Chapter Nineteen
Regulations on How to Prepare the Water for Impurity
The issue of being contaminated through contact with a dead person has so far been mentioned several times in the Scriptural text (see Leviticus 21:1-4, 10; 22:4-7; Numbers 5:2; 6:6-13; 9:6), this chapter now outlines how to purify a person who has come in contract with a corpse. As a reader, it is important to know that this is one of the more controversial sections in the book of Numbers, due primary for two reasons:
Due to the diversity of interpretation and the divisive nature of this chapter, it should be carefully studied and not quickly read or ignored.
The contamination due to any contact with a dead body was always considered a serious issue, however, the complexity of this ritual and its preparation, quickly elevates the concern to be perhaps the worst of all ceremonial impurities. Just like there are some fabric stains that are more difficult to clean than others, the contamination of touching a dead body seemingly requires a greater “stain-removing” method.
19:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.
Now speaking to both Moses and Aaron, God tells them to have the people of Israel bring them a red heifer without defect, without any blemish, and one that has never been a working animal (harnessed to plow, pull a cart, etc.) A heifer is a female cattle, a cow (Hebrew ‘pā·rā(h)’,[1] found 27 times in the Old Testament, eleven of those times in connection to Joseph’s dreams in Genesis chapter 41, usually translated as ‘cow’), here it is interesting to note that God is requiring a color, let alone an unusual color for a cow, namely a red cow, which was and still is somewhat rare. In addition to the rare color, the animal also needs to be without defect (Hebrew ‘temî·mā(h)’, complete, in this context, healthy and not maimed),[2] and have no blemish (Hebrew ‘mûm’, usually in reference to a physical blemish or discoloration)[3] (both words are often used synonymously, except ‘temî·mā(h)’ means without blemish and 'mûm' refers to a blemish). Plus, the cow must not have been yoked or used as a work animal (see Deuteronomy 21:3). It is also interesting to note that this red cow was to be obtained by the people, this is the first and only ritual that required the animal to be collectively obtained.
The Mishnah Tractate Parah (meaning ‘cow’, see above) explores and significantly expands the rules and regulations regarding this process. However, much of the writing is a record of on-going debates. One commentator stated, “The laws of the red cow are supposed to be laden with mysteries and paradoxes.”[4] As a result, the tractate seems to add more confusion to the interpretation, instead of offering clarity. The word translated as ’statute’ in verse two is the Hebrew word ‘ḥǔq·qǎṯ’,[5] the feminine equivalent to the word ‘ḥōq’[6] (or ‘chok’), which aligns nicely with the Jewish category of decrees that are often considered incomprehensible.[7] There is only one other location in the Torah similarly worded, Numbers 31:21-24, which also refers to the process of purification.
19:3 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer.
The red cow was to be given to Aaron’s son Eleazar (not a task for the High Priest as he must remain clean) and then taken outside the camp and witness it being slaughtered there. Once slaughtered, Eleazar was to take some of the cow’s blood on his finger and sprinkle (Hebrew ‘hiz·zā(h)’,[8] to spurt, spatter, sprinkle, etc.) it seven times in the direction of the front of the Tabernacle (see also Leviticus 4:6, 17; 16:14, 19). Then the heifer was to be completely burned, everything, all parts, including its dung, nothing was to be removed. While the cow was being burned, Eleazar was to take some cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet yarn and throw them into the same fire.
There is no explanation as to why the cow needed to be the color red. Many have speculated that the color represents blood (words are related, red in Hebrew is ‘ā·ḏōm’[9] and blood is ‘dām’),[10] as blood is the critical component of all sacrifices (see Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). Although while that may be true, we need to consider that this procedure may not be defined as a sacrifice (no altar, not a holy location, etc.).
In Leviticus the cedar wood, hyssop wood[11] and the scarlet-colored yarn[12] were used in conjunction with the rituals performed to restore cleanliness after a person was healed from leprosy or for a dwelling that no longer had mold, mildew, or fungus (see Leviticus 14:4, 6, 49, 51, 52). The purpose of adding the two types of wood has been interpreted several ways, including to make more ashes, make it sweet-smelling while burning and to make the ashes have greater longevity. The text does not offer any explanation here or anywhere else in Scripture, these are only speculations.
Instead of burning on the bronze altar like all regular sacrifices, this animal was removed from the camp and burned. Plus, none of the typical words associated with offerings and sacrifices are found in the text here, other than the word ‘šā·ḥǎṭ’[13] (translated here as ‘slaughtered’), which refers to the killing of the animal only. Absent are words like: ‘iš·šě(h)’;[14] ‘min·ḥāh’;[15] and ‘ō·lā(h)’.[16] Therefore this ritual probably should not be considered a sacrifice.
19:7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 The one who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening.
The process of burning the cow and creating the ashes spiritually pollutes the priest, requiring him to wash his clothes and bathe in water (see Leviticus 11:25; 13:6, 34; 14:8-9, 47; 15:5; 16:26, 28; 17:15), however, he will continue to be unclean until evening. In the same way, the person who burned the cow is also considered unclean and needs to wash their clothes and bathe in water, remaining unclean until that evening.
19:9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.
Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to gather the ashes and take them elsewhere outside the camp that is also ceremonially clean. The ashes are to be stored for use in creating the “water for impurity,” that will be used by the people of Israel. The person who gathered the ashes is then to wash their clothes (no bathing required) and remain unclean until evening. This procedure of creating this unique ‘additive’ was to be an ongoing regulation for both the people of Israel and anyone visiting.
It is important to note that the text adds that the water for impurity is a sin offering (see verse nine). If the process used to create the ashes was not a sacrifice done in the Tabernacle, how could it then be classified as a sin offering? Prior to examining that question, it may be best to first examine the problem, as to why this “water for impurity” was used to purify. Beginning with the next verse, the text states that the water will be used to purify people who had been in contact with a dead body. The ‘pollution’ from that contact appears to be a greater problem than from any other form of uncleanliness. Why is that? The simplest answer is that death was not part of God’s original design for mankind. Death came as a result of sin,[17] the usual sin offering was given to seek atonement and forgiveness for unintentional sin (see Leviticus 4:1-5:13). So, was touching a dead body a sin? No, just unclean, but the root cause of all death was, and still is, sin, thus making the person unclean. The statement saying this procedure is a sin offering is not intended to connect or to compare with the protocol listed in Leviticus, but to identify that these ashes mixed with water will purify the pollution from the initial cause of death, and that would be sin.
One might say that death leaves an obnoxious stain and stench on people that God desperately wants death removed from mankind; that is why He sent His Son Jesus to earth to die. Jesus, after living a sin-less life, suffered, died, and rose again; He has washed sin away, atoning sin with His own blood for all who believe and trust in Him. Is this process a foreshadowing or model of Jesus? Since the entire Bible is about Jesus (see Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39) many believe it is (see also Leviticus chapter four). There are a number of similarities, including:
Considerations
Sacrifice versus Non-Sacrifice
Most consider this process to be something other than a sacrifice. But if it is not a sacrifice, then what is it? Here is a quick procedural comparison between a typical sacrifice and this, we will call for the moment a "non-sacrifice" process found in this chapter:
| A Typical Sacrifice | Chapter 19 Procedure |
| Animal with no defect (See Exodus 12:1; 29:1; Leviticus 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6; 4:3, 23; 5:15, 18; 6:6) | Animal with no defect (See Numbers 19:2) |
| Animal with no blemish (See Leviticus 22:20, 25; Deuteronomy 15:21; 17:1) | Animal with no blemish (See Numbers 19:2) |
| Usually male (but not always) (See Leviticus 1:3; 4:3, 14) | Female cattle (a cow) (See Numbers 19:2) |
| No color specified | Must be red (See Numbers 19:2) |
| Wording refers to being sacrificed (See Exodus 12:27; Leviticus 3:1, 3, 6, 9; 4:10, 26, 31, 35; 7:11-37) | Wording only refers to being slaughtered (See Numbers 19:3) |
| Animal killed near the bronze altar (See Leviticus 1:3-5; 3:8; 4:4) | Cow killed outside of camp (See Numbers 19:3) |
| Blood sprinkled on items in Tabernacle/Temple (See Leviticus 1:5; 3:8, 12-13; 4:6-8, 16-18; 5:9) | Blood sprinkled towards the front of the Tabernacle/Temple (See Numbers 19:4) |
| Only portions of animal burned * | Entire animal was to be burned (See Numbers 19:5) |
| Nothing was to be added to the sacrifice | Burned with cedar, hyssop and scarlet yarn (See Numbers 19:6) |
| Several sacrifices required hands placed on heads (See Leviticus 1:4; 3:2, 12-13; 4:4, 24) | No requirement for placing hands on head of animal |
* Depending on the animal most burnt offerings burned everything except the skin (see Leviticus 7:8).
Regulations Regarding the Use of the Water for Impurity
19:11 “Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean.
Once the “water for impurity” has been prepared, the text then outlines the application of the water. Anyone who touches a dead body is to be considered unclean for seven days. On the third day they are to cleanse themselves with the water and then on the seventh day they would be clean (Hebrew ‘yiṭ·hār’,[18] means to make pure, a ritual cleansing). But if they do not cleanse themselves on the third day, they will remain unclean.
19:13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.
Anyone who does not cleanse themselves after being in contact with a dead person with the water for impurity thrown on them (Hebrew ‘zō·rǎq’ meaning to scatter or sprinkle),[19] they ultimately defile the Tabernacle. Just like those considered unclean being leprous or with a discharge (see Leviticus 5:1-4; 15:31), an unclean person cannot remain in the camp where God dwells in their midst, they must be cut off from the people of Israel.
19:14 “This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days. 15 And every open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean. 16 Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh water shall be added in a vessel. 18 Then a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.
If a person dies in a tent, then everyone who enters the tent will be unclean for seven days. In addition, any open vessel in the tent (likely a storage vessel, such as a jar, the word is not specific) that has no lid attached will be considered unclean for seven days. If someone touches a person who died outdoors, regardless if by sword or naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, they will also be considered unclean for seven days. Those made unclean in this manner are to take some of the red heifer ashes that would have been previously prepared (referred to as a sin offering) and put them in a vessel containing water. On the third day after any of these scenarios occurred, a person who is already clean is to take hyssop,[20] presumably a branch, and dip it in the water and sprinkle the water on the tent, all of the furnishings in the tent, and on the persons who were there and anyone else who touched a bone, a dead body, or a grave. Then repeat the sprinkling on the seventh day, on that day those that were sprinkled with the water are to wash their clothes and bathe in water and they would then be considered clean that evening.
19:20 “If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean. 21 And it shall be a statute forever for them. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22 And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”
Similar to the wording of verse 13, if someone refuses to cleanse themselves, that person will be cut off from their community as they have effectively defiled the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. Because the water with the ashes was not thrown on them, they remain unclean, this is an ongoing decree for them.
The person who sprinkled the water was now to wash their clothes. In addition, anyone who touches the “water for impurity” will be considered unclean until evening. Anything an unclean person touches will be considered ceremonially unclean until evening (another reason why any unclean person should not be allowed to stay in the community).
Are all holy waters the same? In the book of Leviticus, the water used for all of the purification rituals was just plain (or fresh) water (Hebrew ‘mǎ’·yim’,[21] see Leviticus 8:6; 11:32; 14:8-9; 15:5-27; 16:24-28; 17:15; 22:6).[22] In Numbers 5:17 it references “qeḏō·šîm[23] mǎ’·yim,” referring to sacred (or holy) water, although no process or additive is mentioned, just water that is consecrated. However, that water is not to be used for purification purposes.
Then in Numbers 8:7 it refers to “mǎ’·yim ḥǎṭ·ṭā(‘)ṯ” often translated as “water of purification,” or perhaps more accurately, “water of purification from impurity” (‘ḥǎṭ·ṭā(‘)ṯ’,[24] can be found 295 times in the Old Testament, with very few exceptions, it is almost always translated as ‘sin’). Even though the text uses to same word to describe a sin offering (see Numbers 19:9, 17), the water is referred to in this section as “mǎ’·yim nid·dā(h)”[25] (water of impurity, see Numbers 19:9, 13), a word that is allsobused in Leviticus twelve times referring to menstrual impurity (see Leviticus 12:2-5; 15:19-33; 18:19). As a result, most scholars and theologians do not connect the water of impurity in Numbers chapter 19 to the water of purification referenced in Numbers chapter eight, however many do. The only definite use of the water of impurity is its use to cleanse a person after contact with a dead body, as described in this chapter.
While on the subject of “holy water,” there are some organizations that still use or offer holy water at the entrances of their facilities for personal application. This practice is not Biblical, as there is no instruction in the New Testament regarding the use of any water other than for baptism. Jesus never sinned, and since Christians obtain salvation completely through Him, they are forgiven and purified through what He did alone. There is no need for additional purification. Often when questioned about their use of “Holy Water,” they incorrectly respond by attempting to justify by stating that the Old Testament used water for cleansing (quoting verses like Leviticus 14:8-9, 50-52; 15:5-27; 17:15; Numbers 8:7; 19:12, 18-19; 2 Kings 5:12; Psalms 51:7; Ezekiel 16:4; 36:25); purifying (see Exodus 29:4; 40:12, 30-32; Leviticus 11:32; 16:4, 24, 26, 28; 22:6; Numbers 19:7-8; 31:23; Deuteronomy 23:10-11; 1 Kings 18:33-34) or healing (see 2 Kings 5:14; Isaiah 35:5-7). They then attempt to apply some or all those applications to the New Testament, using passages like John 2:6; 5:4 (only found in early translations); John 9:6-7; Ephesians 5:26 and Hebrews 9:19; 10:22; requiring one to take each verse out of context.
