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UTN uW Translation Notes:

Numbers 19 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

2. In the wilderness (10:11–19:22) * Red cow offering for people who have become impure because of a dead body (19:1–22)The first part of this chapter contains instructions on how to sacrifice and burn a red cow to create ashes for cleansing people (verses 1–10). The second part of this chapter explains how people become unclean because of dead bodies and how the Israelites must use the ashes to cleanse those unclean people (verses 11–22).

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Impurity from dead bodies

This chapter explains how dead bodies, including a burial site or even a bone from a body, make people impure. This impurity must be removed quickly. If people come in direct contact with a dead body, they must participate in this specific ritual twice over seven days. Even the person who helps them become pure is unclean until that evening. This chapter indicates how dangerous this kind of impurity is and how the Israelites must remove it.

Defiling the sacred tent

Because impurity from a dead body is so dangerous, Yahweh requires every Israelite who becomes impure in this way to cleanse themselves immediately. If anyone does not do this, their impurity makes the sacred tent impure, even if they do not visit the sacred tent. Making the sacred tent impure is a very serious crime that Yahweh will punish.

Priest or clean person

This chapter requires a priest to preside when someone burns the cow to create ashes. However, any clean person can apply the water and ashes to the people who are impure. It does not have to be a priest. In fact, because that clean person becomes unclean when he or she applies the water and ashes, it probably would not have been a priest.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Being “cut off” from the people

The punishment for failing to purify oneself from impurity caused by a dead body was being “cut off” from the rest of the Israelites. Scholars are unsure exactly what penalty this phrase implies. It could refer to death by execution. It could refer to punishment from Yahweh in a way of his choice. It could refer to expulsion from the Israelite community. The UST and notes follow this last option. If possible, use a word or phrase that could be understood in several of these ways. If you must specify, it is recommended that you follow the UST and notes.

Parallel NUM 19:0