Numbers 19:7
New International Version
After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening.

New Living Translation
“Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. Afterward he may return to the camp, though he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.

English Standard Version
Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean until evening.

King James Bible
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

New King James Version
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening.

New American Standard Bible
The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp; but the priest will be unclean until evening.

NASB 1995
‘The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening.

NASB 1977
‘The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening.

Legacy Standard Bible
The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening.

Amplified Bible
Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; and afterward come into the camp, but he shall be [ceremonially] unclean until evening.

Christian Standard Bible
Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.

American Standard Version
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

Contemporary English Version
After the ceremony, the priest is to take a bath and wash his clothes. Only then can he go back into the camp, but he remains unclean and unfit for worship until evening.

English Revised Version
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The priest must then wash his clothes and his body. After that, he may go into the camp. But he will be unclean until evening.

Good News Translation
After that, he is to wash his clothes and pour water over himself, and then he may enter the camp; but he remains ritually unclean until evening.

International Standard Version
The priest is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, after which he may enter the camp, but he is to remain unclean until evening.

Majority Standard Bible
Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean until evening.

NET Bible
Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and afterward he may come into the camp, but the priest will be ceremonially unclean until evening.

New Heart English Bible
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.

World English Bible
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the priest has washed his garments, and has bathed his flesh with water, and afterward comes into the camp, and the priest is unclean until the evening;

Young's Literal Translation
and the priest hath washed his garments, and hath bathed his flesh with water, and afterwards doth come in unto the camp, and the priest is unclean till the evening;

Smith's Literal Translation
And the priest washed his garments, and bathed his flesh in water, and afterward he shall go into the camp; and the priest was unclean till evening.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And then after washing his garments, and body, he shall enter into the camp, and shall be unclean until the evening.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And then finally, having washed his garments and his body, he shall enter into the camp, and he shall be deeply stained until evening.

New American Bible
The priest shall then wash his garments and bathe his body in water, afterward he may enter the camp. The priest remains unclean until the evening.

New Revised Standard Version
Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterwards he may come into the camp; but the priest shall remain unclean until evening.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his body in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Priest shall wash his garments and shall bathe his flesh in water and then he shall enter to the encampment and the Priest will be defiled until evening.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the priest shall wash his garments, and bathe his body in water, and afterwards he shall go into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean till evening.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Red Heifer
6The priest is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean until evening. 8The one who burned the heifer must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he too will be ceremonially unclean until evening.…

Cross References
Leviticus 16:24
He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people.

Leviticus 16:26
The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

Leviticus 16:28
The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.

Exodus 29:4
Then present Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.

Exodus 30:18-21
“You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it, / with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet. / Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die. ...

Leviticus 8:6
Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.

Leviticus 14:8-9
The one being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days. / On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.

Leviticus 15:5-8
Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. / Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. / Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. ...

Leviticus 22:6
the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.

Hebrews 9:13-14
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, / how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

John 13:10
Jesus told him, “Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.”

Acts 21:26
So the next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he entered the temple to give notice of the date when their purification would be complete and the offering would be made for each of them.

2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.


Treasury of Scripture

Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

Numbers 19:8,19
And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even…

Leviticus 11:25,40
And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even…

Leviticus 14:8,9
And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days…

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Afterward Afterwards Bathe Bathed Bathing Body Camp Ceremonially Clothes Clothing Evening Priest Tent-Circle Unclean Wash Washed Washing Water
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Afterward Afterwards Bathe Bathed Bathing Body Camp Ceremonially Clothes Clothing Evening Priest Tent-Circle Unclean Wash Washed Washing Water
Numbers 19
1. The water of separation made of the ashes of a red heifer
11. The law for the use of it in purification of the unclean














Then the priest
The role of the priest in ancient Israel was one of mediation between God and the people. The Hebrew word for priest, "kohen," signifies someone who is set apart for sacred duties. In the context of Numbers 19, the priest is involved in the purification process, highlighting the importance of spiritual leadership in maintaining the holiness of the community.

must wash his clothes
Washing clothes in the ancient Near Eastern context was a symbolic act of purification. The Hebrew word "kabas" means to wash or launder, indicating a thorough cleansing. This act represents the removal of impurity and sin, a theme that resonates throughout the Bible, emphasizing the need for external and internal purity.

and bathe himself with water
The act of bathing, or "rachats" in Hebrew, is a ritualistic cleansing that signifies purification from defilement. Water is a powerful symbol of cleansing and renewal in Scripture, often associated with spiritual rebirth and the washing away of sin. This requirement underscores the necessity of personal holiness for those serving in God's presence.

and afterward he may enter the camp
Re-entering the camp signifies restoration to the community and the resumption of normal duties. The camp represents the dwelling place of God's people, and the priest's return symbolizes reconciliation and the restoration of fellowship with both God and the community after a period of separation due to impurity.

but he will remain unclean until evening
The concept of remaining unclean until evening reflects the temporal nature of ritual impurity. The Hebrew word "tame" denotes a state of ceremonial uncleanness, which is not necessarily sinful but requires time and process to resolve. This waiting period emphasizes the seriousness of impurity and the need for patience and obedience in the purification process.

(7) Then the priest . . . --The Targum of Jonathan refers these words to the priest who killed the heifer, and Ibn Ezra to the priest who burnt it; but the reference is more probably, as in the preceding verse, to Eleazar.

Verse 7. - The priest shall be unclean until the even, i.e., the priest who superintended the sacrifice, and dipped his finger in the blood. Every one of these details was devised in order to express the intensely infectious character of death in its moral aspect. The very ashes, which were so widely potent for cleansing (verse 10), and the cleansing water itself (verse 19), made every one that touched them, even for the purifying of another, himself unclean. At the same time the ashes, while, as it were, so redolent of death that they must be kept outside the camp, were most holy, and were to be laid up by a clean man in a clean place (verse 9). These contradictions find their true explanation only when we consider them as foreshadowing the mysteries of the atonement.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the priest
הַכֹּהֵ֗ן (hak·kō·hên)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

must wash
וְכִבֶּ֨ס (wə·ḵib·bes)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3526: To trample, to wash

his clothes
בְּגָדָ֜יו (bə·ḡā·ḏāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 899: A covering, clothing, treachery, pillage

and bathe
וְרָחַ֤ץ (wə·rā·ḥaṣ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7364: To wash, wash off or away, bathe

his body
בְּשָׂרוֹ֙ (bə·śā·rōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man

in water;
בַּמַּ֔יִם (bam·ma·yim)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

after that
וְאַחַ֖ר (wə·’a·ḥar)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

he may enter
יָב֣וֹא (yā·ḇō·w)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

the camp,
הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה (ham·ma·ḥă·neh)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 4264: An encampment, an army

but he
הַכֹּהֵ֖ן (hak·kō·hên)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

will be ceremonially unclean
וְטָמֵ֥א (wə·ṭā·mê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean

until
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

evening.
הָעָֽרֶב׃ (hā·‘ā·reḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6153: Evening


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OT Law: Numbers 19:7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes (Nu Num.)
Numbers 19:6
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