Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 30
EXERCITAT. XXX. How the woman ſuſpected of adultery, was tryed by her jealous Husband. A ceremoniall appendix of Command. 7.
Num. 5.12. If any mans wife goe aſide, and commit a treſpaſſe againſt him, and a man lie with her carnally, and it be clept cloſe, &c.
The manner how the woman ſuſpected of adultery was tryed.THe Lord bearing with the infirmity of the jealous Iewes, ſetteth downe this tryall, that the woman who was ſuſpected of adultery, ſhould be tryed after this manner. The husband brought her before the Prieſt, and the Prieſt brought her before the Lord, and he charged her with an oath, that ſhe ſhould confeſſe, if ſhe were guilty; then he tooke holy water, and mixed it with the duſt of the Sanctuary, and ſet it before her, and ſaid; The Lord make thee a curſe and an oath among thy people, when he maketh thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to ſwell: and after that ſhe had drunke the bitter water, if ſhe was guilty, then this curſe lighted upon her; but if ſhe was not guilty, then ſhe was free and conceived ſeed.
The Veile upon the womans head, a token of ſubjection.Firſt, when her husband ſuſpected her, he brought her before the Prieſt, and her head was uncovered: her Veile was a token of ſubjection to her husband, and therefore ſhe ſtood bareheaded, as not being under her husband, for ſo is the Scripture phraſe, Rom. 7.2.
The Prieſt wrote theſe curſes in a booke,The Prieſt wrote the curſes in a booke. and then blotted them out with the bitter water, Thou writeſt bitter things againſt me, Iob. 13.26. This was a bitter writing that was written againſt the woman, and ſhee was to drink it in water, even as the Iſraelites dranke the golden Calfe, being beaten to powder, which was their bitter ſinne.
She dranke the bitter waters here,Why the woman was made to drinke the bitter waters. Becauſe ſtollen waters were ſweet to her, Prov. 9.17. Sinne is ſweet in the beginning, but ſowre in the end, and chiefely this ſinne of adultery, The lippes of the whore drop as an honey combe, and her mouth is ſmoother than oyle, but her end is bitter as wormewood, Prov. 5.4. Againe, ſhe dranke theſe waters out of an earthen veſſel,Why ſhe dranke in an earthen veſſell. becauſe ſhe dranke wine before in a golden Cup of whoredomes. Laſtly, ſhe dranke the waters that were mixed with the duſt,Why mixed with the duſt of the Sanctuary. in the floore of the Tabernacle, becauſe ſhe deſpiſed the Tabernacle of the Lord, therefore now ſhe hath no part of it, but onelyonly the Serpents portion, to drinke the duſt of it.
Her thigh did rot if ſhe was guilty;That part of the body wherewithall a man ſinneth, is commonly puniſhed. the part of the body whereby a man ſinneth, that is puniſhed commonly. As Abſolom was puniſhed by his haire. Zimri and Cosbi ſtricken through the belly, and here the adultrous womans thigh rotteth, and her belly ſwelleth; and David alludeth to this curſe, Pſal. 109.18. Let curſing come into his bowels like water.
It is ſtrange to ſee how God beareth ſo much with the man here; Firſt, when he is married,God beareth with man in many things. if he did ſuſpect that he had not married a Virgin, then the tokens of her virginity were to be brought before him. Secōdly, if he agreed not with his wife, he was to give her the bil of divorcement, but ſhe might not give it to him. Thirdly, if he ſuſpected her of adultery, ſhe was to drinke the bitter waters, but not he, if ſhe ſuſpected him.
The woman that was innocent became fruitfull, although before barren.If the woman was innocent, then ſhe incurred no danger by drinking the bitter water, but if ſhe had been barren before, then ſeminabat ſemen, ſhe did give ſeed, it is not rightly tranſlated, ſhe ſhall conceive ſeed.
Queſt. Whether was this her conception (being barren before) a miracle, or not?
Anſ. Whether was this conception of the woman, a miracle.When God, who is the Author of Nature contracteth Nature, or inlargeth it; it is not a miracle, although it be a great worke of God; when God bleſſed the ſeventh yeare, ſo that it brought forth for three yeares, it was a great worke, but it was not a miracle; it was onelyonly an inlarging of Nature.Secundum naturam. Prater naturam. Supra naturam. Contra. naturam. God worketh not contrary to nature. God worketh foreign, but he worketh never, foreign, God worketh foreign, according to Nature, when he maketh a man ſee ordinarily; ſo he worketh foreign, beſides Nature, when he made Stevens eye to ſee to the third Heaven, Act. 7. But when he made the blind to ſee, this was foreign. When a yong woman conceiveth and beareth a child, this is according to Nature; but when Sarah bare a ſonne, After that it ceaſed to be with her after the manner of women, Gen. 18.11. This was foreign, beſides nature; but when the Virgin Mary bare a ſonne, this was foreign, above Nature.
The Lord reſerveth foure keyes to himſelfe.She ſhall bring forth children, the Lord is he that giveth children to the barren, Ier 31.27. I will ſowe the houſe of Iuda, and the houſe of Iſrael with the ſeed of men. The paraphraſt of Ieruſalem, in Gen. 30.4. ſetteth downe foure keyes, the firſt is, clavis foecunditatis ad aperiendum, the key of fertility to open the wombe, and ſterilitatis ad oceludendum, of barrenneſſe to ſhut the wombe, Gen. 30.22. God remembred Rahel, and opened her wombe. Secondly, clavis pluviae, Deu. 28.12. The Lord ſhall open unto thee his good treaſures, the heavens to give raine unto the Land in due ſeaſon. The third is, clavis cibationis, the key of feeding, Pſal. 145. Thou openeſt thine hand, and ſatisfieſt the deſire of every living thing. And the fourth is, clavis ſepulchre the key of the grave, Ezek. 37.12. And I ſhall open your graves.
She ſhall give ſeed,The woman giveth ſeed in generation. the woman giveth ſeed in the generation as well as the man; it ſhould not be tranſlated, Si ſemen conceperit aut ſuſceperit, for that is contrary to the nature of the Active conjugation hiphil, and it is oftentimes ſpoken in the Scriptures of trees and herbes, ſementare ſemen, which cannot be tranſlated ſuſcipere ſemen…. So Heb. 11.11. Sarah received ſtrength, foreign quid.foreign, is not ſuſceptio ſed jactus, or the caſting out of the ſeed; as when the Husbandman caſteth the ſeed into the ground that is, foreign, the caſting out of the ſeed. The Syriacke paraphraſe doth not paraphraſe it rightly, ut ſuſceperit aut conceperit ſemen, that ſhe might conceive ſeed.
The Anabaptiſte deny that Ieſus Chriſt tooke fleſh of the Virgin Mary but that he paſſed through her,The errour of the Anabaptiſts. as water doth the row a golden Pipe; and their chiefe reaſon is, becauſe as they ſay, Women give no ſeed in generation, but this Text ſheweth the contrary. So Levit. 1….2. And if Chriſt had not taken fleſh of the Virgin Mary, he had never been our Goel, but as our neere kinſeman, he has redeemed us from eternall damnation.
Laſtly obſerve,The Word of God like the bitter water. as this bitter water made the guilty womans thigh to rot, ſo it maketh her that is innocent to conceive. So the Word of God, which is the ſavour of death unto death to the wicked, is the ſavour of life unto life to the godly.
The concluſion of this is, Concluſion. God findeth out & puniſheth all ſinne, but eſpecially adultery, He will …uagerwomen that breake wedlocke, Ezek. …6.28. And he ſhall be a ſwift witneſſe againſt adulterers, Mal. 3.5.