Numbers 19 Study Notes

19:1-6 The original historical context of the red cow ritual was under the auspices of the priesthood of Eleazar, while his father Aaron was still alive (his death is cited in 20:22-29). The sprinkling of the blood of the slaughtered cow is consistent with other blood rituals in the Pentateuch (Lv 4:6,17; 8:11; 16:14,19). The unblemished cow was entirely red—not spotted or mottled.

Since the cow had never been yoked, it was probably young and strong. Elsewhere it was a bull that was sacrificed as a sin offering for the high priest and his family (Lv 4:3-12; 16:6,11), or on behalf of the entire community (Lv 4:13-21). Thus the female is specified here so there would be no confusion of purification agents or rituals. The cow would also offer the maximum yield of purification ashes so the ritual need not be repeated as often. The redness of the cow reflected the color of blood, as did the other sacrificial elements burned with the cow.

The plant species translated hyssop was probably not the Greek hussopos, but marjoram, sage, or thyme, the leaves of which are very absorbent. Other reddish or colored elements in ritual sanctification included cypress wood, roses, red wine, and cedar sap.

19:7-10 The priest, the assistant who burned the cow, and the one who gathered and stored the ashes, were each made unclean by touching this purification (sin) offering—the red cow ashes—but this was a lesser state of uncleanness than what was generated by touching a dead body. The ashes alone caused uncleanness, but when mixed with water they became a purifying agent. This seeming paradox is similar to that of blood that was used for the ultimate purification of the holy place on the Day of Atonement, yet rendered a person unclean if improperly used or eaten.

19:11-22 Ritual impurity from exposure to the dead required a “sin offering” that was actually a purification. Failure to perform the symbolic cleansings on the third and seventh days resulted in banishment from the community or death. Contamination could result from several situations: (1) being in or entering a tent where someone had just died, (2) contact with the dead in battle or by accidental proximity, or (3) contact with a grave or its remains. The seven-day period of the impurity was the maximum length for persons who had become unclean through a variety of serious diseases. Other forms of impurity, such as contact with the red cow, rendered a person impure only until sundown.

19:13 The severity of the impurity resulting from touching a corpse is evidenced in the ritual washings administered on the third and seventh days, the potential of defiling the sanctuary from a distance if left unpurified, and the potential penalty of (Hb) karath—being cut off from the community.

19:21 In future generations (this is a permanent statute for them) this purification offering and ritual would be a common purification offering, not only because of the exposure to corpses, but because it was considered acceptable for cleansing other forms of impurity. It often functioned as an instant sin offering in the second temple rituals. In his presentation of the person and work of Jesus Christ as superior to OT ceremonies, the writer of the book of Hebrews combined the ritual of the ashes of the red cow with that of the Day of Atonement in demonstrating the once-and-for-all sufficiency of the blood of Christ in cleansing us from all our sins (Heb 9:11-14).