Numbers 19 · Verse 2

Numbers 19:2

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:

Numbers 19:2, King James Version

Numbers 19:2 in other translations

BSB	“This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red heifer that has no defect and has never been placed under a yoke.
WEB	“This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded. Tell the children of Israel to bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no defect, and which was never yoked.
ASV	This is the statute of the law which Jehovah 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.
YLT	‘This is a statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the sons of Israel, and they bring unto thee a red cow, a perfect one, in which there is no blemish, on which no yoke hath gone up;
DARBY	This is the statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without blemish, wherein is no defect, and upon which never came yoke;
BBE	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:
Webster	This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, in which is no blemish, and upon which never came a yoke:

What does Numbers 19:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

Nu 19:1-22. The Water of Separation.

2. This is the ordinance of the law--an institution of a peculiar nature ordained by law for the purification of sin, and provided at the public expense because it was for the good of the whole community. Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, &c.--This is the only case in which the color of the victim is specified. It has been supposed the ordinance was designed in opposition to the superstitious notions of the Egyptians. That people never offered a vow but they sacrificed a red bull, the greatest care being taken by their priests in examining whether it possessed the requisite characteristics, and it was an annual offering to Typhon, their evil being. By the choice, both of the sex and the color, provision was made for eradicating from the minds of the Israelites a favorite Egyptian superstition regarding two objects of their animal worship.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 2 Speak unto the children of Israel that they bring thee, etc. - The ordinance of the red heifer was a sacrifice of general application. All the people were to have an interest in it, and therefore the people at large are to provide the sacrifice. This Jewish rite certainly had a reference to things done under the Gospel, as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews has remarked: "For if," says he, "the blood of bulls and of goats," alluding, probably, to the sin-offerings and the scape-goat, "and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God!" Heb 9:13, Heb 9:14. As the principal stress of the allusion here is to the ordinance of the red heifer, we may certainly conclude that it was designed to typify the sacrifice of our blessed Lord. We may remark several curious particulars in this ordinance. 1. A heifer was appointed for a sacrifice, probably, in opposition to the Egyptian superstition which held these sacred, and actually worshipped their great goddess Isis under this form; and this appears the more likely because males in general were preferred for sacrifice, yet here the female is chosen. 2. It was to be a red heifer, because red bulls were sacrificed to appease the evil demon Typhon, worshipped among the Egyptians. See Spencer. 3. The heifer was to be without spot - having no mixture of any other color. Plutarch remarks, De Iside et de Osiride, that if there was a single hair in the animal either white or black, it marred the sacrifice. See Calmet, and see the note on Num 8:7. 4. Without blemish - having no kind of imperfection in her body; the other, probably, applying to the hair or color. 5. On which never came yoke, because any animal which had been used for any common purpose was deemed improper to be offered in sacrifice to God. The heathens, who appear to have borrowed much from the Hebrews, were very scrupulous in this particular. Neither the Greeks nor Romans, nor indeed the Egyptians, would offer an animal in sacrifice that had been employed for agricultural purposes. Of this we have the most positive evidence from Homer, Porphyry, Virgil, and Macrobius. Just such a sacrifice as that prescribed here, does Diomede vow to offer to Pallas - Iliad, lib. x., ver. 291. Ὡς νυν μοι εθελουσα παριστασο, και με φυλασσε· Σοι δ' αυ εγω ῥεξω βουν ηνιν ευρυμετωπον, Αδμητην, ἡν ουπω ὑπο ζυγον ηγαγεν ανηρ· Την τοι εγω ῥεξω, χρυσον κερασιν περιχευας. "So now be present, O celestial maid; So still continue to the race thine aid; A yearling heifer falls beneath the stroke, Untamed, unconscious of the galling yoke, With ample forehead and with spreading horns, Whose tapering tops refulgent gold adorns." Altered from Pope. In the very same words Nestor, Odyss., lib. iii., ver. 382, promises a similar sacrifice to Pallas. The Romans had the same religion with the Greeks, and consequently the same kind of sacrifices; so Virgil, Georg. iv., ver. 550. Quatuor eximios praestanti corpore tauros Ducit, et intacta totidem cervice juveneas. " - From his herd he culls For slaughter four the fairest of his bulls; Four heifers from his female stock he took, All fair, and all unknowing of the yoke." Dryden. It is very likely that the Gentiles learnt their first sacrificial rites from the patriarchs; and on this account we need not wonder to find so many coincidences in the sacrificial system of the patriarchs and Jews, and all the neighboring nations.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 19:1-10

