when a wife goes astray
The phrase "goes astray" is translated from the Hebrew word "sāṭâ," which means to deviate or wander. This term is often used in the context of moral or spiritual deviation. In the historical context, this reflects the societal norms and expectations of marital fidelity. The act of going astray is not just a personal failing but a breach of the sacred covenant of marriage, which was a cornerstone of Israelite society. It serves as a metaphor for spiritual unfaithfulness, where Israel is often depicted as a wayward spouse in the prophetic literature.

and defiles herself
"Defiles herself" comes from the Hebrew word "ṭāmē," meaning to become unclean or impure. In the Levitical system, purity was not just a physical state but a spiritual one, affecting one's ability to participate in community and worship. This phrase indicates a serious breach of both personal and communal holiness. The defilement is not just a private matter but has public and spiritual ramifications, reflecting the interconnectedness of personal sin and community holiness in the biblical worldview.

while under her husband’s authority
The phrase "under her husband’s authority" reflects the patriarchal structure of ancient Israelite society, where the husband was the head of the household. The Hebrew word for "authority" here is "yad," which literally means "hand," symbolizing power and control. This structure was intended to reflect order and responsibility within the family unit. In a broader theological sense, it mirrors the order of creation and the relationship between Christ and the Church, as described in the New Testament. The husband's authority is not meant to be oppressive but protective, ensuring the well-being and integrity of the family.

(1) That it was founded upon the superstitious notion that immaterial virtue can be imparted to physical elements. The holiness of the gathered dust and the awfulness of the written curses were both supposed to be held in solution by the water of jealousy. The record does not say as much, but the whole ordeal proceeds on this supposition, which would undoubtedly be the popular one.

(2) That it was only fitted for a very rude and comparatively barbarous state of society. The Talmud states that the use of it ceased forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem (if so, during our Lord's earthly lifetime); but it may be held certain that it ceased long before - indeed there is no recorded instance of its use. It was essentially an ordeal, although one Divinely regulated, and as such would have been morally impossible and highly undesirable in any age but one of blind and uninquiring faith. And we find the justification of it exactly in the fact that it was given to a generation which believed much and knew little; which had a profound belief in magic, and no knowledge of natural philosophy. It was ever the wisdom of God, as revealed in the sacred volume, to take men as they were, and to utilize the superstitious notions which could not at once be destroyed, or the imperfect moral ideas which could not at once be reformed, by making them work for righteousness and peace. It is, above all, the wisdom of God not to destroy the imperfect, but to regulate it and restrain its abuses, and so impress it into his service, until he has educated his people for something higher. Everybody knows the extreme violence of jealousy amongst an uncivilized people, and the widespread misery and crime to which it leads. It may safely be affirmed that any ordeal which should leave no place for jealousy, because no room for uncertainty, would be a blessing to a people rude enough and ignorant enough to believe in it. Ordeals arc established in a certain stage of civilization because they are wanted, and are on the whole useful, as long as they remain in harmony with popular ideas. They are, however, always liable to two dangers.

(1) They occasionally fail, and are known to have failed, and so fall into disrepute. . . .

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