Numbers 19:9

Num 19:9 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.

Ver. 9. And a man that is clean.] Hereby is meant the Gentile purified by faith, as one well observeth. The gathering of the ashes, is the applying of the merits of Christ, and laying hold of the mystery of his kingdom. The laying up of the ashes imports that the Christian accounts Christ’s merits his chief treasure. The clean place is the clean heart. Without the camp, notes, that the Gentiles were strangers from the commonwealth of Israel, &c. These ashes kept for the congregation, show the fulness of Christ’s merits for all his people. When he saith, it is to make a water of separation, it notes that our sins separate betwixt us and our God. But "now in Christ Jesus, we who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by his blood." {Eph 2:13}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Num 19:9. A man shall gather up the ashes — The ashes of the heifer were separated as well as they could be from the ashes of the wood wherewith it was burned, were pounded and sifted, and laid up for the use of the congregation as there was occasion, not only for that generation, but for posterity; for the ashes of this one heifer, the Jews tell us, were sufficient to season as many vessels of water as the people of Israel would need for many ages. Nay, they say this one served till the captivity, near one thousand years, and that there never was another heifer burned fill the time of Ezra. But to this tradition of theirs, grounded probably on the silence of ancient records, there seems to be no good reason to give credit, since, in the latter ages of their church, when they had more full records, they find an account of eight burned between Ezra’s time and the destruction of the second temple, which was only a space of about five hundred years. In the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, however, offered only once for all, we have an inexhaustible fund of merit, to which, by faith, his church may have recourse from generation to generation, for the purification of their consciences from dead works.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19:9 The purpose of the ceremony of burning the red heifer was to produce ashes. These were collected and deposited in a purified place outside the camp until the Israelites needed them in the water for the purification ceremony to remove such defilement as coming into contact with a corpse (19:11-22).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, the water of separation because they that were separate for their uncleanness, were sprinkled therewith and made clean, Num. 8:7. It is also called holy water, because [it] was ordained to an holy use, Num. 1:17.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 9. For a water of separation] That is, the ashes were to be kept, in order to be mixed with water, Nu 19:17, and sprinkled on those who had contracted any legal defilement.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. it shall be kept] i.e. the ashes, for which the Heb. word is singular, not plural.

a water of impurity] i.e. a water for the removal of impurity. Cf. ‘water of sin’ (Num_8:7). The word niddâh, ‘impurity,’ signifies something loathsome or abominable.

it is a sin-offering] The cow (not the water) could be called a sin-offering because it was burnt; but, since the ashes are the object of chief importance, the word hattâ’th (‘sin-offering’) must be understood in the more general sense of ‘something which removes sin.’ LXX. ἅγνισμα.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer,.... A man, a clean priest, as the Targum of Jonathan; in later times great care was taken that the priest concerned in the burning of the red cow should be pure; he was separated from his own house seven days before the time, and every day he was sprinkled with the blood of all sin offerings then offered, that it might be sure he was free from any pollution by a grave, or a dead body; and for the same reason they made a causeway on double arches from the temple to the mount of Olives, over the valley of Kidron, lest any unseen grave should be in the way; and when he came thither he was obliged to wash or dip himself, as before observed (m); and so he that gathered up the ashes was to be clean from all ceremonial pollution: the Jews say (n), that they pounded the ashes; if there were any black coal in them or bone, they did not leave it in them, but sifted them in stone sieves; and not the ashes of the heifer only they took, but the ashes of the cedar wood, &c. mixed with them; and these they put, as the Targum of Jonathan says, into an earthen vessel enclosed in a covering of clay:

and lay them up without the camp in a clean place; they were divided into three parts, according to the Targum of Jonathan, one part was put in the Chel (or the enclosure of the court of the tabernacle), another in the mount of Olives, and the third part was divided among all the wards of the Levites, with which the Misnah (o) agrees; Jarchi makes mention of the same division, and of the use of each; that the wards had was without the court, that the citizens might take of it, and all that needed to be purified; that in the mount of Olives was for the priests, to sanctify other heifers with it; and that in the Chel was for a reserve:

and it shall be kept for a reserve for the congregation of Israel; as ashes may be kept a long time, if well taken care of, because they are not subject to any corruption or putrefaction; and so was, as Bishop Patrick observes from Dr. Jackson, a figure of the everlasting efficacy of Christ's blood: and, according to the Jews, these ashes of the first heifer must last more than a thousand years; for they say (p) the second that was burnt was in the time of Ezra, though they reckon seven more afterwards before the destruction of the second temple, in all nine; and the tenth they expect in the days of the Messiah, which are past; he, being come, has put an end to this type by fulfilling it in himself: and the use of them was

for a water of separation; being put into water, and mixed with it, was for the cleansing of such as were separated from others for their uncleanness, and was a purification of them for it, as follows:

it is a purification for sin: or "it is sin" (q), not an offering for sin, properly speaking; the heifer, whose ashes they were, not being sacrificed in the tabernacle, nor on the altar, and wanted other rites; yet it answered the purposes of a sin offering, and its ashes in water were typical of the blood of Christ, which purges the conscience from dead works, when this only purified to the sanctifying of the flesh, Heb 9:13; and is the fountain set open for sin and uncleanness, Zac 13:1; where both the words are used which are here, and in the preceding clause: ashes are known to be of a cleansing nature, and so a fit emblem of spiritual purification by Christ; and the duration of them of the perpetuity of it.

(m) Misn. Parah, c. 3. sect. 1. 6. 7. (n) Ib. sect. 11. (o) lbid. (p) Ib. sect. 5. (q) "peccatum ipsa", Montanus; "peccatum enim est", Tigurine version.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Water of separation - In Num 8:7, the water of purification from sin is the “water of purifying.” So that which was to remedy a state of legal separation is here called “water of separation.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

For the congregation of the children of Israel, i.e. for their use, and therefore in a fit place or places, whence any of them might easily procure it.

For a water, or, to the water, i.e. to be put to the water, or mixed with it.

Of separation, i.e. appointed for the cleansing of them that are in a state of separation, who for their uncleanness separated from the congregation. Either the heifer thus managed, or the water thus made and sprinkled,

is a purification for sin, Heb. a sin, i.e. a kind of an offering for sin, or rather a mean for the expiation or cleansing of sin. The name of sin is sometimes given to the punishment of sin, and sometimes to the sacrifice or offering for sin.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. Ashes… water of separation — The chief ingredient of this water.

Purification for sin — The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews strongly hints that this process did not work a real inward cleansing of the nature when he says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ… purge your conscience from dead (sinful) works to serve the living God.” Heb_9:13-14.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For a water of separation, i.e., a water which should remedy the state of legal separation due to the defilement of death, just as in chapter 8 the water of purification from sin is called the water of sin.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For a water - Or, to the water, that is, to be put to the water, or mixed with it. Of separation - Appointed for the cleansing of them that are in a state of separation, who for their uncleanness are separated from the congregation. It is a purification for sin - Hebrew. a sin, that is, an offering for sin, or rather a mean for expiation or cleansing of sin. And this was a type of that purification for sin, which our Lord Jesus made by his death.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Someone who is clean

Being acceptable to God and fit to do sacred work is spoken of as being clean. (See: Metaphor)

These ashes must be kept

This can be stated in active form. AT: "You must keep these ashes" (See: Active or Passive)

in a clean place

Being acceptable to God is spoken of as being clean. (See: Metaphor)

He will remain unclean

Being unacceptable to God or unfit to do any sacred work is spoken of as not being clean. (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

clean

cow

ash

people group

Israel

pure

sin

sin offering

law, laws

alien

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

והניח מחוץ למחנה AND HE SHALL LAY THEM UP WITHOUT THE CAMP — He divided it (the ashes) into three portions: one he placed on Mount Olivet, another was divided between all the priestly divisions, and the other he placed in the חיל (the space that surrounded the Temple area) (Sifrei Bamidbar 124:1; Mishnah Parah 3:11). That portion given to the priestly divisions was outside the forecourt, so that the inhabitants of the cities and anyone who required to be cleansed might take of it; as for that which was on the Mount of Olives, the High Priests purified themselves by means of it for preparing other “red cows”, whilst that which was in the space surrounding the Temple area was placed there to be kept for all times by special enactment of Scripture, as it is said, “and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel" (cf. Tosefta Parah 3 8).

למי נדה FOR WATERS OF נדה — i.e. for waters of sprinkling (or casting); similar are, (Lamentations 3:53) “and they cast (וידו) a stone upon me”; (Zechariah 2:4) “to cast down (לידות) the horns of the nations”, both of which are expressions denoting “casting”.

חטאת הוא IT IS A PURIFICATION FROM SIN — This, according to its literal meaning, is an expression denoting “purification”, but from the point of view of the Halachot to which it is to be subject Scripture terms it a חטאת, “sin-offering”, to state by so doing that it is similar to holy things — that it is prohibited for any other use (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 124:2; Menachot 51b).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.