Preface:    Numbers 19 is about the red heifer sacrifice and the cleansing of anyone who has had some sort of contact with the dead.

The Bible Summary of Numbers 19 (in 140 characters or less): Burn a heifer outside the camp for the water of cleansing. Anyone who is unclean and does not cleanse themselves shall be cut off.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Numbers. By the third draft, this should be the most extensive examination of Numbers 19, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 19:

Introduction

         vv.     1–

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Sanitary Practices (from Bible Evidences)

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Numbers 19 (by various commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Numbers 19 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Numbers 19

         Introduction         The Prequel of Numbers 19

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Principals of Numbers 19

         Introduction         The Places of Numbers 19

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         Timeline for Numbers 19

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Numbers 19

         Introduction         Outlines of Numbers 19 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Numbers 19 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Numbers 1–15)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions (for Numbers 19)

         Introduction 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       3              Parallels Between Jesus Christ and the Red Heifer (Google AI)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       6              Hyssop in the Bible (Google AI)

         v.       6              The Red Heifer (a chart)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      10              The Red Heifer Sacrifice (Google AI)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      13              Germs, Labor Fever, and Biblical Sanitation (by Karl Butt)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      18              The Hyssop Plant (a photograph)

         v. 

         v.      19              The Water of Purification (by Karl Butt)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Numbers 19 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Numbers 19

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Numbers 19

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Numbers 19

         Summary 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Numbers 19

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Numbers 19

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Numbers 19

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Numbers 19

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An Introduction to Numbers 19

I ntroduction: What if there were just one sacrifice, one perfect sacrifice that would pay for the sins of all mankind? Numbers 19 suggests that such a sacrifice exists (or will exist), and red heifer offering in this chapter is representative of that one sacrifice.

The first ten verses of Numbers 19 deal with the red heifer sacrifice, which appears to be a one-time sacrifice. It is not entirely clear to me the purpose of this sacrifice. It is performed primarily by Aaron and his son Eleazar, and Eleazar will assume the duties of the High Priest in the next chapter. Whether this is the connection, I don’t know for certain. In the second half of Numbers 19, we find the reintroduction of laws concerning what is clean and what is not. As we have seen, it is of monumental importance to differentiate between the clean and the unclean. Religion does not do that today—they gloss over the perfection and righteousness of God to where God is a namby-pamby God Who will take anyone who exerts some effort to be good once and awhile.

Timeline for Numbers

There is very little narrative in the book of Numbers; so this information may have been given to Moses in a few days or, at most, a few weeks; and Moses both wrote these things down and informed the people. Because of information previously studied in the introduction, we are not 100% certain if all of this material was given to Moses while in the newly erected Tabernacle. I would lean towards that being the case.

As I have done previously, since this chapters is what God is saying to Moses, I will begin and end the chapter with quotation marks. I will not insert a new set of quotation marks for each new paragraph.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The comparisons which I do are primarily between the English translations which are taken from the ancient tongues. For the most part, the variances are so minor that I rarely investigate them any further than that.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_Numbers.html and first published in 1862.

Occasionally, there is an obvious error in the English translation, and I correct those without additional mention or footnoting. For instance, the online version of the Targum of Onkelos which I use has gorund in Ex. 4:9; I simply corrected the text. This may occur once or twice in a chapter.

I attempt to include translations which are different in their vocabulary and phrasing. On many occasions, I may include a translation which is not substantially different than another listed translation.

Most of the translations can be found here.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so speaks Y^ehowah unto Moses and unto Aaron, to say, “Here a statute of the Torah which has commanded Y^ehowah, to say, ‘Speak unto sons of Israel, and they will take unto you an heifer of red complete, that not in her a blemish, that has not gone up upon her a yoke. And you have given her unto Eleazar the priest and he has caused her to go out unto from outside to the camp and he has slaughtered her to his faces.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (Onkelos)                  . Translation for Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. (1862).

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

This is the observance of the victim, which the Lord hath ordained. Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee a red cow of full age, in which there is no blemish, and which hath not carried the yoke:

And you shall deliver her to Eleazar the priest, who shall bring her forth without the camp, and shall immolate her in the sight of all:...

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Mar-Yah spoke to Mosha and to Aaron, saying,

"This is the statute of the law which Mar-Yah has commanded: Speak to the B'nai Yisrael, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no blemish, and on which never came yoke.

You shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her forth outside of the camp, and one shall kill her before his face:...

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying

This [is] the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein [is] no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:

And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and [one] shall slay her before his face:...

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

This is the constitution of the law, as the Lord has commanded, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, and let them take for you a red heifer without spot, which has no spot on her, and on which no yoke has been put.

And you shall give her to Eleazar the priest; and they shall bring her out of the camp into a clean place, and shall kill her before his face.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 

This is the rule of the law which the Lord has made, saying, Give orders to the children of Israel to give you a red cow without any mark on her, and on which the yoke has never been put: 

Give her to Eleazar the priest and let him take her outside the tent-circle and have her put to death before him.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, "These are the laws from the teachings that the LORD gave to the Israelites. Get a red cow that has nothing wrong with it. That cow must not have any bruises. And it must never have worn a yoke. Give that cow to Eleazar, and he will take it outside the camp and kill it there.

God’s Word™                         The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is what the LORD'S teachings have commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red cow that is perfect, with no defects. Also, it must never have worn a yoke. Give it to the priest Eleazar. It must be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.

Good News Bible (TEV)         The LORD commanded Moses and Aaron to give the Israelites the following regulations. Bring to Moses and Aaron a red cow which has no defects and which has never been worked, and they will give it to Eleazar the priest. It is to be taken outside the camp and killed in his presence.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       The LORD gave Moses and Aaron the following law: The people of Israel must bring Moses a reddish-brown cow that has nothing wrong with it and that has never been used for plowing. Moses will give it to Eleazar the priest, then it will be led outside the camp and killed while Eleazar watches.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

UnfoldingWord (Simplified)    Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses, "I am now giving to you another regulation. Tell the Israelite people to bring to you one reddish brown cow that has no defects. It must be an animal that has never been used for plowing ground. Give it to Eleazar the priest. He must take it outside the camp and someone will slaughter it.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Christian Standard Bible        .

Berean Study Bible                . Instruct

Conservapedia                       .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

This is the ordinance of the law which Jehovah has commanded, saying, Speak to the children of Israel that they take to you a red heifer without blemish, in which is no blemish, and upon which never came a yoke;

And you shall give her to Eleazar, the priest, that he may bring her out to the outside of the camp, and kill her before his face;...

International Standard V        The Red Heifer

The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the law that the Lord commanded that the Israelis be told: They are to bring you a spotless red heifer, without physical defect, that has never been fitted with a yoke. They are to deliver it to Eleazar the priest, and it is to be brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Word Literal Text   Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, "This is a statute, a law which I am commanding you: Say to the people of Israel that they must bring to you a red heifer without flaw or blemish, and which has never carried a yoke. Give the heifer to Eleazar the priest. He must bring it outside the camp, and someone must kill it in front of him.

Urim-Thummim Version         YHWH spoke to Moses and Aaron saying, This is a statute of the Law that YHWH has commanded saying, Speak to the children of Israel that they bring you a red heifer without spot that has no physical defect, one that was never yoked. And you will give it to Eleazar the priest that he may bring it forth outside the camp and one will slaughter it in his presence.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  The ashes of the red cow

• Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said: “This is a regulation and a law that Yahweh gives to you. Say to the people of Israel that they are to bring you a red cow which has no defects and has never been made to work. You will give it to Eleazar the priest so that it may be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.

• 19.1 The letter to the Hebrews refers specifically to this chapter when it speaks of the sacrifices of the Old Testament which could not really give interior purity to anyone and only prefigured the perfect sacrifice of Christ (see Heb 9:13 and 13:11).

Verses 17-21 deal with water for purification. Many people used water in their religious rituals. Here we see how the Jews used it.

After washing us through baptism, the Church also uses holy water. The Church does not at tribute magical power to it but is aware that visible signs help bring about proper dispositions in us: making the sign of the cross with holy water, attentively and with faith, helps us to set aside our daily preoccupations at the entrance to the church.

New American Bible(2011)    .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989            .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cepher Bible                    AND Yahuah spoke unto El־Mosheh and unto El־Aharon, saying, This is the ordinance of the Torah which Yahuah has commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Yashar’el, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: And ye shall give her unto El`azar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face:...

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Kaplan Translation                 .

