Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 19:12
He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.
12. therewith ] with the ‘water of impurity.’
It is clear that the writer of Num 19:19 understood the sprinkling to have been performed twice. But in this verse, according to R.V. , it is performed only on the third day. R.V. marg. is probably, therefore, to be preferred in both its renderings; and the verse means that the polluted man must purify himself on the third day and the seventh day; he shall be clean in that case, but not otherwise.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 12. He shall purify himself with it] yithchatta bo, literally, he shall sin himself with it. This Hebrew form of speech is common enough among us in other matters. Thus to fleece, to bark, and to skin, do not signify to add a fleece, another bark, or a skin, but to take one away; therefore, to sin himself, in the Hebrew idiom, is not to add sin, but to take it away, to purify. The verb chata signifies to miss the mark, to sin, to purify from sin, and to make a sin-offering. See Clarke on Ge 13:13.
THE Hebrews generally sacrificed males, no matter of what colour; but here a heifer, and a heifer of a red colour, is ordered. The reason of these circumstances is not very well known.
“The rabbins, with all their boldness,” says Calmet, “who stick at nothing when it is necessary to explain what they do not understand, declare that the cause of this law is entirely unknown; and that Solomon, with all his wisdom, could not find it out.”
Several fathers, as well modern as ancient, profess to understand the whole clearly.
1. The red heifer with them signifies the flesh of our Lord, formed out of an earthly substance.
2. Being without spot, c., the infinite holiness of Christ.
3. The sex of the animal, the infirmity of our flesh, with which he clothed himself.
4. The red colour, his passion.
5. Being unyoked, his being righteous in all his conduct, and never under the yoke of sin.
6. Eleazar’s sacrificing the heifer instead of Aaron, Nu 19:3, signifies the change of the priesthood from the family of Aaron, in order that a new and more perfect priesthood might take place.
7. The red heifer being taken without the camp (Nu 19:3) to be slain, points out the crucifixion of our Lord without the city.
8. The complete consuming of the heifer by fire, the complete offering of the whole body and soul of Christ as a sacrifice to God for the sin of man: for as the heifer was without blemish, the whole might be offered to God and as Christ was immaculate, his whole body and soul were made a sacrifice for sin.
9. As the fire of this sacrifice ascended up to God, so it points out the resurrection and ascension of our blessed Lord.
10. And as the ashes of this victim communicated a legal purity to those who were defiled, so true repentance, signified by those ashes, is necessary for the expiation of the offences committed after baptism. A great part of this is true in itself; but how little evidence is there that all these things were intended in the ordinance of the red heifer? See Clarke on Nu 8:7.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
With it, i.e. with the water of separation.
On the third day, to typify Christs resurrection on that day, by which we are cleansed or sanctified.
On the seventh day he shall be clean, to teach us that our purification in this life is gradual, and not perfect till we come to that eternal sabbath, which the seventh day respected.
He shall not be clean; but was first to purify himself, and four days after that to be clean.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. He shall purify himself . . .the third dayThe necessity of applying the water on the thirdday is inexplicable on any natural or moral ground; and, therefore,the regulation has been generally supposed to have had a typicalreference to the resurrection, on that day, of Christ, by whom Hispeople are sanctified; while the process of ceremonial purificationbeing extended over seven days, was intended to show thatsanctification is progressive and incomplete till the arrival of theeternal Sabbath. Every one knowingly and presumptuously neglecting tohave himself sprinkled with this water was guilty of an offense whichwas punished by excommunication.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He shall purify himself with it,…. That is, with the ashes of the water of purification made of them: and this was to be done first
on the third day; from the time of his touching the dead body. Aben Ezra intimates, that there is a secret or mystery in this and the following number seven; it may respect the third day of Christ’s resurrection, who, as he shed his blood for the expiation and purification of sinners, so he rose again the third day for the justification of them:
and on the seventh day he shall be clean; which may denote the perfect state, or sabbath of rest, which remains for the people of God, when all Christ’s purified and justified ones shall be clear of all sin, and be the spirits of just men made perfect:
but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean; whoever is not cleansed from his sins by the blood of Christ, shed for the remission of them, and is not justified from them by him that rose from the dead the third day, will never be cleansed in the world to come, or in the eternal sabbath; but it will then be said, “let him that is filthy be filthy still”, Re 22:11.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) He shall purify himself . . . The verse may be rendered thus: He shall purify himself with it on the third day and on the seventh day; so shall he be clean; but if he purify not himself on the third day and on the seventh day, then he shall not be clean: so the LXX. and Vulg. (See Num. 19:19.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. The third the seventh day The selection of these days was determined by the significance of the numbers themselves. The other numbers for which there is a partiality in Levitical symbolry are four, twelve, forty, and seventy. See Lev 4:6, note.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Num 19:12. On the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean See Num 19:19. Hence it appears, that this water of separation was designed chiefly for the purging of that great impurity contracted by touching a dead body.We may also infer from this, that these ashes were kept in all the cities of Judea, where every person might easily have them to put into water, and be sprinkled with it, as they had occasion; for no priest was required to make this purification; but any clean person might sprinkle with it, Num 19:18-19.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
third . . . seventh. Compare the Antitype. Heb 9:14. The numbers significant. See App-10.
the = on the.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
He shall purify: Yithchatta, literally, “he shall sin himself,” i.e., not add sin, but take it away, purify. So we say to fleece, and to skin, which do not signify to add a fleece, or a skin, but to take one away. Num 19:17, Num 19:18, Psa 51:7, Eze 36:25, Act 15:9, Rev 7:14
third day: Num 31:19, Exo 19:11, Exo 19:15, Lev 7:17, Hos 6:2, 1Co 15:3, 1Co 15:4
Reciprocal: Gen 22:4 – third Lev 8:33 – seven days Lev 8:35 – the tabernacle Lev 15:13 – seven days Num 8:21 – were purified Num 19:19 – on the seventh day he Joh 13:10 – He Heb 9:13 – the purifying
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 19:12. He shall purify himself with it With the water of separation. On the third day To typify Christs resurrection on that day, by which we are cleansed or sanctified.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:12 He shall purify himself {f} with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.
(f) With the sprinkling of water.