And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:
All Commentaries on Numbers 5:17 Go To Numbers 5
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Holy water, destined for sacred uses, which is called most bitter, ver. 18, (Menochius) and cursed, (ver. 22,) on account of the imprecations used to detect the guilty. (Worthington)
Earth, to show the woman, that if she had been unfaithful, she deserved to be trodden upon as dung, Ecclesiasticus ix. 10.
Head, that she may remember all is naked before the Lord. (Menochius)
Hebrew may signify, "he shall cut the hair of her head "(see Leviticus x. 6.; Calmet) or take off her veil. (Josephus, iii. 10.) (Haydock)
Remembrance, by which God was requested to manifest the truth, either by punishing or by rewarding the woman, ver. 15, 28. (Menochius)
Bitter, either on account of the wormwood, or because of their effects on the guilty. (Calmet)
