Numbers Chapter 19

Laws of Purification

A. Provision for purification — the ashes from the sacrifice of a red heifer.

(Numbers 19:1–2) The taking of a red heifer.

And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 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.

The red heifer was a unique requirement among Israel’s ceremonial laws. A heifer refers to a young cow that has never been pregnant or milked, symbolizing purity and untapped potential. The command that it be “red” made it exceedingly rare, as such animals are uncommon in nature. The red color symbolized blood, and therefore, life and atonement.

The instruction that it be “without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke” signifies moral and ceremonial perfection. The animal was to be entirely untainted, never used for labor or burden, portraying innocence and freedom from the corruption of sin. The red heifer was thus rare, valuable, and wholly dedicated to God’s purpose.

This requirement foreshadowed Christ, who was sinless, undefiled, and bore no yoke of sin or corruption. The apostle Peter writes, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Just as the red heifer was rare and without blemish, Christ’s perfect righteousness and purity qualified Him to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin.

(Numbers 19:3–10) The sacrifice, burning, and gathering of ashes from the red heifer.

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: And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 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. And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin. And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.

The heifer was to be taken outside the camp, slaughtered, and wholly burned. This detail is significant because the sacrifice occurred outside the camp, typifying the rejection and suffering of Christ outside the gate of Jerusalem. The writer of Hebrews connects this directly: “For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:11–12).

The priest took the blood of the heifer and sprinkled it seven times before the tabernacle, symbolizing divine perfection and complete atonement. The entire carcass — flesh, hide, blood, and offal — was burned in fire. Unlike other sacrifices where the blood was poured out separately, in this unique offering, the blood was burned along with the body. The mixture of ashes and blood emphasized that purification and forgiveness are inseparable from sacrifice.

The priest also cast cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet into the burning fire. Each had symbolic importance. Cedar, known for its resistance to decay, represents incorruption and endurance — qualities that point to the eternal nature of Christ’s redemptive work and the enduring strength of the cross. Hyssop, a small plant often used for sprinkling blood or water in purification rituals, represents humility and cleansing. It was with hyssop that the Israelites applied the Passover blood on their doorposts (Exodus 12:22), and it was a hyssop branch that was raised to Christ’s lips on the cross (John 19:29). Scarlet, the color of blood, points to atonement, reminding us that sin can only be washed away through blood. As Isaiah wrote, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Afterward, the ashes were collected and stored in a clean place outside the camp. These ashes were later mixed with water to create the “water of purification.” This water was sprinkled upon anyone who became ceremonially unclean through contact with a dead body. Thus, death — the result of sin — required purification through the ashes of the red heifer, symbolizing life overcoming death through sacrifice.

The requirement that those involved in the sacrifice — the priest, the one who burned the heifer, and the one who gathered the ashes — all became unclean until evening, underscores the paradox of atonement. Even those who participated in providing cleansing for others had to undergo cleansing themselves. It shows that only Christ, the perfect High Priest, could truly bear sin and yet remain undefiled.

The ordinance of the red heifer was declared a “statute forever,” meaning it remained a standing reminder of the need for purification from sin and death. In typology, this looks forward to Christ’s finished work, where cleansing from sin comes not through ashes and water, but through the blood of the Lamb. “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

B. Other Laws of Purification

(Numbers 19:11–13) Touching dead bodies makes one ceremonially unclean.

He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.

To touch a dead body made one ceremonially unclean for seven days. This uncleanness did not necessarily imply moral guilt or personal sin; it was a ritual condition that temporarily barred the person from participating in worship and fellowship until proper purification was performed. God was teaching His people that death is the visible consequence and corruption of sin. Since He is the God of life, the presence of death symbolically represented the opposite of His holiness.

The unclean person was commanded to purify himself with the water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer on both the third and seventh days. Only after this process would he be declared clean. If he neglected this requirement, he remained unclean and was cut off from the congregation. This cutting off was not necessarily execution but separation from communal worship and covenant fellowship. It demonstrated that willful disobedience to God’s cleansing process resulted in exclusion from His presence.

This law foreshadows the spiritual truth of cleansing through Christ. In John 13:5–11, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet to teach that although they were already clean through His word, they still required daily cleansing from the defilements of the world. The believer is fully forgiven at salvation, but continual confession and cleansing through Christ are necessary for ongoing fellowship. As the Lord said to Peter, “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit” (John 13:10). Refusing this ongoing cleansing, as symbolized by the man neglecting purification, results in broken fellowship with God.

To “defile the tabernacle of the Lord” was a serious offense because the tabernacle was the dwelling place of God among His people. Any impurity brought into it was an affront to His holiness. This has a direct New Testament application for the believer. Paul reminds us, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Under the New Covenant, defilement is not ritual but moral and spiritual. Therefore, believers must guard against sin that pollutes the inner temple where God’s Spirit dwells.

(Numbers 19:14–16) How to handle a dead body.

