Numbers 5:31 kjv
Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.
Numbers 5:31 nkjv
Then the man shall be free from iniquity, but that woman shall bear her guilt.' "
Numbers 5:31 niv
The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.'?"
Numbers 5:31 esv
The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman shall bear her iniquity."
Numbers 5:31 nlt
The husband will be innocent of any guilt in this matter, but his wife will be held accountable for her sin."
Numbers 5 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 4:7 | If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. | Sin's consequence; bearing guilt |
| Lev 5:1 | If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity. | Bearing one's own sin |
| Lev 5:17 | If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, yet he has become guilty and shall bear his iniquity. | Unintended sin still bears guilt |
| Lev 7:18 | If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, nor shall it be credited to him who offers it; it shall become an abomination, and whoever eats of it shall bear his iniquity. | Defiling holiness; bearing consequences |
| Lev 20:20 | If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their iniquity; they shall die childless. | Direct judgment; bearing sin |
| Psa 7:4-5 | if I have repaid my friend with evil... Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. | Call for divine vindication for innocence |
| Psa 51:16 | For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. | Iniquity needs more than external ritual |
| Psa 51:4 | Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. | God's justice in revealing sin |
| Isa 53:4-6 | Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ... and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. | Christ bearing our iniquity |
| Isa 53:11 | By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. | Christ as ultimate sin-bearer |
| Jer 2:22 | Though you wash yourself with soda and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord God. | Guilt remains despite attempts to cleanse |
| Jer 23:24 | Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. | God's omniscience in revealing hidden sin |
| Eze 18:20 | The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. | Individual accountability for sin |
| Hos 4:13-14 | They sacrifice with prostitutes, and they burn incense to goddesses. Therefore your daughters commit prostitution, and your brides commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for they themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and people without understanding will come to ruin. | Corporate sin and unfaithfulness mirroring adultery |
| Mal 3:5 | Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the wage earner, the widow, and the fatherless, against those who deprive the sojourner of justice, and who do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. | God as a witness and judge of hidden sins |
| Mt 12:36-37 | I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. | Accountability for one's actions/words |
| Rom 2:6 | He will render to each one according to his works: | Individual accountability |
| Rom 3:25-26 | whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. | Justice and justification through Christ |
| 1 Cor 6:18 | Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. | Seriousness of sexual sin; self-consequence |
| Heb 4:13 | And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. | God's omnipresent knowledge and judgment |
| Heb 10:26-27 | For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment... | Bearing the weight of unrepented sin |
| Jas 4:12 | There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? | God alone is the ultimate judge |
| Rev 21:8 | But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. | Final consequences of unrepented sin |
Numbers 5 verses
Numbers 5 31 Meaning
Numbers 5:31 concludes the law of the suspected adulteress (sotah ordeal), articulating the distinct outcomes for the man and the woman involved. If the woman is proven innocent by the divine ordeal, the man (her husband) is cleared of the iniquity of the suspicion, meaning he is not deemed to have sinned by suspecting his wife without absolute proof, and his lineage and marital relationship are unaffected. Conversely, if the ordeal reveals her guilt, the woman alone will bear the full consequences and punishment for her hidden sin of adultery, as revealed by God. This verse underscores divine justice in revealing concealed sin and vindicating the innocent within the covenant community.
Numbers 5 31 Context
Numbers 5:31 stands as the conclusive statement of the ordeal of jealousy (verses 11-30). This entire chapter emphasizes the purity required for the encampment of Israel as they journey towards the Promised Land, reflecting God's holy presence among them. This law addressed the delicate and volatile situation of suspected adultery when no human witness or evidence was available. The ritual involved the accused wife drinking a mixture of holy water, dust from the Tabernacle floor, and the dissolved ink from written curses, followed by a specific oath. This was not a trial by jury but a divinely ordained "trial by ordeal," where God Himself would reveal the truth, making His justice apparent to the community. The specific mention of "iniquity" (עָוֹן, 'avon) throughout the ordeal points to moral guilt and its associated consequences, highlighting the grave nature of adultery as a covenant-breaking sin.
