And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
When she drinks the water, if she has been unfaithful and betrayed her husband, then the curse-bringing water will enter her body and become bitter. Her stomach will swell up, her body will waste away, and she will become a warning to her people.
This verse describes the believed physical consequences that would happen to a woman who was unfaithful to her husband after drinking the bitter water in an ancient trial.
📚 Historical Context
In the time of Moses, as the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness, God provided laws to preserve community purity and address marital disputes. This specific ritual in Numbers 5 was a divine test for a wife suspected of adultery, where a priest prepared bitter water that could reveal guilt through physical signs, reflecting the ancient Israelite emphasis on covenant faithfulness and the lack of other legal means to resolve such accusations. It served as a means to maintain social harmony in a patriarchal society where family integrity was crucial.
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