Numbers 19 2

Numbers 19:2 kjv

This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:

Numbers 19:2 nkjv

"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.

Numbers 19:2 niv

"This is a requirement of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke.

Numbers 19:2 esv

"This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.

Numbers 19:2 nlt

"Here is another legal requirement commanded by the LORD: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer, a perfect animal that has no defects and has never been yoked to a plow.

Numbers 19 verses

Numbers 19 2 Meaning

Numbers 19:2 details a specific divine command concerning the purification rite for defilement by a dead body. It outlines the requirements for the unique "red heifer" sacrifice: it must be entirely red, without any blemish or physical defect, and must never have had a yoke placed upon it. This statute was an enduring ordinance given by the Lord to the Israelites to cleanse those who became ritually unclean through contact with death, enabling their return to the camp and participation in holy things. It points to God's meticulous care for ritual purity in His presence.

Numbers 19 2 Context

Numbers 19 focuses on the ritual purification necessary for those defiled by contact with a dead body, which rendered a person ritually unclean and unable to enter the tabernacle or participate in sacred rituals. This chapter follows a period where Israel has faced God's judgment and rebellions (like Korah's). Dealing with death, a potent symbol of sin's consequence, posed a consistent challenge to the camp's holiness. The "red heifer" sacrifice was not a sin offering for moral transgression, but a unique purification offering whose ashes, mixed with water, provided a means of ceremonial cleansing. This ritual was crucial for maintaining the sanctity of the Israelite camp, especially as death was common.

Numbers 19 2 Word analysis

• This is the statute of the Law (חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה - chuqat haTorah):
  • Statute (chuqat): Refers to a fixed, established decree, an unchangeable ordinance or prescribed rule. It signifies God's immutable will for how His people should live and maintain purity.
  • Law (haTorah): Means "instruction" or "teaching." It is the divine instruction given to Moses, encompassing all commands and precepts, serving as Israel's foundational covenant document and guide for life. This phrase emphasizes the divine origin and mandatory nature of the command.
• which the Lord has commanded (אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהוָה - asher-tzivah YHWH):
  • Lord (YHWH): The covenant name of God, revealing His personal relationship with Israel and His active involvement in their lives and purification.
  • Commanded (tzivah): Implies a direct, authoritative instruction from God Himself, reinforcing the absolute necessity and non-negotiable nature of the forthcoming instructions.
• Say (דַּבֵּר - dabber): A verb of speech, instructing Moses and Aaron to explicitly declare this command to the people, ensuring clarity and widespread understanding.
• to the children of Israel (אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - el benei Yisrael): Specifically designates the recipients of this divine instruction – the entire covenant community, underscoring its relevance and application to every individual within Israel.
• that they bring you (וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ - v'yiqchu eilekha): Literally, "and they shall take to you (Moses/Aaron)." This highlights that the community must provide the animal, making it a communal act of purification rather than solely a priestly one.
• a red heifer (פָרָה אֲדֻמָּה - parah adumah):
  • Heifer (parah): A female bovine, specifically one that has not yet had a calf, symbolizing prime vigor and an untapped state.
  • Red (adumah): The singular most distinct characteristic. This rare and vivid color signifies blood and life, but also sin (Isa 1:18). It’s distinct from typical sacrificial animals that were often white.
• without blemish (תְּמִימָה - t'mimah):
  • Means "perfect," "whole," "complete," "blameless." It demands physical integrity and purity, with no imperfections that would render it unfit for sacrifice. This requirement parallels other sacrificial offerings, emphasizing the high standard God requires.
• in which is no defect (אֲשֶׁר אֵין־בָּהּ מוּם - asher ein-bah mum): Reiteration of the "without blemish" point, specifying the absence of mum (defect or bodily injury), emphasizing visual and physical perfection.
• and on which no yoke has come (אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָלָה עָלֶיהָ עֹל - asher lo-alah aleha ol):
  • No yoke (lo-alah aleha ol): Signifies that the animal must never have been used for labor. This marks the heifer as utterly unsoiled, untouched by common work or utility, and therefore uniquely set apart, consecrated purely for this sacred, ritual purpose for God.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "This is the statute of the Law, which the Lord has commanded": This introductory phrase underscores the divine authority and enduring nature of the ritual. It establishes the ordinance as a direct, unalterable divine decree within the broader framework of God's revealed Law (Torah), making obedience paramount.
• "Say to the children of Israel": This instruction highlights the communal aspect of the command. The entire Israelite nation is to be informed and to understand their role in fulfilling this requirement, not just the priests. It points to the collective responsibility for maintaining purity in the camp.
• "that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which is no defect, and on which no yoke has come": This phrase details the exact specifications of the animal. The "red" color is distinctive and perhaps indicative of sin or atonement; "without blemish" (repeated twice in different ways) speaks of absolute physical perfection; and "no yoke" signifies its dedication for divine use only, never for common labor, underscoring its unique holiness and separation for God. These rigorous demands signify the profound spiritual significance of the sacrifice.

Numbers 19 2 Bonus section

The rareness of a "red heifer without blemish" throughout history has been a topic of much discussion, requiring careful identification and selection. This infrequency implies that the rite itself was not an everyday occurrence but reserved for profound ceremonial defilement by death, emphasizing its exceptional nature within the Mosaic Law. This law served as a type pointing to a once-for-all greater sacrifice needed for eternal purification. The very act of this seemingly obscure ritual, by making the clean unclean (the one preparing the ashes), while simultaneously making the unclean clean (the one sprinkled with the ashes), demonstrates a profound theological tension and a powerful picture of vicarious defilement for purification—a deep foreshadowing of Christ.

Numbers 19 2 Commentary

Numbers 19:2 lays the foundational requirements for the most distinctive purification offering in the Old Testament, the red heifer sacrifice. This rite was exceptional; unlike sin offerings for moral failures, the red heifer was for ritual cleansing from the defilement of death. Death, being the ultimate consequence of sin, conveyed a profound impurity that rendered a person unfit for communal worship. The extreme specificity of the requirements—entirely red, perfectly blemish-free, and never yoked—underscores the unique gravity of dealing with death's defilement and the divine precision demanded in purification.

The uniqueness of the red heifer, never bearing a yoke, sets it apart as something completely untainted by human labor or ordinary life, designated solely for this sacred purpose. This resonates with the New Testament's portrayal of Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God (1 Pet 1:19), who was perfectly holy, untouched by sin, yet became a purification offering for all humanity. While the red heifer ritual cleansed ceremonial uncleanness externally, the perfect sacrifice of Christ provides ultimate, internal cleansing from the defilement of sin, removing its spiritual stain forever (Heb 9:13-14). The paradox that the officiating priest became unclean foreshadows how Christ, who knew no sin, became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21) to purify us.