This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

When a man died in a tent, all who entered or were present became ceremonially unclean for seven days. This law was both spiritual and practical. Spiritually, it symbolized how pervasive the defilement of death is — no one can come into contact with death without being touched by the corruption of sin. Practically, it functioned as an early form of quarantine, protecting the camp from the spread of disease that could result from handling corpses. Those who had contact with the dead were set apart until it could be seen whether they contracted illness, an early public health measure reflecting divine wisdom.

The principle extended even to “every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it.” If such a vessel was left uncovered in a tent containing a corpse, it was considered defiled. This command prevented the spread of contamination through food or drink, showing that God’s laws were not only ceremonial but hygienic, preserving the physical and spiritual welfare of His people.

The text concludes by declaring that anyone who touches the slain in the field, a dead body, human bone, or grave, is unclean seven days. The impurity extended beyond the tent to the open field, emphasizing that death defiles wherever it is encountered.

What made a dead body unclean was not that the body itself was sinful, but because death is the visible evidence of sin’s curse. God told Adam, “For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17), and Paul explains, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Every corpse testified that sin brings death, and every contact with death symbolized the human need for redemption and restoration to life.

If one touched the carcass of an animal, the person was unclean only until evening (Leviticus 11:24, 27, 39), but touching a dead human brought uncleanness for seven days — a much longer separation. This distinction highlighted the sacredness and accountability of human life. Man is greater than the animals, bearing the image of God, and thus his death bears greater spiritual weight.

Paul’s lament in Romans 7:24—“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”—echoes this theme. The Apostle recognized that he carried within him a nature corrupted by sin, much like carrying a corpse. Deliverance comes only through Jesus Christ, who conquered both sin and death. Through Him, believers are made clean not by water and ashes, but by His own blood, which grants eternal purification and life.

3. (Numbers 19:17–19) The purpose for the ashes of the red heifer.

And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.

For those who were ceremonially unclean through contact with death, the ashes of the red heifer were mixed with “running water” in a vessel. This mixture represented both sacrifice and life: the ashes symbolized death and judgment, while the living water symbolized cleansing and renewal. Together, they formed the divinely appointed means by which impurity was removed.

The “clean person” acted as the mediator, taking hyssop—a plant often used in purification rites—and dipping it in the water mixed with ashes. With this, he would sprinkle the tent, the vessels, and all persons who had been defiled, including anyone who had touched a dead body, bone, or grave. The act of sprinkling on the third and seventh days signified both divine perfection and complete cleansing, ensuring that the entire process was conducted in obedience to God’s timing.

The symbolism runs deep. The ashes, produced through fire, point to the judgment of sin borne by Christ on the cross. The water represents the life-giving and cleansing ministry of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. As Paul wrote, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26). The use of hyssop signifies humility and faith in applying God’s provision. Just as the Israelites had to trust God’s method for purification, so believers must trust in the atoning work of Christ alone for spiritual cleansing.

When the cleansing was complete, the person washed his clothes, bathed himself, and was declared clean by evening. This entire process shows that spiritual purity requires both divine provision and personal response. One had to act in obedience to God’s instruction, yet the cleansing power did not come from human effort, but from what God had already provided.

The writer of Hebrews draws this exact connection to Christ’s redemptive work: “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an 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?” (Hebrews 9:13–14). The red heifer’s ashes brought external cleansing; the blood of Christ brings inward purification, cleansing not only the body but also the conscience, freeing believers to serve God with sincerity and power.

4. (Numbers 19:20–22) The nature of uncleanness.

But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even. And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.

The one who refused to purify himself remained unclean and was cut off from the congregation. This demonstrates that uncleanness cannot resolve itself or fade away with time; it requires divine cleansing. The unclean person could not simply wait to be pure again. He had to obey God’s provision for purification. If he neglected this, he defiled not only himself but also the sanctuary of the Lord. This principle reveals that impurity, left unchecked, spreads and desecrates what is holy.

This truth applies spiritually to the believer. Sin does not resolve itself through neglect or denial. It must be confessed and cleansed according to God’s Word. John declares, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). To ignore this provision is to remain in defilement and to grieve the indwelling Spirit of God.

The command that “he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes” shows that those who serve others in their cleansing must also remain clean themselves. Ministry among the defiled brings risk of defilement, emphasizing the need for personal holiness. The one who treats God’s purifying work lightly—“he that toucheth the water of separation”—is himself declared unclean. God’s means of purification are sacred and not to be handled as common.

Finally, the law declares that “whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean.” This illustrates the contagious nature of impurity and the deliberate nature of holiness. Defilement spreads easily, but holiness must be intentionally pursued through obedience. Sin, like uncleanness, infects everything it touches, yet cleansing comes only through the deliberate application of God’s appointed means.

In the New Covenant, the principle remains: defilement is easily transmitted, but cleansing comes only through the blood of Christ. The believer must walk in continual dependence upon that cleansing, never assuming purity apart from the Savior’s work. As Paul reminds the church, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).