What is the meaning of Numbers 5:29? This is the law of jealousy • Numbers 5:29 is the final line of a detailed statute (Numbers 5:11-31) designed to settle suspicions of adultery without human bias. • By calling it “the law of jealousy,” Scripture reminds us that marital fidelity mirrors God’s own jealous commitment to His covenant people (Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24). • The ritual protected both husband and wife: if she was innocent, public vindication silenced false accusations; if guilty, hidden sin was exposed—“For nothing is concealed that will not be revealed” (Luke 12:2). • The law also guarded the purity of the nation, because Israel’s health depended on honoring God’s standards (Leviticus 20:7-8). when a wife goes astray • “Goes astray” points to deliberate departure from covenant vows, just as Israel often “strayed” into idolatry (Hosea 1:2; Jeremiah 3:20). • Scripture consistently links marital unfaithfulness with spiritual unfaithfulness. Jesus applied the principle inwardly: “Everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). • The phrase assumes that sin begins in the heart before it shows up in behavior (James 1:14-15). and defiles herself • Adultery is not merely a social misstep; it brings moral and ceremonial uncleanness (Leviticus 18:20). • Defilement affects every sphere—body, soul, community: – Personal: “Flee from sexual immorality… he who sins sexually sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). – Spiritual: “From within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality… All these evils come from within and defile a man” (Mark 7:21-23). – Corporate: Hidden sin, if unchecked, invites judgment on the whole camp (Joshua 7:1, 11-12). while under her husband’s authority • The verse underscores God’s created order for marriage: “The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23). • Authority here is not tyranny but covenant responsibility. A husband is charged to love sacrificially (Ephesians 5:25) and a wife to honor that leadership (1 Peter 3:1-2). • Violating marital authority disrupts the picture of Christ and His church (Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 11:3). summary Numbers 5:29 caps the “jealousy offering” law by restating its purpose: to safeguard the sanctity of marriage, uphold God-given order, and expose hidden sin. The verse teaches that adultery violates covenant, defiles the individual, wounds the community, and offends the jealous holiness of God. |
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