John Calvin Commentary Numbers 5:15

"then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall bring her oblation for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is a meal-offering of jealousy, a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance." — Numbers 5:15 (ASV)

Then shall the man bring his wife to the priest. This offering is different from the others, which have been previously mentioned, because it is a kind of adjuration, by which the woman exposes herself to being cursed. Pure meal without frankincense or oil is therefore offered, since the rite ⁸⁰ of expiation would not be in accordance with the curse.

So that the woman may be more afraid of perjuring herself, she is presented before God, with her head uncovered as well, as if the priest would drag her from her hiding place. For it seems incongruous that, as some suppose, the veil was removed from her head as a sign of her infamy, since in this way she would have been condemned before her case was heard. She is, then, brought before God’s face with her head bare, so that she may be seriously alarmed; and then follows the method of absolution or condemnation.

The priest is commanded to take holy water in an earthen vessel, to throw in some dust from the floor, and then a book or scroll on which the words of the curse were written, so that the writing would dissolve into the water, and then to give the cup to the woman. Some interpret the holy water to be that which was kept in the brazen laver, to be always ready for the washing of those engaged in properly offering sacrifices. Let my readers, however, consider whether he does not instead mean the water in which the ashes of the red heifer were sprinkled, and by which solemn purifications were made (Numbers 19:1), as we have already seen.

For in this way the woman was admonished that, if she perjured herself, no further means of expiation remained. The dust collected from the floor was also a sign of detestation. In short, the whole proceedings were calculated to humble her, so that she might not compound her offense by perjury. Besides, the priest is commanded to repeat the words of the curse, to prevent her from seeking to escape by some subterfuge or other.

The question, however, arises: why should she be compelled to call down evil upon herself, rather than others who were suspected of murder or other atrocious crimes? I think it was for this reason: because no other offense can be so easily concealed. Therefore, so that women would not grow hardened from their cunning and evil arts, a remedy is provided against their various deceptions; and in this way God shows that the marriage bed is under His protection and safeguard.

We must remember, too, that this was not a mere empty threat, since God undoubtedly appeared as the open avenger of unfaithfulness, according to His declaration. Nor is the threat added in vain, that if the woman is a deceiver, she should be a curse among the people, because her belly should swell and her thigh dissolve. While, on the other hand, He does not promise in vain that if she is innocent, she should not only be free but also prolific, so that God’s blessing would be the seal of her absolution. For this is the meaning of the expression, “she shall be sown with seed;” ⁸¹ just as, on the contrary, it was said that her thigh ⁸² should dissolve when she wasted away with barrenness.

We infer from the opposite effects of the same water that by the outward symbol God worked with His secret power as the occasion demanded.

⁸⁰ “Litandi ritus.” — Lat. “La facon d’obtenir grace devant Dieu, et se reconcilier.” — . “La facon d’obtenir grace devant Dieu, et se reconcilier.” — Fr..

⁸¹ A. V., “and shall conceive seed.” “Heb., ., “and shall conceive seed.” “Heb., shall be sown with with seed; which the Chaldee expoundeth, ; which the Chaldee expoundeth, shall prove with child.” — Ainsworth..” — Ainsworth.

⁸² “Thy thigh to fall. Heb., . Heb., thy thigh falling; in Greek, ; in Greek, thy thigh fallen; in Chaldee, ; in Chaldee, thy thigh dissolved. — . — Ibid. “Something similar to the disease called . “Something similar to the disease called prolapsus uteri.” — Adam Clarke..” — Adam Clarke.