🔢WEB · Numbers 5:13
What does Numbers 5:13 mean?
"and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and this is kept concealed, and she is defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she isn’t taken in the act;"
— Numbers 5:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Every man’s holy things shall be his: whatever any man gives the priest, it shall be his.’”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray, and is unfaithful to him,
and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and this is kept concealed, and she is defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she isn’t taken in the act;
and the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she is defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she isn’t defiled:
then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering for her: one tenth of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to memory.
The priest shall bring her near, and set her before Yahweh;
Explanation
Numbers 5:13 sits within a larger passage (Numbers 5:11–31) describing the "law of jealousy," a ritual procedure for a husband who suspects his wife of infidelity but has no proof. This particular verse describes the specific scenario the whole law addresses: a woman has secretly committed adultery, the act was hidden from her husband, there were no eyewitnesses, and she was not caught in the act itself. In plain language, it describes a situation of suspected but unprovable unfaithfulness — a case where human evidence is simply unavailable.
The book of Numbers records laws given to Moses for the Israelites during their wilderness journey after the exodus from Egypt, as they organized themselves as a covenant community under God. This section addresses a real and difficult social problem: what happens when a husband suspects betrayal but cannot prove it through normal legal means, which in Israelite law required witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15)? Without eyewitness testimony, the ordinary justice system had no way to resolve the matter, yet suspicion could still poison a marriage and a household. The following verses (14–31) describe a ritual involving the priest, an oath, and a special drink-offering test, entrusting the unresolved question to God's judgment rather than human accusation or vigilante justice.
Theologically, this verse highlights a key concern of biblical law: protecting individuals — especially the vulnerable, and here specifically women, who had less power in ancient legal and social structures — from being condemned or mistreated on the basis of mere suspic
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.