Read in isolation, The Test of Adultery (Num 5:11-31) presents the reader with a seemingly bizarre ritual, conjuring up ideas bordering on the Salem Witch Trials. Beyond this, pressing questions linger—such as, “Why is the woman in particular singled out, while no test is provided for the husband of a suspecting wife?” My hope in this article is to present a satisfying response to each concern—at both a head and a heart level—in view of our Savior, Jesus Christ. My answer will track as follows: A Look at the Ritual, A Look Back, and A Look Forward.

A Look at the Ritual

The Book of Numbers begins optimistically, preparing Israel for their trek from Sinai toward the Promised Land (Num 1- 4). After clear marching orders were given, with utmost care and attention given to the Tabernacle and the Levites caring for it, God begins a discussion of cleanness within the camp’s vicinity (Num 5-7). Within this larger narrative framework, The Test of Adultery surfaces. Below is an abbreviated description of the ritual:

1. A spirit of suspecting jealousy is aroused within a husband—with greater or lesser degree of certainty (vv 11-14).
2. The woman is brought by her husband to the Tabernacle with a negatively-modified grain offering—lacking oil and frankincense (v 15).
3. A drink, the “water of bitterness”, is prepared with holy water (presumably from the Laver) in an earthenware vessel, mixed with dust from the Tabernacle floor, and written words of an oath washed into the prepared drink (vv 16-23).
4. With her hair let down, the woman is to recite the oath with grain offering in hand, after which the grain offering is to be offered, and the woman is to drink the “water of bitterness” (vv 18-26).
5. A judgment of God is pronounced on either the suspecting husband (v 31) or the woman in that she will either be made barren or fruitful (v 28).

While nearly every dimension of this ritual remains foreign to our current experience, the Scriptures must be read expectantly, by faith, before we assert a hermeneutic of suspicion.

A Look Back

This adultery ritual doesn’t show up in a vacuum. The antecedents for the Test come ultimately from the “Falls” of Genesis 3 and Exodus 32. In Genesis 3 it is Eve who eats first of the fruit which they were commanded not to eat. This is significant. Her fellowship with the Serpent represents an adulterous Humanity. The Bride is dining with an alternate in place of God—resulting in spiritual “offspring” of the Serpent (Gen 3:15 ESV). The appropriateness of “marital jealousy” is made clear in 2 Corinthians 11 where Paul authoritatively writes that Eve’s eating was spiritual adultery. “…I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:2-3 ESV).

As a result of Eve’s spiritual adultery, significant aspects of what will become The Test of Adultery in Numbers 5 are present in seed form within the responsive judgments of God to each participant in Genesis 3. Firstly, the Serpent’s judgment includes “dust” (apar, same word as used in Num 5:17) being “eaten” (Gen 3:14 ESV). Similarly, the woman will drink the “dust.” Secondly, a significant aspect of the woman’s judgment affected her childbearing in the future (Gen 3:16). The Test of Adultery also jeopardizes the future of the woman’s childbearing (Num 5:27-28). Thirdly, aspects of God’s judgment upon the man included “sweat” (or liquid) from his brow intermingled with the difficulty of eating “bread”—from ground that was “cursed” (arar). The Test of Adultery included water, a grain offering lacking both oil and frankincense, and threat of a “curse” repeated throughout (arar, Num 5:18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 27). In summary, elements of Genesis 3’s judgments for Humanity’s spiritual adultery are carried forth in The Test of Adultery from Numbers 5. Eating dust, jeopardized delivery, liquid, adverse bread, a curse—each finds its way into the Numbers 5 ritual.

Exodus 32 also provides background for the ritual in Numbers 5. In Exodus 32, adulterous overtones are at play. Like a husband forming a covenant with his bride, God is in the midst of forming a covenant with Israel atop Sinai. The text explains, however, that Israel is erecting the Golden Calf—“…[rising] up to play (shq)…” This word for “play” is derived from the word used to describe Abimelech seeing Isaac “laughing” (shq) with Rebekah—exposing Isaac’s lie that she was his sister (Exo 32:6; Gen 26:8). Very likely, then, Israel was involved in some sort of sexually reckless behavior at the Golden Calf. Further, the people are later described as breaking “loose” (para), utilizing the same terminology as the woman “unbinding” (para) her hair in The Test of Adultery (Exo 32:25; Num 5:18 ESV). Additionally, there was a meal, “…the people sat down to eat and drink…” (Exo 32:6 ESV). As with the Serpent in Genesis 3, there are sexual overtones, loosed behavior, eating, with an Alternate in place of God (Exo 32:6). Adultery is afoot.