The heifer was to be wholly burned. This typified the painful sufferings of our Lord Jesus, both in soul and body, as a sacrifice made by fire, to satisfy God's justice for man's sin. These ashes are said to be laid up as a purification for sin, because, though they were only to purify from ceremonial uncleanness, yet they were a type of that purification for sin which our Lord Jesus made by his death. The blood of…

Read the full comment on Numbers 19:1-10 →

Numbers 19:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

זֹ֚אתzotthisH2063

חֻקַּ֣תchu.Kat[is] [the] statute ofH2708

הַתּוֹרָ֔הha.to.Rahthe lawH8451

אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834

צִוָּ֥הtzi.Vahhe has commandedH6680

יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068

לֵאמֹ֑רle.Mor<to> sayingH559

דַּבֵּ֣ר\׀da.BerspeakH1696

אֶל\־'el-toH413

בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121

יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

וְיִקְח֣וּve.yik.Chuso they may bringH3947

אֵלֶיךָ֩'e.lei.Khato youH413

פָרָ֨הfa.Raha heiferH6510

אֲדֻמָּ֜ה'a.du.MahredH122

תְּמִימָ֗הte.mi.MahunblemishedH8549

אֲשֶׁ֤ר'a.SherwhichH834

אֵֽין\־'ein-there notH369

בָּהּ֙bahin <the> it

מ֔וּםMum[is] a blemishH3971

אֲשֶׁ֛ר'a.SherwhichH834

לֹא\־lo'-notH3808

עָלָ֥ה'a.Lahit has gone upH5927

עָלֶ֖יהָ'a.Lei.haon itH5921

עֹֽל\׃'Ola yokeH5923

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 19:2

Deuteronomy 21:3
And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;
Leviticus 22:20-25
But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the Lord. Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. …
1 Samuel 6:7
Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:
1 Peter 1:19
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Philippians 2:6-8
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Lamentations 1:14
The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.
Hebrews 9:10
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
John 10:17-18
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
1 Peter 2:22
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Revelation 1:5
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Malachi 1:13-14
Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord. But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the ordinance.
31:21; Heb 9:10
a red heifer.The following curious particulars have been remarked in this ordinance: 1. A heifer was appointed for sacrifice, in opposition to the Egyptian superstition, which held these sacred, and worshipped their goddess Isis under this form; and this appears the more likely, because males only were chosen for sacrifice. So Herodotus says, they sacrifice males, both old and young; but it is not lawful for them to offer females. 2. It was to be a red heifer, because the Egyptians sacrificed red bulls to the evil demon Typhon. 3. It was to be without spot, having no mixture of any other colour. Plutarch says, the Egyptians "sacrifice red bulls, and select them with such scrupulous attention, that if the animal has a single black or white hair, they reckon it [athuton,] unfit to be sacrificed." 4. Without blemish. (See note on Le 22:21.) 5. On which never came yoke: because an animal which had been used for a common purpose was deemed improper for sacrifice.
6; Le 14:6; Isa 1:18; Re 1:5
no blemish. See on
Ex 12:5; Le 22:20-25; Mal 1:13,14; Lu 1:35; Heb 7:26; 1Pe 1:19
1Pe 2:22
upon which.
De 21:3; 1Sa 6:7; La 1:14; Joh 10:17,18; Php 2:6-8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Numbers 19:1
And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Numbers 19:2
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:
Numbers 19:3
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:

Read all of Numbers 19

Numbers 19:2 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Esta es la ordenanza de la ley que Jehová ha prescrito, diciendo: Di á los hijos de Israel que te traigan una vaca bermeja, perfecta, en la cual no haya falta, sobre la cual no se haya puesto yugo:
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	C’est ici le statut de la loi que l’ Éternel a commandé, en disant: Parle aux fils d’Israël, et qu’ils t’amènent une génisse rousse, sans tare, qui n’ait aucun défaut corporel, et qui n’ait point porté le joug.
German Elberfelder 1871	Dies ist die Satzung des Gesetzes, das Jehova geboten hat, indem er sprach: Rede zu den Kindern Israel, daß sie dir eine rote junge Kuh bringen, ohne Fehl, an der kein Gebrechen, auf welche kein Joch gekommen ist;
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Ista est religio victimæ, quam constituit Dominus. Præcipe filiis Israël, ut adducant ad te vaccam rufam ætatis integræ, in qua nulla sit macula, nec portaverit jugum: