Numbers 5:13

5:13 and a man has sexual relations ¹  with her ²  without her husband knowing it, ³  and it is hidden that she has defiled herself, since ⁴  there was no witness against her, nor was she caught –

Numbers 5:20

5:20 But if you ⁵  have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has had sexual relations with you….” ⁶ 

Numbers 6:12

6:12 He must rededicate ⁷  to the Lord the days of his separation and bring a male lamb in its first year as a reparation offering, ⁸  but the former days will not be counted ⁹  because his separation ¹⁰  was defiled.

Numbers 9:6-7

9:6 It happened that some men ¹¹  who were ceremonially defiled ¹²  by the dead body of a man ¹³  could not keep ¹⁴  the Passover on that day, so they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. 9:7 And those men said to him, “We are ceremonially defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back from offering the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?”

Numbers 9:10

9:10 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If any ¹⁵  of you or of your posterity become ceremonially defiled by touching a dead body, or are on a journey far away, then he may ¹⁶  observe the Passover to the Lord.

---

¹ tn Heb “and a man lies with her with the emission of semen.” This makes it clear that there was adultery involved, so that the going astray is going astray morally. The indication in the text is that if she had never behaved suspiciously the sin might not have been detected.

² tc The sign of the accusative אֹתָהּ (’otah) is probably to be repointed to the preposition with the suffix, אִתָּהּ (’ittah).

³ tn Heb “and it is concealed from the eyes of her husband.”

⁴ tn The noun clause beginning with the simple conjunction is here a circumstantial clause, explaining that there was no witness to the sin.

⁵ tn The pronoun is emphatic – “but you, if you have gone astray.”

⁶ tn This is an example of the rhetorical device known as aposiopesis, or “sudden silence.” The sentence is broken off due to the intensity or emphasis of the moment. The reader is left to conclude what the sentence would have said.

⁷ tn The same idea is to be found now in the use of the word נָזַר (nazar), which refers to a recommitment after the vow was interrupted.

⁸ tn The necessity of bringing the reparation offering was due to the reinstatement into the vow that had been interrupted.

⁹ tn Heb “will fall”; KJV “shall be lost”; ASV, NASB, NRSV “shall be void.”

¹⁰ tc The similar expression in v. 9 includes the word “head” (i.e., “his consecrated head”). The LXX includes this word in v. 12 as well.

¹¹ tn In the Hebrew text the noun has no definite article, and so it signifies “some” or “certain” men.

¹² tn The meaning, of course, is to be ceremonially unclean, and therefore disqualified from entering the sanctuary.

¹³ tn Or “a human corpse” (so NAB, NKJV). So also in v.7; cf. v. 10.

¹⁴ tn This clause begins with the vav (ו) conjunction and negative before the perfect tense. Here is the main verb of the sentence: They were not able to observe the Passover. The first part of the verse provides the explanation for their problem.

¹⁵ tn This sense is conveyed by the repetition of “man” – “if a man, a man becomes unclean.”

¹⁶ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive functions as the equivalent of an imperfect tense. In the apodosis of this conditional sentence, the permission nuance fits well.