Numbers 5:21
then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) ‘the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh fall away and your body swell.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This isn't just a curse; it's a prophetic declaration that she will become a living example, a cautionary tale so vivid that her name will be used in future curses among her people. The physical suffering isn't random but a direct, God-ordained consequence, meant to be a clear sign of His judgment on infidelity.
This passage is part of a detailed legal process described in Numbers 5, designed to handle a husband's suspicion that his wife has been unfaithful. Following the instructions for the suspicious husband and the wife's offering, the priest now leads the woman through a solemn and severe oath, imprecating God's curse upon her if she is guilty. This ritual is the climax of the procedure before the woman drinks the bitter water, with the severe consequences described here meant to reveal her guilt or innocence.
This wasn't just a simple oath; it was a potent curse that the woman herself had to affirm. What made this oath so uniquely terrifying?
The priest didn't just ask the woman to swear she was innocent. Instead, he charged her with an 'oath of cursing.' This means the words spoken were a direct imprecation—a plea for God to bring a specific, terrible curse upon her if she was guilty. She had to say 'Amen, amen' to the possibility of her body wasting away and swelling up as a public sign of her sin. This wasn't a light matter; it was an act where the accused actively invoked divine judgment upon herself should she be found guilty.
The physical effects described – a rotting thigh and a swollen belly – sound like a disease. But were they? What points to a divine, miraculous intervention?
The text explicitly states that 'the LORD make thy thigh fall away and thy body swell.' The commentators highlight that these afflictions were not natural consequences but were attributed to the Lord's supernatural and miraculous power. This ritual was designed to be a visible, undeniable sign of God’s judgment. When the 'bitter waters' were drunk, if the woman was guilty, God Himself would supernaturally cause these specific, terrible physical manifestations. This ensured that God's justice and His protection of marriage were clearly demonstrated to the community.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenantal name of the God of Israel, indicating His self-existence, eternity, and faithfulness to His people. It is the name revealed to Moses and central to Israel's identity.
alah · Hebrew Noun
A solemn invocation of divine judgment upon oneself or another, meant to underscore the truth of a statement or the severity of a covenant. In a legal context, it serves as a self-imprecation inviting God’s intervention if the oath is violated.
ararah · Hebrew Noun
A state of being under divine judgment or separation from God due to disobedience or covenantal unfaithfulness. It signifies the consequences of sin, often resulting in physical or spiritual ruin.
This passage directly echoes the idea of being cursed for breaking God's commands, stating 'Cursed be anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by observing them.' It connects to Numbers 5:21 by highlighting the severe consequences of disobedience and unfaithfulness under God's law.
Jeremiah 29:22This verse provides a direct parallel to the imprecation in Numbers 5:21, where the prophet speaks of individuals being used as a curse: 'By them shall this curse be used by all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “The LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.”' It illustrates how individuals could become living examples of divine judgment.
Galatians 3:10This New Testament passage speaks of the curse of the law, stating, 'For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”' It broadens the concept of a curse from a specific instance of infidelity to the universal condemnation that comes from failing to perfectly keep God's law.
Proverbs 6:32-33This proverb describes the devastating and lasting consequences of adultery, which mirrors the physical affliction mentioned in Numbers 5:21: 'But a man who commits adultery with a woman has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself. He will meet with injury and disgrace, and his reproach will not be blotted out.' It shows that unfaithfulness carries inherent destructive consequences, reflecting a spiritual and physical reality.
gillNumbers 5:21: "Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;"
Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing,.... An oath which has a curse annexed to it, if taken falsely, which was to be pronounced upon the woman if guilty: and the priest shall say unto the woman; pronouncing the imprecation or cur…
pulpitNumbers 5:21: "Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;"
Verse 21. - Then the priest shall say unto the woman. These words are parenthetical, just as in Matthew 9:6. The latter part of the oath is called "an oath of cursing," because it contained the imprecations on the guilty. To rot. Hebrew, "to fall." Τὸν μη…
This isn't just a curse; it's a prophetic declaration that she will become a living example, a cautionary tale so vivid that her name will be used in future curses among her people. The physical suffering isn't random but a direct, God-ordained consequence, meant to be a clear sign of His judgment on infidelity.
This passage is part of a detailed legal process described in Numbers 5, designed to handle a husband's suspicion that his wife has been unfaithful. Following the instructions for the suspicious husband and the wife's offering, the priest now leads the woman through a solemn and severe oath, imprecating God's curse upon her if she is guilty. This ritual is the climax of the procedure before the woman drinks the bitter water, with the severe consequences described here meant to reveal her guilt or innocence.
This passage is part of a detailed legal process described in Numbers 5, designed to handle a husband's suspicion that his wife has been unfaithful. Following the instructions for the suspicious husband and the wife's offering, the priest now leads the woman through a solemn and severe oath, imprecating God's curse upon her if she is guilty. This ritual is the climax of the procedure before the woman drinks the bitter water, with the severe consequences described here meant to reveal her guilt or innocence.
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"then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) ‘the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh fall away and your body swell." — This isn't just a curse; it's a prophetic declaration that she will become a living example, a cautionary tale so vivid that her name will be used in future curses among her people. The physical suff…