The Scriptures–2009              And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying, “This is a law of the Torah which יהוה has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Yisra’ěl, that they bring you a red heifer, a perfect one, in which there is no blemish and on which a yoke has never come.  And you shall give it to El‛azar the priest, and he shall bring it outside the camp, and shall slay it before him.

Tree of Life Version                Adonai spoke to Moses and Aaron saying, This is the statute of the Torah which Adonai commanded saying: Speak to Bnei-Yisrael that they bring to you a flawless red heifer on which there is no blemish and on which has never been a yoke. Give her to Eleazar the kohen. He will take her outside the camp and slaughter her in his presence.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND JESUS SPOKE TO MOSES AND AARON, SAYING,

THIS IS THE CONSTITUTION OF THE LAW, AS JESUS HAS COMMANDED, SAYING, SPEAK TO THE SONS OF ISRAEL, AND LET THEM TAKE FOR YOU A RED HEIFER WITHOUT SPOT, WHICH HAS NO SPOT ON HER, AND ON WHICH NO YOKE HAS BEEN PUT.

AND YOU SHALL GIVE HER TO ELEAZAR THE PRIEST; AND THEY SHALL BRING HER OUT OF THE CAMP INTO A CLEAN PLACE, AND SHALL KILL HER BEFORE HIS FACE.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Sustains To Become was to speak to Moses and Aaron, of the intent of the prescription of the directions, that Sustains To Become is to have laid charge to them, to the intent: Be speaking to the sons of Contends-with-he-mighty even were they to take out a red heifer, consummate and with no defects - is there to have come upon it a yoke? Yous are to have given it to Eleazar, the priest, and he is to have brought it out without the camp, and he is to have slaughtered it being turned before it.

Concordant Literal Version    Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying.

This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has instructed, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel that they should take for you a red, flawless young cow in which there is no blemish, on which no yoke has gone up.

You will give her to Eleazar the priest, and he will bring her forth to outside the camp, and one will slay her before him.

exeGeses companion Bible   THE WATER OF EXCLUSION

And Yah Veh words to Mosheh and to Aharon,

saying,

This is the statute of the torah

Yah Veh misvahed, saying,

Word to the sons of Yisra El,

to bring you an integrious red heifer,

wherein is no blemish

and on which a yoke never ascended:

and give her to El Azar the priest

to bring her forth outside the camp

and slaughter her at his face:...

Orthodox Jewish Bible                                                 CHUKKA

And Hashem spoke unto Moshe and unto Aharon, saying,

This is the chukkat hatorah which Hashem hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, that they bring thee a completely red female cow [that has not produced a calf], wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came ol (yoke):

And ye shall give her unto Eleazar HaKohen, that he may bring her forth outside the machaneh, and one shall slaughter (shachat) her before his face;...

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.                   § 21. The Ashes of the Red Heifer and the Waters of Separation.

Chapter 19.

And Yahweh spake unto Moses and unto Aaronˎ saying:

    ||This|| is the statute of the law, which Yahweh hath commanded, saying,—

Speak unto the sons of Israel—That they bring unto thee a red heiferˎ without defectˎ wherein is no blemish, and whereupon hath come no yoke. Then shall ye give her unto Eleazar the priest, and he shall take her forth unto the outside of the camp, and she shall be slainˎ before him;...

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

International Standard V        .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            Ashes of the Red Heifer

And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

“This is the decree of the law that Yahweh has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the Israelites [Literally “sons/children of Israel”] and let them take to you a red heifer without a physical defect, on which a yoke has not been placed. [Literally “has not gone up”]

And you will give it to Eleazar the priest, and it will be brought [Or “he will bring it out”] out to a place outside the camp, and it will be slaughtered [Or “he will slaughter it”] in his presence.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 The Red Cow

God spoke to Moses and Aaron, telling them that

the following is declared to be the Torah's decree as commanded by God:

Speak to the Israelites and have them bring you a completely red cow, which has no blemish, and which has never had a yoke on it.

Give it to Eleazar the priest, and he shall have it brought outside the camp. It shall then be slaughtered in his presence. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Numbers through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

God spoke...

According to tradition, this was said on 1 Nissan of the second year of the Exodus, the day when the Tabernacle was erected (Gittin 60a,b). It is mentioned now because it was used to purify the people after Miriam's death (Numbers 20:1; Josephus, Antiquities 4:4:6).

completely red

If it has two or more hairs that are not red, it is invalid (Parah 2:5).

cow

At least three years old (Parah 1:1; Yad, Parah Adumah 1:1).

blemish

See Leviticus 22:18-22.

