Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 5:14

And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

Verse 14. The spirit of jealousy] ruach kinah, either a supernatural diabolic influence, exciting him to jealousy, or the passion or affection of jealousy, for so the words may be understood.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The spirit of jealousy, i.e. a strong opinion or suggestion or inward motion of that kind, whether from a good or evil spirit. Thus we read of the spirit of wisdom, Isa 11:2, of perverseness, Isa 19:14, of fornication, Hos 4:12, of fear, 2Ti 1:7, of slumber, Rom 11:8.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And the spirit of jealousy come upon him,…. A thought rises up in his mind, a strong suspicion works in him, which he cannot resist and throw off, but it remains with him, and makes him very uneasy, that his wife has defiled his bed, as it follows:

and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled; that his wife is defiled by a man; and which is the real case, as it afterwards appears, though at present he is not certain, only has a suspicion of it:

or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled; it is mere jealousy and suspicion, without any foundation for it; and his wife proved a chaste and virtuous woman; yet be it which it would, he being jealous, the following law was to take place, and the following rules to be observed.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Spirit of Jealousy Comes On the Man Whether She Is Defiled or Not ( Num 5:14 )

Num 5:14

“ And the spirit of jealousy come on him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled, or if the spirit of jealousy come on him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled,”

What if there were suspicion that it had happened? It must be borne in mind that this is not written just in order to cater to the suspicions of jealous husbands. The point here is that the husband has a genuine suspicion that the camp of Israel has been defiled. And he is therefore right to be concerned about it because he is aware that Yahweh dwells in the camp and will be aware of it. He is jealous not for himself but for the honour of Yahweh.

It is, however, fairly pointed out by this passage that his suspicions are not to be taken as proof of guilt. It is recognised that they may arise whether the woman was guilty or not. The woman is not to be prejudged. But it is also recognised that ‘the spirit of jealousy’, the sense that the man has that there has been a capital crime which has defiled the camp and shamed him, is something that must be dealt with for everyone’s sake, not least the suspected woman whose life could become impossible. The ‘spirit of jealousy’ does not just refer to a man ‘feeling suspicious and jealous’. It signifies a spirit of deep concern that a sin against Yahweh had been committed which was grievous to Him. It was expressing a concern for the maintenance of the purity of Yahweh’s camp because of what Yahweh is. Yahweh is jealous for righteousness, it says, and we must share in His jealousy.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Num 5:14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

Ver. 14. And the spirit of jealousy come upon him. ] In the baths at Upper Baden in Helvetia, cernunt viri uxores tractari, cernunt cum alienis loqui, et quidem solam cum solo, saith Munster, and yet are not jealous. But the Italians are so jealous, that how many husbands, so many jailers. And the Turks as far exceed the Italians herein, as the Italians do us. Therefore their women go muffled, all but the eyes: nor are they suffered to go to church, or so much as look out at their own windows. a In Barbary it is death for any man to see one of the Shereef’s concubines: and for them too, if, when they see a man, though but through a casement, they do not suddenly scream out.

a Blunt’s Voyage into Levant.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)