Jealousy, Water Of
Culture & SocietyWhat is the meaning of Jealousy, Water Of in the Bible?
The water of jealousy was a divine judgment ritual prescribed in the Torah where a priest prepared a mixture of holy water, dust from the tabernacle floor, and written curses, which the accused woman drank to invoke a physical curse if guilty or remain unharmed if innocent.
SIGNIFICANCE
Understanding this ritual clarifies the ancient Israelite legal framework where divine intervention served as the ultimate arbiter in domestic disputes lacking witness testimony, revealing how religious authority was integrated into the administration of justice and social order.
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Source Attribution
Built upon the 1915 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia and Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897). Entries have been modernized, checked for academic truthfulness, and shortened for clarity.