Eleazar the priest

This indicates that it could be made by a common priest (Yoma 42b; Yad, Parah Adumah 1:11; Ramman). According to some, however, it had to be prepared by the segan, the assistant to the High Priest (Rashi; cf. Sifri).

then be slaughtered

By anyone, even a non-priest (Yoma 43b; Rashi; Yad, Pesuley Mukdashin 1:2). Others, however, maintain that it must be slaughtered by a priest (Targum Yonathan; Midrash HaGadol; Adereth Eliahu).

in his presence

This indicates that the supervising priest must be present and attentive (Yoma 42a; Midrash HaGadol).

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible(2011)    .

Updated ASV                         Laws for Purification

And Jehovah spoke to Moses and unto Aaron, saying, “This is the statute of the law which Jehovah has commanded, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which never came yoke. And you shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her forth outside the camp, and he shall slaughter[98] it before his face.

[98] MT Lit “and he (one) shall slaughter it” LXX “and they shall slaughter it”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            Again the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, This is the purification of the law in respect to all the things which the Lord hath enjoined, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and let them bring thee a red heifer, without blemish, which hath no spot in her, and on which there hath never been put a yoke. And thou shalt give her to Eleazar the priest; and they shall lead her out of the camp, to a clean place, and kill her in his presence.

Context Group Version          And YHWH spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, This is the statute of the law which YHWH has commanded, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no blemish, [and] on which never came a yoke. And you (pl) shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her outside the camp, and one shall kill her before his face:...

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, This is the statute of the law which Jehovah has commanded, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no blemish, and upon which a yoke never came. And you* will give her to Eleazar the priest and he will bring her forth outside the camp and she will be killed before his face.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and YHWH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon saying, this is the custom of the teaching which YHWH directed saying, speak to the sons of Yisra'eyl and they will take for you a whole red cow which is without a blemish in her, which a yoke did not go up upon her, and you will give her to Elazar the administrator, and he will bring her out to the outside of the camp, and he will slay her to his face,...

Updated ASV                         .

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young's Updated LT              .

The gist of this passage: 

1-3

Translation: And so Y^ehowah speaks unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,...

God speaks to both Moses and Aaron.

Translation: ...“This [is] an ordinance of the Law which Y^ehowah has commanded, saying,...

This appears to be an ordinance of the Law which was specific to this failed generation of Israel.

Spurgeon: This ordinance was not given to Moses on Mount Sinai, but in the wilderness of Paran, after the people had broken their covenant with God, and were condemned to die. Let me caveat this statement with, this takes place after their failure, but we don’t know how long after. Numbers 15 clearly occurs after Numbers 13–14 (one of Israel’s great failures), but I estimate perhaps ten years later or more. Spurgeon continues: You know that the 90th Psalm — that dolorous dirge which we read at funerals, — called, “a prayer of Moses the man of God.” Well might he write that Psalm, for he lived among a generation of people who were all doomed to die within a short time, and to die in the wilderness. This ordinance was especially appointed to meet the cases of those who were rendered unclean by the frequent deaths which occurred. There was to be a simple and easy way of purification for them; and the teaching of this chapter to us is that, inasmuch as we dwell in a sinful world, there needs to be some simple and ready method of cleansing us, that we may be able to draw near to God.

Translation: ...‘Speak to the sons of Israel...

Moses and Aaron were to speak to the sons of Israel. As discussed before, they probably spoke to the leaders of Israel and these leaders then broke into groups with the people of Israel (likely just the adult males).

Translation: ...and they will bring unto you a red heifer, without deformity,...

A red heifer is going to be sacrificed. This animal is without deformity, indicating that is represents Jesus Christ. The color is mentioned as either representative of man or of blood.

Translation: ...so that [there is] no blemish on it,...

This red heifer has no blemish on it.

Translation: ...so that no yoke has gone up over it.

No yoke has been placed on this heifer.

Whedon: The requirement that the heifer should be one upon which never came yoke harmonized with the ancient usage which deemed an animal which had been used for common purposes improper for sacrifice.

