Numbers 19 7

Numbers 19:7 kjv

Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

Numbers 19:7 nkjv

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.

Numbers 19:7 niv

After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening.

Numbers 19:7 esv

Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening.

Numbers 19:7 nlt

"Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. Afterward he may return to the camp, though he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.

Numbers 19 verses

Numbers 19 7 Meaning

Numbers 19:7 details the immediate consequence for the priest involved in preparing the red heifer ash solution for purification: he becomes ritually unclean. Despite his sacred office, contact with this highly paradoxical object (which purifies others from grave defilement) renders him personally defiled. This state necessitates him washing his clothes and bathing his entire body in water. He remains in this ritually unclean state until sundown, after which he is permitted to re-enter the communal camp. This specific command emphasizes the strict and pervasive nature of God's purity laws and the significant personal cost associated with handling sacred items related to atonement and purification for the community.

Numbers 19 7 Context

Numbers 19 describes the unique "Law of the Red Heifer," an indispensable ritual for purification from corpse defilement—the most severe form of ritual impurity in ancient Israel. Unlike other offerings for specific sins or trespasses, the red heifer sacrifice, burned entirely outside the camp, provided ashes to create "water of purification" (also called "water of impurity"). This water was then sprinkled on those who touched a dead body, enabling them to become ritually clean. Verse 7 specifically addresses the priest responsible for burning the red heifer. Although performing a crucial service for the purity of the Israelite community, the very act of handling this unique offering (which involved a high degree of symbolic "contact with death/sin") made him, ironically, ritually impure. This law demonstrated God's absolute holiness, the pervasive and contaminating nature of death and sin, and the demanding cost involved in mediating purity for others within the Old Covenant.

Numbers 19 7 Word analysis

• And the priest (וְהַכֹּהֵן, veha'kohen): Refers to the specific priest designated to supervise and participate in the red heifer's burning (Num 19:3-6). Despite his holy office, he is not immune from the ritual consequences of handling matters closely associated with sin and death, emphasizing that purity is maintained by adherence to divine command.
• shall wash (וְכִבֶּס, vekhibbes): An intensive verb (Piel stem), meaning "to wash thoroughly" or "to launder." This denotes a complete and necessary cleansing process, signifying the pervasive nature of the impurity and the rigorous action required to remove it.
• his clothes (בְּגָדָיו, begadav): Garments were considered extensions of the individual. Washing clothes highlights the idea that ritual defilement clung not just to the body but also to one's attire, necessitating their separate or concomitant cleansing to fully break from impurity.
• and he shall bathe (וְרָחַץ, verachatz): Refers specifically to the complete immersion and washing of the body. This is a personal purification, essential for inner cleansing after contamination.
• his body (בָּשָׂר, basar): Literally "flesh." In this context, it emphasizes the physical person. The defilement directly impacts the individual's very being.
• in water (בַּמָּיִם, bammayim): The essential medium for ritual purification. Water throughout Scripture symbolizes cleansing, both physical and spiritual.
• and afterward (וְאַחֲרֵי-כֵן, ve'acharei-ken): Indicates a necessary temporal sequence. The purification must precede any re-entry into the camp, underscoring the priority of purity according to divine protocol.
• he shall come into the camp (יָבוֹא אֶל-הַמַּחֲנֶה, yavo el ha'machaneh): The camp represents the ritually clean community of Israel, in whose midst God dwelt. Re-entry signified restoration to full communion and participation in daily and sacred life. Access was strictly regulated by purity status.
• and the priest shall be unclean (וְטָמֵא הַכֹּהֵן, ve'tame ha'kohen): Declares his state of ritual impurity (tame). This temporary status made him unfit for sacred activities or full participation in the assembly. This is not moral defilement, but a ceremonial one.
• until the evening (עַד הָעָרֶב, ad ha'arev): Specifies the duration of the ritual impurity. The passing of a full day and the arrival of evening signified a complete cycle, upon which ritual purity could be fully restored for the new day, allowing re-engagement in sacred life.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his body in water": This phrase details the required intensive physical cleansing. It signifies the removal of defilement from both the outer (clothes) and inner (body) person. This immediate and thorough cleansing highlights God's demand for complete purification for those who handle the sacred, even when paradoxically incurring defilement through that sacred duty.
• "and afterward he shall come into the camp": This clause sets the condition for reentry. It shows that presence within God's people (represented by the camp) is strictly governed by purity laws, and ritual cleansing is a prerequisite for reintegration. It reinforces the holiness expected within the covenant community.
• "and the priest shall be unclean until the evening": This paradoxical declaration defines the priest's temporary status. It highlights the profound and pervasive nature of death's defilement, even on the one administering the remedy. This state of ritual uncleanness, a consequence of touching a matter of atonement, lasts for a full day cycle, signifying a required period of separation or "bearing the impurity" before full restoration to sacred normalcy. It pointed to the future truth that only Christ could deal with sin's defilement completely without Himself becoming permanently defiled.

Numbers 19 7 Bonus section

The ritual defilement incurred by the priest involved in the red heifer ceremony is an exceptional theological paradox. While the ashes produced from this ceremony purified those defiled by touching a dead body (Num 19:13), the one directly handling the sacred elements to produce the cleansing water became unclean himself. This serves as a potent illustration that the purity demanded by God under the Old Covenant was so absolute, and the defilement of sin/death so potent, that even the closest contact with its remedy resulted in ritual contamination. No human priest, however consecrated, could interact with such profound "defilement" (as the red heifer symbolized sin in its connection to atonement) without himself being affected. This profound reality sets the stage for understanding Christ's singular ministry. Jesus, in His perfection, touched lepers, dined with sinners, and took on the sin of the world, yet He remained utterly pure. He entered into our defilement not to be tainted by it, but to conquer it from within, providing a perfect and permanent cleansing that the provisional Old Covenant rituals could only hint at.

Numbers 19 7 Commentary

Numbers 19:7 portrays a core truth about sin and defilement under the Old Covenant: that even the person who facilitated purification for others became ritually impure by the very act of handling the sin-related sacrifice. This highlights the absolute holiness of God, demanding strict separation from anything defiling, including death. The paradox — that handling an agent of cleansing causes impurity — underscores the pervasive and contagious nature of sin's consequence. The washing of clothes and bathing signifies removal of the defilement, while being "unclean until the evening" indicates a temporary, non-moral state that required the completion of a full cycle for ritual restoration. This ritual was a type, foreshadowing Christ. He, unlike the priest, perfectly took upon Himself the defilement of our sin on the cross, becoming "sin for us" (2 Cor 5:21), yet being truly holy, He utterly conquered sin and death, emerging undefiled. His perfect sacrifice offers ultimate cleansing, rendering Old Covenant rituals obsolete, fulfilling their shadowed purpose through His one-time act (Heb 9:13-14).