Numbers 19

This chapter introduces the law of purification concerning those who become ceremonially unclean through contact with a dead body. The main element in this process is the water of purification, made with the ashes of a red heifer. The ritual emphasizes the importance of cleanliness and the consequences of death under the law.

Numbers 19:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
2 "This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: 'Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come.
3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him.

The Lord gives specific instructions regarding the red heifer, a cow without any physical defects and one that has never been used for work. This animal was to be presented to Eleazar, the priest, and sacrificed outside the camp. The fact that it was unblemished and unyoked symbolizes purity and being set apart for a holy purpose. Offering it outside the camp represents separation from sin, an important concept in maintaining the purity of the community.

Numbers 19:4-5 (NKJV)
4 And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting.
5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned.

Eleazar was to sprinkle the blood of the heifer toward the tabernacle, signifying the animal's role in purifying the community. The complete burning of the heifer, including its hide, flesh, blood, and internal parts, symbolizes the totality of the sacrifice. Nothing is spared, representing the need for full atonement and cleansing from impurity associated with death.

Numbers 19:6-7 (NKJV)
6 And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.
7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening.

The addition of cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet to the burning heifer connects this sacrifice to purification rituals. Cedar and hyssop were often associated with cleansing, while scarlet symbolizes sin. The priest, though carrying out the ritual, becomes temporarily unclean, signifying the need for personal purification even when dealing with the community's sins.

Numbers 19:8-10 (NKJV)
8 And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening.
9 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.
10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.

Those involved in burning the heifer or handling its ashes also become temporarily unclean, again emphasizing the defiling nature of death. The ashes, however, are stored for future use in the water of purification. This water would be used to cleanse anyone who became ceremonially unclean through contact with death, highlighting the lasting nature of this law for Israel and even for foreigners living among them.

Numbers 19:11-12 (NKJV)
11 He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days.
12 He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean.

Touching a dead body rendered someone unclean for seven days. This law underscores the impurity associated with death in a spiritual sense. The ritual purification using the water mixed with the heifer's ashes was to take place on the third and seventh days, ensuring thorough cleansing. If a person refused to follow this purification, they would remain unclean and unable to participate in the community's spiritual life.

Numbers 19:13 (NKJV)
13 Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him.

Failing to undergo the prescribed purification process after touching a dead body had serious consequences. It was considered a defilement of the Lord’s dwelling, and such a person would be cut off from Israel, meaning they would be excluded from the covenant community. This highlights the seriousness with which God viewed purity and the importance of following His commands regarding cleansing.

Numbers 19:14-15 (NKJV)
14 This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days;
15 and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean.

If a person died in a tent, everyone in that tent and anything exposed within it would become unclean for seven days. This regulation reflects the pervasive impact of death and its contamination, even to the point of affecting inanimate objects. The open vessels being considered unclean also signify the all-encompassing nature of defilement in the presence of death.

Numbers 19:16 (NKJV)
16 Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword, or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

This verse extends the law of uncleanness to those who encounter death in various forms outside, such as touching a slain person, bones, or graves. These encounters would also require the seven-day purification process, further reinforcing the connection between death and spiritual impurity under the law.

Numbers 19:17-19 (NKJV)
17 And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel.
18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave.
19 The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.

The ashes of the red heifer mixed with running water were the key to the purification process. A clean person would sprinkle the mixture on those needing purification and on objects that had been made unclean. This had to be done on the third and seventh days, symbolizing a complete process of spiritual and ceremonial cleansing. The entire ritual shows the seriousness of maintaining purity within the community, both physically and spiritually.

Numbers 19:20-22 (NKJV)
20 But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
21 It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening.
22 Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.

Failure to undergo purification resulted in exclusion from the assembly, as it was seen as a defilement of God’s sanctuary. This law was meant to be followed permanently by Israel. Even the person administering the purification was considered temporarily unclean, which further shows the seriousness of this ritual. Whatever an unclean person touched would also become unclean, illustrating how impurity could spread without proper cleansing.