Numbers 19:1–2 And so Y^ehowah speaks unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, “This [is] an ordinance of the Law which Y^ehowah has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and they will bring unto you a red heifer, without deformity, so that [there is] no blemish on it, so that no yoke has gone up over it. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

We are in those thirty-eight silent years. In Numbers 18 we were given a relatively representative incident of rebellion and God's suppression of same. Here, interestingly enough, we suddenly stop dealing with the judgement and thousands dying the sin unto death and look at a particular animal sacrifice.

It has been clearly shown that the perfection of these animals relates to the perfection of the humanity of Jesus Christ. This is further amplified in Leviticus 22:20–25 where having no blemish is further defined. A yoke is a burden and our Lord was unburdened by an old sin nature. In these passages in the Law which require certain sacrifices to be of animals which have not been yoked sacrifice an animal which is set apart to God—an animal which has not had a profane (or common) use. Any animal which had been used to pull a cart or a farming implement would have been profaned, and therefore not a suitable sacrifice to God. The representation is of Jesus Christ, Who had no old sin nature, Who had committed no sin, Who had not been profaned before God the Father, and therefore was suitable for a sacrifice to Him.

A heifer sacrifice—where the heifer, incidentally, had never been yoked—was used later for the expiation of a crime in Deuteronomy 21. Similarly, we stand as criminals before God. It is the sacrifice of our Lord which expiates our criminal behavior, insofar as we have disobeyed His Laws.

Translation: And you have given it to Eleazar the priest...

Eleazar, Aaron’s third son (the first two died the sin unto death) was taking over Aaron's place as high priest, little by little.

Translation: ...and he has caused it to go outside the camp...

The cow was brought outside the camp. When Jesus was put on the cross, this was in Jerusalem, but not in the city proper. Also, it was now under the control of the Romans, even though most of the inhabitants were Jews. Jesus was put on the cross by the Roman soldiers. This is also analogous be being outside of the camp of the Hebrew people.

Translation: ...and he has slaughtered it in front of him. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Eleazar, as a priest, slaughtered this animal (or oversaw the slaughtering of the animal).

Numbers 19:3 And you have given it to Eleazar the priest and he has caused it to go outside the camp and he has slaughtered it in front of him. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

You well understand that every sacrifice is a symbol for Jesus Christ, so why is this heifer taken outside the camp? Jesus was seized by his own countrymen, the Scribes and priests as led by Judas, but he was not executed by the Jews, as this was a capital offense—but taken outside the camp to be tried and executed by the Romans. There would be so much pressure from the Jews for His execution that it becomes politically the expedient thing to do. The bull of the sin offering of Leviticus 4 was also taken outside the camp (Leviticus 4:12, 21).

Numbers 19:1–3 And so Y^ehowah speaks unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, “This [is] an ordinance of the Law which Y^ehowah has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and they will bring unto you a red heifer, without deformity, so that [there is] no blemish on it, so that no yoke has gone up over it. And you have given it to Eleazar the priest and he has caused it to go outside the camp and he has slaughtered it in front of him. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Dr. Peter Pett: Here was one full of life and without imperfection, brought to the priest. But she was to be brought by the priest outside the camp, for all procedures related to death had to be dealt with there. They must not involve the camp. And there she was to be slain by a member of the congregation of Israel. The sinless life was taken in the shedding of blood, in a life poured out in death, poured out by one whom she represented. Here we have one being the substitute for, and representing, the many. The resulting combined sprinkling, the sprinkling of her shed blood, and then its application through the sprinkling of the water of uncleanness, is indicated in both Isaiah 52:15 and Ezekiel 36:25.

The Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary: The Red Heifer Offering was a model of simplicity, in contrast to the elaborate and expensive ritual of the other offerings made at the Tabernacle. A heifer was the least valuable of all sacrificial cattle. Red was the most common color of cattle. Only three priests were required to officiate: the high priest or his representative to observe, one to slaughter the animal, and another to gather the ashes.

Numbers 19:1–3 Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, “This is an ordinance of the Law which Jehovah has commanding, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and have them bring to you a red heifer, without any blemish or deformity, one which has never had a yoke upon it. You will entrust the heifer to Eleazar the priest and he will take it outside the camp and have it slaughtered in your presence. (Kukis paraphrase)

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And has taken Eleazar the priest from blood of her in a finger of him and he has caused to spurt a front of faces of a tent of appointment from blood of her seven times. And he has consumed (with fire) the heifer to two eyes of him, skin of her and flesh of her and blood of her upon fecal matter of her he will consume (with fire).

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  .

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Aramaic Targum                    .

The Psalms Targum              .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) ...And dipping his finger in her blood, shall sprinkle it over against the door of the tabernacle seven times,

And shall burn her in the sight of all delivering up to the fire her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, and her dung.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        ...and Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle her blood toward the front of the Tabernacle seven times.

One shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:...

Original Aramaic Psalms        .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           ...And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times:

And [one] shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:...

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And Eleazar shall take of her blood, and sprinkle of her blood seven times in front of the tabernacle of witness.

And they shall burn her to ashes before him; and her skin and her flesh and her blood, with her dung, shall be consumed.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Then let Eleazar the priest take some of her blood on his finger, shaking the blood seven times in the direction of the front of the Tent of meeting: 

And the cow is to be burned before him, her skin and her flesh and her blood and her waste are to be burned:...

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Then Eleazar the priest must put some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle some of the blood toward the Holy Tent. He must do this seven times. Then the whole cow must be burned in front of him; the skin, the meat, the blood, and the intestines must all be burned.

God’s Word™                         The priest Eleazar will take some of the blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. Then the entire cow (the skin, meat, blood, and excrement) will be burned while he watches.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then Eleazar is to take some of its blood and with his finger sprinkle it seven times in the direction of the Tent. The whole animal, including skin, meat, blood, and intestines, is to be burned in the presence of the priest.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       He will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times in the direction of the sacred tent. Then the whole cow, including its skin, meat, blood, and insides must be burned.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        .

Unfolding Bible Simplified      And Eleazar must dip one of his fingers in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times on the ground near the sacred tent. Then, while Eleazar watches, the cow must be burned completely—its hide, its meat, the rest of its blood, and even its dung.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting.  Then the heifer must be burned in his sight. Its hide, its flesh, and its blood are to be burned, along with its dung.

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood toward the front, the face of the tent of appointed meeting, seven times;

And shall burn the heifer before his eyes; he shall burn her skin, her flesh, and her blood, with her dung;...

International Standard V        “Then Eleazar the priest is to take blood from it with his finger and sprinkle the blood in front of the Tent of Meeting. The entire heifer is to be incinerated in his presence, including its skin, its flesh, its blood, and its dung.

H. C. Leupold                         .

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Bible Literal Text    .

Urim-Thummim Version         Then Eleazar the priest will take of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle of its blood directly before the Tabernacle at the Appointed Place 7 times. And will burn the heifer in his sight, its skin, flesh, and blood with its dung he will burn.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of the cow’s blood on his finger, and sprinkle this blood seven times toward the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The cow shall then be burned in his presence; including hide, flesh, blood, and the intestines too.

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cepher Bible                    . assembly

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Kaplan Translation                 .

The Scriptures–2009              .

Tree of Life Version                Then Eleazar the kohen is to take some of the blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting.

“While watching, he is to burn the heifer, her hide, flesh, blood and refuse.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            . CONSUMED

Awful Scroll Bible                   Eleazar the priest, is to have taken of the blood with his fingers, and is to have sprung of the blood at the front seven times, turned before the tent of the appointed place. The heifer is to have been burned before his eyes, even the hide of its flesh, with its blood and scatterings was it to be burned.

Concordant Literal Version    Eleazar the priest will take some of her blood on his finger and spatter some of her blood seven times ahead toward the face of the tent of appointment.

Then one will burn the young cow before his eyes, her hide and her flesh and her blood. Over her dung shall one burn her.

exeGeses companion Bible   ...and with his finger

El Azar the priest takes of her blood

and sprinkles of her blood

toward the face of the tent of the congregation

seven times:

and he burns the heifer in his eyes

- her skin and her flesh and her blood,

with her dung, he burns:...

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Eleazar HaKohen shall take of her dahm with his finger, and sprinkle of her dahm directly before the Ohel Mo'ed seven times;

And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her hide, and her basar, and her dahm, with her dung, shall he burn;...

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. ...and Eleazar the priest shall take of her bloodˎ with his finger,—and shall sprinkleˎ towards the front of the tent of meetingˎ of her bloodˎ seven times; and the heifer shall be burned up before his eyes,— ||her skinˎ and her fleshˎ and her bloodˎ with her dung|| shall be burned up.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

International Standard V        .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    

Lexham English Bible            .

