Numbers 5:30

or when a feeling of jealousy comes over a husband and he suspects his wife. He is to have the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest is to apply to her this entire law.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The passage continues Moses’ instruction to the Israelite community regarding the ritual for suspected marital unfaithfulness. It addresses the husband who suspects his wife and the priest who must administer the procedure.

The words — The phrase ר֥וּחַ קִנְאָה (ruach qin'ah) literally translates to "a spirit of jealousy," denoting the emotional trigger for the ordeal. The verb וְ/קִנֵּ֣א (ve/kiNe) means "and he will be jealous," marking the husband’s active suspicion.

The thread — This procedure is contained within the broader law of jealousy in Numbers 5:11–31 and establishes the legal framework for resolving marital suspicion through sacred trial. The text explicitly frames the outcome in Numbers 5:31, where the husband bears no guilt and the woman bears her iniquity.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that unresolved suspicion must be submitted to divine judgment rather than human retaliation. It establishes a boundary where legal procedure replaces private vengeance, placing the resolution of marital breach under covenant authority.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.