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Numbers 19

1

And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

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2

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:

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And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face:

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And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times:

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And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:

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And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.

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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.

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And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even.

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And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.

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And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.

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He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.

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He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.

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Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.

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This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.

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And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean.

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And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

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And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:

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And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:

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And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.

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But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.

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And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even.

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And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.

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Numbers 19:1

“And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,”

Study Summary

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 'This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded' — the red heifer ordinance opens with solemn divine authority, introducing the most mysterious of all Mosaic laws. The chok (statute) stands without rational explanation, a divine mystery embedded in Israel's purification system. This law governs the entire wilderness period and beyond: how the ritually unclean become clean again, how death's contamination is reversed.

Community Reflections

2
Omar Hassan (Test User)1d ago
The armor of God — Numbers 19

God is faithful in every circumstance.. What a reminder that God's ways are not our ways. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. The early church would have heard this very differently than we do today. God is faithful in every circumstance.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments..…

Read the note →
1
Michael van Berg (test user)1d ago
The power of prayer — Numbers 19

I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Now I understand why — it's a daily declaration of dependence on God.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible.. This is one of those passages that reads differently in every season of life. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. We bring nothing; He provides…

Read the note →

Numbers 19:1

“And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,”

Study Summary

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 'This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded' — the red heifer ordinance opens with solemn divine authority, introducing the most mysterious of all Mosaic laws. The chok (statute) stands without rational explanation, a divine mystery embedded in Israel's purification system. This law governs the entire wilderness period and beyond: how the ritually unclean become clean again, how death's contamination is reversed.

Community Reflections

2
Omar Hassan (Test User)1d ago
The armor of God — Numbers 19

God is faithful in every circumstance.. What a reminder that God's ways are not our ways. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. The early church would have heard this very differently than we do today. God is faithful in every circumstance.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments..…

Read the note →
1
Michael van Berg (test user)1d ago
The power of prayer — Numbers 19

I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Now I understand why — it's a daily declaration of dependence on God.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible.. This is one of those passages that reads differently in every season of life. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. We bring nothing; He provides…

Read the note →

Numbers 19:1

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 'This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded' — the red heifer ordinance opens with solemn divine authority, introducing the most mysterious of all Mosaic laws. The chok (statute) stands without rational explanation, a divine mystery embedded in Israel's purification system. This law governs the entire wilderness period and beyond: how the ritually unclean become clean again, how death's contamination is reversed.