evil conscience, (Heb 10:22,) that is, we are freed from the burden of distress, which arises from a sense of our guilt. And it is foretold that Christ should sprinkle many nations, Isa 52:15.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v17 Burning of the red cow, which was also a…
Burning of the red cow, which was also a sin-offering, ver. 9. (Haydock) --- Upon the ashes they poured some running or spring water. The pagans generally preferred the water of the sea; or if they could not procure any, they mixed salt with common water. Ovid (Fast iv,) mentions a lustration made with the ashes of a calf, mixed with horse blood; and another, which was used in honour of Pales, the goddess of harvests, by the oldest virgins present, who sprinkled the ashes of calves, populos purget ut ille cinis. Athenæus (ix. 18,) observes that a stick was taken from the fire of the altar, was extinguished in water for the purification of the unclean; and the ancient Romans, who had been at a funeral, sprinkled themselves with water, and jumped over fire for the same purpose; as the Greeks were accustomed to place a vessel full of water, at the doors where a corpse was lying, that all might purify themselves when they came out. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv17–18 17. Running water — Living, that is, pure water.
17. Running water — Living, that is, pure water.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv17–19 17. the sin-offering] The word is used in the…
17. the sin-offering] The word is used in the same sense as in Num_19:9.
running water] Water fresh from a running stream. This is more explicit than the former account, in which (Num_19:9) the mixing of water with the ashes is taken for granted.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv17, 19 (17) of the ashes of the burnt heifer of…
(17) of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin.—Better, of the ashes of the burnt sin-offering; literally, of the burning of the sin-offering.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv17–19 Running water. Septuagint, udwr zwn . (cf. Lev_14:5 Joh_4:10)
Running water. Septuagint, udwr zwn . (cf. Lev_14:5 Joh_4:10)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v17 for an unclean
for an unclean
(See Scofield "Num 19:2"). See Scofield "Joh 13:10".
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v17 General Information:
General Information:
The idea of "unclean" represents not being acceptable to God or fit for use. (See: Metaphor)
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General Information:
The ideas of "clean" and "purify" here represent being acceptable to God. (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
ash
sin offering
clean
pure
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v17 19:17-22 To cleanse with the heifer’s ashes, a special…
19:17-22 To cleanse with the heifer’s ashes, a special purifying mixture was made by combining ashes from the burnt purification offering with fresh water (cp. 5:17).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.