Numbers – Chapter 5

Old Testament31 Verses

Chapter Summary

Chapter 5 of Numbers begins: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:" Moses stands at the center of this chapter. Across its 31 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and worship and praise. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2Command the children of Israel, that they cast out of the camp every leper, and whosoever hath an issue of seed, or is defiled by the dead:

3Whether it be man or woman, cast ye them out of the camp, lest they defile it when I shall dwell with you,

4And the children of Israel did so, and they cast them forth without the camp, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

5And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

6Say to the children of Israel: When a man or woman shall have committed any of all the sins that men are wont to commit, and by negligence shall have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and offended,

7They shall confess their sin, and restore the principal itself, and the fifth part over and above, to him against whom they have sinned.

8But if there be no one to receive it, they shall give it to the Lord, and it shall be the priest's, besides the ram that is offered for expiation, to be an atoning sacrifice.

9All the firstfruits also, which the children of Israel offer, belong to the priest:

10And whatsoever is offered into the sanctuary by every one, and is delivered into the hands of the priest, it shall be his.

11And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

12Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: The man whose wife shall have gone astray, and contemning her husband,

13Shall have slept with another man, and her husband cannot discover it, but the adultery is secret, and cannot be proved by witnesses, because she was not found in the adultery:

14If the spirit of jealousy stir up the husband against his wife, who either is defiled, or is charged with false suspicion,

15He shall bring her to the priest, and shall offer an oblation for her, the tenth part of a measure of barley meal: he shall not pour oil thereon, nor put frankincense upon it: because it is a sacrifice of jealousy, and an oblation searching out adultery.

16The priest therefore shall offer it, and set it before the Lord.

17And he shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall cast a little earth of the pavement of the tabernacle into it.

18And when the woman shall stand before the Lord, he shall uncover her head, and shall put on her hands the sacrifice of remembrance, and the oblation of jealousy: and he himself shall hold the most bitter waters, whereon he hath heaped curses with execration.

19And he shall adjure her, and shall say: If another man hath not slept with thee, and if thou be not defiled by forsaking thy husband's bed, these most bitter waters, on which I have heaped curses, shall not hurt thee.

20But if thou hast gone aside from thy husband, and art defiled, and hast lain with another man:

21These curses shall light upon thee: The Lord make thee a curse, and an example for all among his people: may he make thy thigh to rot, and may thy belly swell and burst asunder.

22Let the cursed waters enter into thy belly, and may thy womb swell and thy thigh rot. And the woman shall answer, Amen, amen.

23And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and shall wash them out with the most bitter waters, upon which he hath heaped the curses,

24And he shall give them her to drink. And when she hath drunk them up,

25The priest shall take from her hand the sacrifice of jealousy, and shall elevate it before the Lord, and shall put it upon the altar: yet so as first,

26To take a handful of the sacrifice of that which is offered, and burn it upon the altar: and so give the most bitter waters to the woman to drink.

27And when she hath drunk them, if she be defiled, and having despised her husband be guilty of adultery, the malediction shall go through her, and her belly swelling, her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse, and an example to all the people.

28But if she be not defiled, she shall not be hurt, and shall bear children.

29This is the law of jealousy. If a woman hath gone aside from her husband, and be defiled,

30And the husband stirred up by the spirit of jealousy bring her before the Lord, and the priest do to her according to all things that are here written:

31The husband shall be blameless, and she shall bear her iniquity.

Important Verses in Numbers 5

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Numbers 5:1

And the children of Israel did so, and they cast them forth without the camp, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

Numbers 5:4

These curses shall light upon thee: The Lord make thee a curse, and an example for all among his people: may he make thy thigh to rot, and may thy belly swell and burst asunder.

Numbers 5:21

And the husband stirred up by the spirit of jealousy bring her before the Lord, and the priest do to her according to all things that are here written:

Numbers 5:30

Historical Context

Numbers belongs to the Old Testament and was composed for israel on the threshold of the Promised Land, warned by the failures of the wilderness generation. Chapter 5 of 36 belongs to the early movement of the book, where the narrative or argument is still unfolding. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 31 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Moses appear at the center of the events recorded here. The chapter begins: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:" It concludes: "The husband shall be blameless, and she shall bear her iniquity. " In terms of historical background, Numbers takes its name from the two censuses of Israel and covers nearly forty years of wandering between Sinai and the plains of Moab. Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of Numbers around Wilderness traditions of the 13th century BC; final form by the 5th century BC.

Who Wrote It

Traditionally attributed to Moses, with priestly editing

When It Was Written

Wilderness traditions of the 13th century BC; final form by the 5th century BC

Catholic Commentary

Read at the narrative level, this chapter describes real persons, decisions, and consequences within wilderness journey and God's faithfulness. A pivotal line is verse 1: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:" The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

Catholic exegesis reads Numbers 5 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. the Church sees Israel's journey as an image of our pilgrimage to heaven (CIC 2119). St. John Chrysostom and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 1700).

For Christians today, the chapter's lesson is clear: The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.. The Church invites us to receive this word not as antiquarian information but as living Scripture proclaimed at Mass and prayed in lectio divina.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • Worship is the heart of the covenant: giving God the praise and adoration that are His due.
  • Sin has real consequences, but God's judgment always aims at conversion and restoration.

People in This Chapter

Moses4 mentions

Reflection for Today

Numbers Chapter 5, containing 31 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation, offers a distinct passage for prayer and meditation.

The Magisterium teaches that every biblical passage must be read in light of Christ, the center of Scripture (CIC 265). Here the emphasis falls on the Eucharist as source and summit, which shapes how the Church understands wilderness journey and God's faithfulness.

If this passage raises questions, seek the Church's teaching through the Catechism, a faithful priest, or sound Catholic commentaries. Private interpretation must remain in harmony with the Magisterium (CIC 436).

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Numbers Chapter 5 about?

Numbers 5 contains 31 verses. It opens with "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:" and closes with "The husband shall be blameless, and she shall bear her iniquity. ". The book as a whole is narrative, census lists, and law.

What is a key verse in Numbers 5?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:" It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Numbers Chapter 5?

This chapter mentions Moses.

Who wrote Numbers and when?

Traditionally attributed to Moses, with priestly editing. Wilderness traditions of the 13th century BC; final form by the 5th century BC.

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