Numbers 19

1 Then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said [to speak, communicate, or command] to Moses [the Israelite leader, born to Amram and Jochebed] and Aaron [the brother of Moses, the first high priest of the Israelites] [saying, to utter words or express thoughts], word study 2 “This is the statute [ordinance, divine decree] of the law [instruction, Torah] that the LORD [Yehovah, God’s covenant name] has commanded: Instruct the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob] to bring you an unblemished [perfect, without defect] red [ruddy, reddish-brown] heifer [young female cow] that has no defect [blemish, flaw] and has never been placed [yoked, under burden] under a yoke [a wooden beam laid on the neck]. word study 3 Give [hand over, deliver] it to Eleazar [God has helped] the priest [one who serves God and leads others in worship], and he will have it brought [taken, led] outside [beyond the boundary] the camp [a group of people, an army] and slaughtered [killed, sacrificed] in his presence [before his face, in his sight]. word study 4 Eleazar [God has helped, a high priest] the priest is to take [receive, get] some of its blood [the liquid that flows through the body] on his finger [a toe] and sprinkle [scatter, spirt] it seven times toward [in the direction of, facing] the front [presence, face] of the Tent [a portable place of worship, tabernacle] of Meeting [a sacred gathering, appointed time]. word study 5 Then the heifer [a young female cow, a red cow] must be burned [set on fire, consumed by flames] in his sight [before his eyes, in his presence]. Its hide [skin, outer covering], its flesh [body, meat], and its blood [life-giving fluid] are to be burned [destroyed by fire, completely consumed], along with its dung [waste, refuse, excrement]. word study 6 The priest [the spiritual leader, mediator] is to take [get, acquire] cedar wood [a tree, timber, a plank], hyssop [a plant used for purification], and scarlet wool [dyed with the deep red color of the coccus ilicis insect] and throw [cast, hurl] them onto [toward, into the midst of] the burning [being consumed by fire] heifer [a young female cow, a sacrifice]. word study 7 Then the priest [the one who serves God] must wash [cleanse, purify] his clothes [garments, robes] and bathe [immerse, wash his body] his body [flesh, physical form] in water [the liquid, a source of refreshment]; after that [following this, afterward] he may enter [come into, approach] the camp [the Israelites’ encampment, a group of people], but he will be [remain, stay] ceremonially unclean [defiled, contaminated] until [as far as, till] evening [sunset, the end of the day]. word study 8 The one who burned [set on fire, kindled flames] the heifer must also wash [cleanse, purify] his clothes [garments, robes] and bathe [wash, cleanse] his body [flesh, physical form] in water [a liquid, source of refreshment], and he too will be ceremonially [morally or ritually] unclean [defiled, contaminated] until [as far as, up to] evening [sunset, end of day]. word study 9 Then a man who is ceremonially clean [pure] is to gather up [collect, take up] the ashes [dust, remnants] of the heifer [young female cow, a sin offering] and store them in a ceremonially clean place [a sacred location] outside the camp [in a separate area, away from the community]. They must be kept [preserved, watched over] by the congregation [gathering, community] of Israel [God’s chosen people] for preparing [mixing, using] the water [liquid] of purification [cleansing, purification from sin]; this is for [intended to bring about] purification [cleansing, forgiveness] from sin [guilt, wrongdoing, transgression]. word study 10 The man who has gathered up [collected, brought together] the ashes [dust, remnants] of the heifer [young female cow] must also wash [cleanse, purify] his clothes [garments, attire], and he will be ceremonially unclean [defiled, impure] until evening [sunset, the end of the day]. This is a permanent [lasting, eternal] statute [law, ordinance, rule] for the Israelites [God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob] and for the foreigner [stranger, sojourner, non-Israelite] residing [living, dwelling] among them [in their midst, as part of their community]. word study 11 Whoever [any person, anyone] touches [reaches out to, comes into contact with] any dead [lifeless, deceased] body [corpse, the dead] will be [become, is considered] unclean [defiled, contaminated] for [a period of] seven days [24-hour periods, a week]. word study 12 He must purify [cleanse, make ceremonially pure] himself with the water [of purification, for removing guilt] on the third [initial, first of a sequence] day and on the seventh [completing, perfecting] day; then he will be [morally and ceremonially] clean [pure, without defilement]. But if he does not purify [make himself clean, free from guilt] himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be [considered, deemed] clean [acceptable, righteous]. word study 13 Anyone who touches [comes into physical contact with] a human corpse [the body of a deceased person] and fails to purify [cleanse, make ritually pure] himself [their own soul, spirit] defiles [makes ceremonially unclean, profanes] the tabernacle [the sacred tent, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God]. That person [soul, individual] must be cut off [separated, excluded] from Israel [the community of God’s people]. He remains unclean [impure, defiled], because the water of purification [ritual cleansing, separation] has not been sprinkled [poured, applied] on him, and his uncleanness [moral impurity, sinful state] is still [continues to be, remains] on him. word study 14 This is the law [instruction, divine guidance] when a person [man, human being] dies [passes away, meets their end] in a tent [nomadic dwelling, temporary shelter]: Everyone who enters [comes into, approaches] the tent and everyone already [present, residing] in the tent will be unclean [ceremonially impure, defiled] for seven days [period of time, appointed season], word study 15 and any open [exposed] container [vessel, utensil] without a lid [cover, bracelet] fastened [bound, tied] on it [upon, above] is [considered, deemed] unclean [impure, defiled, spiritually polluted]. word study 16 Anyone in the open [outdoor, uncultivated] field who touches [comes into physical contact with, reaches out to] someone who has been killed [slain, murdered] by the sword [a cutting instrument, weapon] or has died [passed away, perished] of natural causes [from illness, old age], or anyone who touches [makes contact with, handles] a human [of Adam, a person] bone [the substance of the body] or a grave [a sepulchre, burial site], will be unclean [defiled, polluted] for seven days. word study 17 For the purification [ritual cleansing, spiritual restoration] of the unclean [morally or ceremonially impure] person, take [receive, get] some of the ashes [dust, remnants] of the burnt [consumed by fire, completely destroyed] sin offering [atonement, sacrifice for guilt], put [place, set] them in a jar [vessel, container], and pour [add, mix] fresh [running, living] water [a spring or watercourse] over them. word study 18 Then a man [a male person, an individual] who is ceremonially clean [pure] is to take [to get, to acquire] some hyssop [a plant used for purification], dip [to immerse] it in the water [a source of refreshment], and sprinkle [to scatter, to spirt] the tent [a nomad’s home, the tabernacle], all [everything, the entirety] the furnishings [articles, utensils], and the people [living beings, souls] who were there [in that place, at that time]. He is also to sprinkle [to scatter, to spirt] the one who touched [to reach, to strike] a bone [the body, a substance], a grave [a sepulchre, a burial site], or a person who has died [to die, to cease living] or been slain [killed, profaned]. word study 19 The man who is ceremonially [pure, clean in a spiritual sense] clean is to sprinkle [to spring or spirt, often in a ritual] the unclean [impure, defiled] person on the third [a sequence of three] day and on the seventh [a position of completion] day. After he purifies [to make clean, free from sin] the unclean person on the seventh day, the one being cleansed [made clean, purified] must wash [to clean, often by trampling or stamping] his clothes [garments, a covering] and bathe [to wash, cleanse] in water [a liquid, a source of refreshment], and that evening [at sunset, the end of the day] he will be clean [pure, free from sin]. word study 20 But if a person [an individual, a soul] who is unclean [ceremonially defiled, impure] does not purify [cleanse, make holy] himself, he will be cut off [separated, expelled] from the assembly [congregation, community], because he has defiled [made unclean, profaned] the sanctuary [holy place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah] [the sacred space]. The water [source of purification] of purification [cleansing, purification ritual] has not been sprinkled [poured, scattered] on him; he is unclean [impure, defiled]. word study 21 This is a permanent [lasting, perpetual] statute [ordinance, divine law] for the people: The one who sprinkles [pours, scatters] the water of purification [impurity, cleansing] must wash [cleanse, purify] his clothes [garments, attire], and whoever touches [reaches, comes into contact with] the water of purification [separation, ritual cleansing] will be unclean [defiled, contaminated] until [as far as, till] evening [sunset, dusk]. word study 22 Anything [all things, everything] the unclean [impure, defiled] person touches [comes into contact with, reaches] will become unclean [impure, contaminated], and anyone [the soul, the living being] who touches [reaches out to, strikes] it will be unclean [defiled, foul] until [as far as, till] evening [sunset, the end of the day].” word study