Numbers 5:24

Verse 24. The bitter water that causeth the curse] Though the rabbins think that the priest put some bitter substance in the water, yet as nothing of the kind is intimated by Moses, we may consider the word as used here metaphorically for affliction, death, c. These waters were afflicting and deadly to her who drank them, being guilty. In this sense afflictions are said to be bitter, Isa 38:17 so also is death, 1Sa 15:32: Ec 7:26.

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

24. and become bitter] lit. ‘for bitterness,’ i.e. proving injurious.

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 he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse,..... Having the curse imprecated upon herself, if guilty, scraped into it; and this she was obliged to drink, whether she would or not; so it is said, if the roll is blotted out, and she says I am defiled, the water is poured out, and her offering is scattered in the place of ashes; if the roll is blotted out, and she says I will not drink, then force her, and make her drink whether she will or no (z):

and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter; produce the sad and bitter effects mentioned.

(z) Misnah, ut supra, (Sotah) c. 3. sect. 3.

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

Up. Hebrew, "and the water, which causeth the malediction, shall enter into her, bitter." According to Josephus, the jealous husband threw first a handful of the gomer of barley flour, upon the altar, and gave the rest to the priest; and after the other ceremonies were finished, the woman drunk the water, and either had a son within ten months, or died with the marks of infamy. (B. [Antiquities?] iii. 11. Edit. Bern.) Some Rabbins say she became livid and rotten, though she might linger on part of the year. (Sotæ iii.) But if she proved innocent, she acquired fresh beauty and health, and was delivered with ease of a son. (Maimonides) (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

To drink, to wit, after the jealousy-offering was offered, as is affirmed, Num 5:26.

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

24. Shall cause the woman to drink — This verse is proleptical. The drinking is not twice, but only once, in Num_5:27. The eating or drinking anything symbolizes its full acceptance. So the prophets, Jer_15:16; Eze_3:1-3; and Jesus Christ, Joh_4:14; Joh_6:50.

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

He shall cause the woman to drink. This is said by anticipation, because she did not really drink it until after the offering (verse 26).

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

To drink - That is, after the jealousy-offering was offered.

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

General Information:

Verse 24 explains in a general way what the priest must do and what is expected to happen when the woman drinks the water. Verse 25 and 26 explains in detail how the priest is to do this work. The priest gives the water to the woman and she drinks it only once.

a representative offering

The handful of the grain offering represents the whole grain offering. This means the whole offering belongs to Yahweh.

grain offering of jealousy

"a grain offering for jealousy." See how you translated this in Numbers 5:15.

translationWords

curse

grain offering

jealous

Yahweh

altar

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

והשקה את האשה AND HE SHALL CAUSE THE WOMAN TO DRINK [THE BITTER WATER] — This was not the actual order of the proceedings, because really he offered her meal-offering first (before giving her the water to drink; cf. v. 26, 27), but Scripture here merely informs you that when he afterwards gives her the water to drink it will become bitter in her belly (cf. Sotah 19a). — Since only the thigh and the belly are mentioned (vv. 21. 22), I might conclude that only these are affected (see Sifrei Bamidbar 18); whence do we know that this applies also to the rest of the body? Because Scripture states here, “[and the water … shall come] into her [and become bitter]” — into all of her body! But if so, why does Scripture explicitly mention only the thigh and the belly? Because they (these two) were the first to begin the sin, therefore it (Scripture) makes the punishment begin with them (and for this reason Scripture mentions them explicitly, but, as a matter of fact, it extends to the whole body as is implied in the word בה (Sifrei Bamidbar 18).

למרים (The text is more lit., “and the waters shall enter into her as bitter”) — i.e. to become bad and bitter for her.

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.