Numbers 5 31 Word analysis
- Then (וְהָיָה - vehayah): A common Hebrew connective meaning "and it was," or "so it shall be." It signals the consequence or outcome following the preceding events of the ritual.
- the man (הָאִישׁ - ha'ish): Refers specifically to the husband who brought his wife for the jealousy offering. This highlights the focus on his state and the resolution of his marital concern.
- shall be free (וְנִקָּה - v'niqah): From the root נָקָה (naqah), meaning to be clean, pure, innocent, acquitted, cleared. In this context, it signifies that the husband is released from the "iniquity" of his suspicion if his wife is found innocent, or simply from complicity or responsibility for her guilt. He is ceremonially and socially cleared. This is distinct from bearing one's own sin.
- from iniquity (מֵעָוֹן - me'avon): 'Avon (עָוֹן) means guilt, iniquity, sin, or punishment for sin. Here, the man is free from the moral or spiritual defilement or blame associated with the unresolved suspicion or the wife's potential adultery. His suspicion, in light of his wife's innocence, does not accrue to him as sin.
- but (וְהָאִשָּׁה - v'ha'ishshah): Connects the previous clause, indicating a contrasting outcome for the woman.
- that woman (הָאִשָּׁה - ha'ishshah): Refers to the suspected wife who underwent the ordeal. The definite article emphasizes that she is the subject of the previous verses and the focus of the judgment.
- shall bear (תִּשָּׂא - tissa'): From the root נָשָׂא (nasa'), meaning to lift, carry, bear, or endure. In the context of sin or iniquity, it implies enduring the consequences, taking the responsibility, or suffering the punishment for her own actions.
- her iniquity (עֲוֹנָהּ - avonah): Her own personal guilt, sin, and the specific punitive consequences divinely imposed by the ordeal (barrenness, rotting thigh, swelling belly). This is her personal accountability before God.
Words-group analysis
- Then the man shall be free from iniquity: This phrase signifies the exoneration of the husband. He is cleared not only from any moral fault related to his suspicion (which the law explicitly permits if he had reason to suspect), but more broadly from bearing the spiritual defilement that would stem from a guilty wife or the unresolved doubt within his marriage. God's judgment, therefore, serves to vindicate him and maintain his standing within the community.
- but that woman shall bear her iniquity: This strongly contrasted phrase pronounces the divine judgment upon the woman if she is indeed guilty. It means she will suffer the specific physical curses described in Numbers 5:21-22 (a swollen belly and decaying thigh, implying barrenness and public shame) and the broader spiritual consequence of her sin of adultery. It emphasizes personal accountability for one's actions, particularly when revealed by God's direct intervention. The repetition of "iniquity" for both the man (being free from it) and the woman (bearing her own) highlights that guilt and its consequences are clearly and individually assigned by divine standard.
Numbers 5 31 Bonus section
The Law of the Sotah (jealousy offering) is unique in the Pentateuch, being a divinely orchestrated "proof" of innocence or guilt. It is distinct from ordinary legal procedures where witnesses and tangible evidence are required. Its existence emphasizes God's direct intervention in maintaining the moral fabric of His chosen people. The "bitter water that brings a curse" (Numbers 5:24) was not a poison but a symbolic act designed to either demonstrate God's grace by showing no harm to the innocent or manifest His judgment through the described physical ailments on the guilty. This divine arbitration mechanism underscores the theological concept that ultimate justice resides with God, particularly in cases where human means of determination are insufficient. This ritual also protected the accused woman from potentially being executed by an unproven accusation, providing a divine avenue for exoneration.
Numbers 5 31 Commentary
Numbers 5:31 succinctly captures the outcome of the jealousy ordeal, demonstrating God's unwavering commitment to holiness within His covenant people. It showcases His judicial omniscience: He sees hidden sin and judges it accurately, and He also protects and vindicates the innocent. The husband is absolved, his marital bond (and potentially his lineage) preserved if the wife is innocent, but the guilty wife is held individually accountable to God. This ritual, rather than merely punishing, functioned as a potent deterrent against secret adultery, reminding all Israel that their God discerns the intents of the heart and executes perfect justice, upholding the sanctity of marriage and purity in the community.