Moses’ response to Israel’s spiritual adultery (like God’s in Genesis 3) contains several aspects which will surface in The Test of Adultery of Numbers 5. First, after burning the calf, he grinds what would most likely have been the gold used for construction of the holiest items of the Tabernacle to dust and mixes it with water. In Deuteronomy, Moses explains the incident, “…I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust (apar) of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain” (Deu 9:21 ESV). Second, this also appears to have happened near where Moses had broken the tablets of the Ten Words, reminding the reader of the words of the written oath/curse being washed into “…the waters of bitterness” (see Exo 32:19-20; Num 5:23 ESV).¹ Third, he made them drink the water mixed with the dust, “He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it” (Exo 32:20 ESV). This, of course, carries immediate congruity with The Test of Adultery. Fourth, like the woman caught in adultery, those who committed spiritual adultery against the Lord with the golden calf suffered in ill-fate according to the will of God—either by sword or plague (Exo 32:27-28, 35). Sexually reckless behavior, unbinding taking place (behavior or hair), dust mixed with water being drunk, the law’s written presence, an ill-fate concluding the ritual—all finding their way into the Test of Adultery.

Significantly, these antecedents provide a background which makes better sense of The Test of Adultery. Rather than a random witchcraft-like ritual, it is a clear application of the punishment for spiritual adultery of Genesis 3 and Exodus 32 applied to bodily adultery. Elements from each narrative unite in Numbers 5.

As to why the woman in particular is singled out for The Test, the above narratives provide the most suitable answer: Israel is pictured as the “bride” of God. As such, the astute Israelite would catch the greater import and essence of the ritual. Far beyond a mere test for a suspecting husband to perform upon his wife (though it was that), the test was more profoundly meant to remind Israel of her bridal status before God.² The purity and fidelity of the nation before God was a necessity for their procurement of the Land. This matches the narrative framework of Numbers. This was the Test’s primary spiritual import.³

A Look Forward

Later in the prophets, after Israel played the harlot, God commands Isaiah to write down Israel’s offenses on a “tablet”, to “…inscribe it in a book,” picking up imagery from both Sinai’s tablets and the ritual’s written oath. They are the adulterous bride. Yet, in God’s mercy He will be gracious to them.

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as He hears it, He answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!” (Isa 30:18-22 ESV).

Though both the “bread of adversity” and “water of affliction” (each called to mind in the Test of Adultery) will be received by Israel—He will be gracious. In fact, they will see Him—and He will cleanse them.

Having come to better understand the context out of which the ritual arose, the reader is now poised to behold The Test of Adultery beautifully fulfilled in Christ. The Gospel of Luke begins by introducing both John the Baptist and Jesus. However, as climactic as these introductions are, both John and Jesus are ill-received. Zechariah fumbles the reception of John’s arrival (Luke 1:20), Mary and Joseph are put out at Jesus’ lingering in the Temple (Luke 2:48), the inhabitants of Nazareth attempt to throw Jesus off a cliff for not preaching what they wanted to hear (Luke 4:29), Jesus’ Disciples are criticized for their lack of fasting (Luke 5:33-39), and even John the Baptist comes to question the true nature of Jesus (Luke 7:18-20). John has been “…the friend of the bridegroom…”, gladly stepping out of the way to announce the Groom’s arrival (John 3:28-30). Yet, Luke records the hesitancy with which both the friend of the Groom, and the Groom had been received. In response, Jesus speaks to Israel as a whole, criticizing them for their ill-reception of both He and John (Luke 7:24-35). Israel is an adulterous bride—unfamiliar with the ways of her true Husband. It’s out of this context where the passages of Genesis 3, Exodus 32, Numbers 5, and Isaiah 30 find ultimate resolution.

Luke 7:36-50 presents a meeting point between a truly sexually deviant woman and Christ—offering a scene decorated with numerous props from the conflated passages leading to Numbers 5. Simon, a Pharisee, is hosting a meal for Jesus, while “…a woman of the city, who was a sinner…” interrupts the occasion with repentance before Christ (Luke 7:37 ESV). Consider the similarities between this scene and that of Numbers 5, each includes:

1. A sexually deviant woman (Num 5:12; Luke 7:37, 39)
2. An earthenware vessel (Num 5:17; Luke 7:37)
3. Food (Num 5:15; Luke 7:36)
4. Hair let down (Num 5:18; Luke 7:44)
5. Dust from God’s dwelling place (Num 5:17; Luke 7:38, 44)
6. Water/dust touching a woman’s mouth (Num 5:24, 27; Luke 7:38, 44)
7. A suspecting man present (Num 5:11-15; Luke 7:39)
8. A judgment pronounced upon the woman (Num 5:27-28; Luke 7:48-50)
9. A judgment made by God (Num 5:27-28; Luke 7:48-50)
10. A judgment that was public (Num 5:15, 27; Luke 7:37)

Why might Luke have told his story through the lens of the Numbers 5 account? The unclean woman is suggestive of Israel’s unfaithfulness as a Bride. If they repent as she did, they will be made whole and fruitful. If they refuse (like Simon), they will remain barren. The irony is rich within the passage. Simon, like a suspecting husband proved wrong, is shamefaced as the woman before him is pronounced clean (by virtue of Christ’s word spoken)—while Simon is proved lacking (Luke 7:44-46; Num 5:31). It’s he, in fact, that is the persistently adulterous one—in his delayed reception of Christ.

The sweeping arc of these interwoven texts leaves one reeling with the beauty and majesty of God. A startling ritual such as Numbers 5, puzzling at first, turns to be deeply revealing of Humanity’s adulterous hearts as a whole—at work from nearly the beginning of Creation. Even more revealing, however, is the magisterial fulfillment of the ritual in Christ. In Christ, God proves to be one who, “As soon as He hears [the sound of your cry], He answers…” (Isa 30:19). His answer comes in the form of Jesus’ arrival, “…your eyes shall see your Teacher” (Isa 30:20). Jesus, in turn, received the judgment of Number’s ritual—“barrenness” in the form of death, leaving no offspring of His own (bearing the penalty of the adulterous woman)—in order that she, in turn, might become a radiant bride (see Eph 5:25-27).  

Ben Lovelady (M.A., MTS) serves as a pastor in northwestern Illinois, where he and his wife live with their six children.

1. I learned this detail from Alastair Roberts on the Theopolis App. Numbers: Biblical Reflections, Episode: Numbers 5, Alastair Roberts ↩︎
2. Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22, mince no words on giving preference to either the man or the woman caught in adultery—it was to be a capital punishment for each. However, The Test of Adultery seems to have left room for forgiveness if the crime had not been witnessed (see Num 5:13). A path apart from being put to death. While judgment befalls, leaving the woman barren, she is yet able to continue living. Seen in this light, as agonizing as the ritual may seem at first blush, it may in fact have been a great divine mercy, concerning the alternative of certain death. ↩︎
3. R. David Fohrman sees the Flood Narrative also present in this ritual: 1) a sexual union of which the Lord does not approve (Gen 6:1-3) 2) The “blotting out” (mhh) of Gen 6:7 mirroring the “blotting” (mhh) of the oath into the drink of Num 5:23 3) A “wind/spirit” (rwh) blowing over the waters after judgment as a “wind/spirit” (rwh) aroused jealousy within the man initiating the Test in Num 5:14 4) Water in each pericope being the agent of the judgment (Gen 6:17) 5) An innocent/vindicated man being left after the judgment (Gen 6:9, 18) 6) Fruitfulness to follow (Gen 9:1) [cited from Theopolis. Numbers: Biblical Reflections, Episode: Numbers 5, Alastair Roberts].
   
   Additionally, Israel’s passage from Egypt to the cusp of the Promised Land may be seen in light of this ritual, as well. After liberation beyond the Sea, their first two experiences by which God tries them are with “bitter” (mar) water and bread of testing (Exo 15:22-23 [Num 5:18-19, 23-24]; 16:4). ↩︎