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 Eleazar the priest shall take the blood with his finger and sprinkle it toward the Communion Tent seven times.

The cow shall then be burned in [Eleazar's] presence. Its skin, flesh, blood and entrails must be burned.

with his finger

Directly from the cow's neck, and therefore, the blood could not be collected in a vessel (Sifri; Yad, Parah Adumah 4:4), but some may dispute this (Raavad on Yad, ibid. 3:2). The priest would therefore collect the blood in his left hand and sprinkle it with his right forefinger (Yad, ibid. 3:2; Sifri).

sprinkle it

From where he is outside the camp (Yad, Parah Adumah 3:2).

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Updated ASV                         And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And the heifer shall be burned[99] in his sight. Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned.[100]

[99] MT Lit “and he (one) shall burn the heifer” LXX “and they shall burn it up”

[100] MT Lit “with her dung he (one) will burn” LXX “with its dung, shall be burned up”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            And Eleazar shall take some of the blood thereof, and shall sprinkle, over against the front of the tabernacle of the testimony, some of the blood thereof seven times. Then they shall burn her in his sight; and when her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, and dung, are burned, the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the midst of the cinders of the heifer. V. 6 is included for context.

Context Group Version          And you (pl) shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her outside the camp, and one shall kill her before his face: and Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle her blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, he shall burn: and the priest shall take cedar-wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Vv. 3 & 6 are included for context.

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  And Eleazar the priest will take of her blood with his finger and sprinkle her blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And the heifer will be burned in his sight: her skin and her flesh and her blood, with her manure, he will burn.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

Owen's Translation                .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and Elazar the administrator will take from her blood with his finger, and he will spatter from her blood seven times in front of the face of the appointed tent, and he will cremate the cow to his eyes, her skin and her flesh and her blood with her dung he will cremate,...

Updated ASV                         .

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             .

The gist of this passage: 

4-5

Translation: And Eleazar the priest has taken from her blood by his finger...

Eleazar takes some of the blood using his finger. The blood is representative of the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.

Translation: ...and he has sprinkled at the front of the Tent of Meeting her blood seven times.

He sprinkles this blood in front of the Tent of Meeting seven times. Seven is often used to represent perfection or completion. The sacrifice of the red heifer represents a one-time sacrifice offered up for Israel (and all mankind), no matter how terrible they are.

The Tent of Meeting often represents the Presence of God, and the offering of Jesus is made in the Presence of God the Father.

Numbers 19:4 And Eleazar the priest has taken from her blood by his finger and he has sprinkled at the front of the Tent of Meeting her blood seven times. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

The tent of meeting represents Jesus Christ and His dwelling in the midst of the Jews—the blood identifies Him with the death of the red heifer. Seven always represents divine perfection. A similar ceremony occurred with the bull of the sin offering in Leviticus 4:6, 17.

Translation: And he has burned (with fire) the heifer before him;...

The fire and burning represent judgment. This represents the judgment for our sins which was laid upon Jesus Christ. This was done in view of Eleazar just as the offering of the Lord was done in the view of the priests of Jerusalem.

Translation: ...he will burn (with fire) her skin and her flesh and her blood [set] upon her fecal matter. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

The entire red heifer is judged. The fecal matter represents our sins and our uncleanness.

Numbers 19:5 And he has burned (with fire) the heifer before him; he will burn (with fire) her skin and her flesh and her blood [set] upon her fecal matter. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

The subject of the verbs and the his modifying eyes are all nonspecific as to who is performing the action of the verb. In this context, it is an helper burning the cow before the eyes of Aaron (see v. 8 below); however, in the future, it will be God the Father burning the cow before the eyes of Israel. Giving this mandate in a nonspecific person allows for its future reference to be specific. Burning always speaks of judgement and our Lord was judged on our behalf.

Numbers 19:4–5 And Eleazar the priest has taken from her blood by his finger and he has sprinkled at the front of the Tent of Meeting her blood seven times. And he has burned (with fire) the heifer before him; he will burn (with fire) her skin and her flesh and her blood [set] upon her fecal matter. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Numbers 19:4–5 Then Eleazar the priest will take some of the heifer’s blood on his finger and he will sprinkle her blood in front of the Tent of Meeting seven times. Then he will burn the heifer with fire in front of him. He will burn its skin, its flesh and its blood; and it sits upon its fecal matter. (Kukis paraphrase)

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts: