And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even.
This will be a permanent law for them: whoever sprinkles the cleansing water must wash their clothes, and anyone who touches the cleansing water will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
This verse establishes that even those handling the purification water become temporarily unclean and must follow cleansing procedures themselves.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of the ritual laws for the red heifer ceremony, which provided purification water for those who had become ceremonially unclean through contact with death. In ancient Israel's religious system, ceremonial cleanness was required to participate in worship and community life. Even the priests and assistants who handled the purification materials had to undergo their own cleansing rituals.
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