The Red Heifer Connection to Eschatology
The use of the word ‘mania’ might be somewhat strong to describe this concept, but it would nonetheless be an accurate assessment. As pointed out above, the Bible records the use of water for several applications. And, due to similar applications, the names or categorizations of the waters used become confusing and often end up overlapping or being merged together. This sadly gets amplified when a Bible translation or version uses the same name or phraseology to describe similar, but different, water applications (for example some translations use the same name “water of purification” in both Numbers 8:7 and 19:12; while true that they both are used for purification, the preparation and application are very different).
The connection to eschatology is based on the premise that if the Jews were going to build a new Temple as Scripture indicates they will (see Ezekiel 40:1-46:24; Zechariah 2:1-13), then the people involved with the construction and implementation of the new Temple would need to first be purified. The question one might ask, now being almost two thousand years after the last Temple’s destruction, is what do the Jews need to obtain to make purification available today? The Bible does not require anything beyond consecrated water for consecrating the priests (see Exodus 29:4; 30:17-21; Leviticus 8:6). The concern however, especially among Jewish spiritual leaders, is that since the people of Israel have been scattered around the world to many Gentile nations, and the land has been occupied by many Gentile peoples (from their perspective, desecrating the land and the Temple, essentially forcing God out of the Most Holy Place) this constitutes the ultimate in unholiness, thus requiring the highest level of purification, namely the water for impurity, which uses ashes from the burning of a red heifer. Since red heifers are rare, and an unblemished red heifer even more scarce, many relate the arrival of a red heifer with the beginning of Biblical eschatology (based on a variety of end-time based prophecies of the Bible).
Another interesting tie into the end times discussion, comes from the text of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (Laws of Parah, Adumah 3:4):
Now nine red heifers were prepared from the time this commandment was received until the Temple was destroyed the second time: the first Moses our Master prepared, the second Ezra prepared, and there seven from Ezra to the destruction of the Temple. And a tenth will King Messiah prepare—may he soon be revealed![26]
To many the race is on to see if they can be the first to find a flaw-less red heifer, even if it means genetically enhancing cows, which has been tried. Like all things relating to Biblical prophecy, timing is in God’s hands, not man’s. The moment we try to “help God” we set ourselves up to get disappointed, unless of course, God is the one providing the guidance.
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 6510.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 8549. See commentaries under Genesis 17:1-2 and Exodus 12:3-6.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 3971. See commentaries under Leviticus 21:16-24; 22:22-25.
[4] Neusner, J. (2007). A History of the Mishnaic Law of Purities: Parah: Commentary. (J. Neusner, Ed.) (Vol. 9, p. 3). Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 2708.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 2706.
[7] See Considerations under Genesis 10:19-20 regarding Ancient Jewish writings.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 5137.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 122.
[10] Strong’s Hebrew 1818.
[11] See commentary under Exodus 12:21.
[12] See Considerations under Genesis 4:25-26 and Sin Revisited in the Brief Introduction to God’s Law.
[13] Strong’s Hebrew 7819.
[14] See commentary under Exodus 29:15-18.
[15] See commentary under Leviticus 2:1-3.
[16] See commentaries under Genesis 8:20; 22:1-2; Leviticus 1:1-2.
[17] See Considerations under Genesis 2:15-17 regarding death.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 2891.
[19] Strong’s Hebrew 2236. See commentary under Exodus 24:8.
[20] See commentary under Exodus 12:22.
[21] Strong’s Hebrew 4325.
[22] This list excludes two rituals that involve killing one bird over fresh or flowing water and dipping a live bird, hyssop, cedar wood, and scarlet yarn in the blood, one involving sprinkling only the blood (see Leviticus 14:4-9) and one that involves sprinkling both the blood and water (see Leviticus 14:48-53).
[23] Strong’s Hebrew 6918.
[24] Strong’s Hebrew 2403.
[25] Strong’s Hebrew 5079.
[26] Neusner, J. (2007). A History of the Mishnaic Law of Purities: Parah: Commentary. (J. Neusner, Ed.) (Vol. 9, p. 21). Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers.