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11 Water of Purification.“ ‘Whoever touches a person’s dead body will be unclean for seven days. 12 He will purify himself with the water on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be clean; but if he does not cleanse himself on the third day, then he will not be clean on the seventh day. 13 Whoever touches a dead body, the body of someone who died and then does not purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He will be unclean because the water of purification was not sprinkled upon him; he will be unclean.

14 “ ‘This is the law for when a man dies inside of a tent. Everyone who comes inside the tent and everything that is in the tent will be unclean for seven days. 15 Every open uncovered container will be unclean. 16 Anyone who is out in the open fields and touches someone who has been killed with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a person, or a grave, that person will be unclean for seven days.

17 [a]“ ‘For the unclean, take the ashes from the burnt purification from sin and put them into a vessel and pour fresh water over them. 18 Then a person who is clean will dip hyssop into the water and sprinkle it upon the tent and upon its belongings and upon all the people who were there, upon anyone who touched a bone, or a person who was killed, or a dead body, or a grave. 19 The clean person will sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. On the seventh day he will purify himself. He will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and then he will be clean in the evening.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 19:17 Throughout history water has been used for cleansing in religious ceremonies. Here is a detailed account of water being used in a cleansing ritual to purify persons who have come into contact with dead bodies. In the New Testament (Heb 9:13-14), the cleansing power of the blood of Christ is the ultimate means of being made clean.

11 “Whoever touches a human corpse(A) will be unclean for seven days.(B) 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;(C) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.(D) 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,(E) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.(F) They must be cut off from Israel.(G) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;(H) their uncleanness remains on them.

14 “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15 and every open container(I) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,(J) or anyone who touches a human bone(K) or a grave,(L) will be unclean for seven days.(M)

17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes(N) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water(O) over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,(P) dip it in the water and sprinkle(Q) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave(R) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle(S) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.(T) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes(U) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean.

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