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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Numbers 19:16

If anyone is outside and touches someone who was killed by a sword or who died a natural death, or if anyone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be unclean for seven days.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Burial;   Defilement;   Mourning;   Sanitation;   Water;   Thompson Chain Reference - Burying Places;   Dead, the;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Burial;   Dead, the;   Defilement;   Red Heifer, the;   Sword, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ashes;   Burial;   Clean and Unclean;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Funeral;   Uncleanness;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Clean, Unclean;   Funeral;   Grave;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Carcase;   Grave;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Agriculture;   War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Field;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Clean and Unclean;   Colours;   Numbers, Book of;   Red Heifer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Burial;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Atonement;   Heifer, Red;   Water of Separation;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ashes;   Burial;   Clean and unclean;   Covenant;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Uncleanness;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Bone;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Body;   Uncleanness;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Agrarian law;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ancestor Worship;   Hafá¹­arah;   Law, Reading from the;   Mishnah;   Ohalot;   Red Heifer;   Tiberias;   Tombs;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
Anyone in the open field who touches one who has been slain, or a corpse, or a bone of a person, or a burial site, he will be unclean for seven days.
English Standard Version
Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
New English Translation
And whoever touches the body of someone killed with a sword in the open fields, or the body of someone who died of natural causes, or a human bone, or a grave, will be unclean seven days.
Amplified Bible
'Also, anyone in the open field who touches one who has been killed with a sword or who has died [of natural causes], or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.
New American Standard Bible
'Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been killed with a sword or one who has died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Also whosoeuer toucheth one that is slaine with a sworde in the fielde, or a dead person, or a bone of a dead man, or a graue, shall be vncleane seuen dayes.
Legacy Standard Bible
Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.
Contemporary English Version
If you touch the body of someone who was killed or who died of old age, or if you touch a human bone or a grave, you will be unclean for seven days.
Complete Jewish Bible
Also whoever is in an open field and touches a corpse, whether of someone killed by a weapon or of someone who died naturally, or the bone of a person, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
Darby Translation
And every one that toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead person, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
Easy-to-Read Version
If there is a dead body out in a field, whether the person died in battle or for some other reason, whoever touches that dead body, or its bones, or even its grave will be unclean for seven days.
George Lamsa Translation
And whosoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body or a bone of a man or a grave shall be unclean seven days.
Good News Translation
If any touch a person who has been killed or has died a natural death outdoors or if any touch a human bone or a grave, they become unclean for seven days.
Christian Standard Bible®
Anyone in the open field who touches a person who has been killed by the sword or has died, or who even touches a human bone, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
Literal Translation
And whoever in the open field touches one that has been pierced with a sword, or one that has died of himself, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And who so euer toucheth one yt is slayne wt the swerde vpon ye felde, or eny other deed, or a deed mans bone, or a graue, ye same is vncleane seue dayes.
American Standard Version
And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
Bible in Basic English
And anyone touching one who has been put to death with the sword in the open country, or the body of one who has come to his end by a natural death, or a man's bone, or the resting-place of a dead body, will be unclean for seven days.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And whosoeuer toucheth one that is slayne with a sworde in the fieldes, or a dead person, or a bone of a dead man, or a graue, shalbe vncleane seuen dayes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is slain with a sword, or one that dieth of himself, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
King James Version (1611)
And whosoeuer toucheth one that is slaine with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a graue, shall be vncleane seuen dayes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And every one who shall touch a man slain by violence, or a corpse, or human bone, or sepulchre, shall be unclean seven days.
English Revised Version
And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
Berean Standard Bible
Anyone in the open field who touches someone who has been killed by the sword or has died of natural causes, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If ony man touchith the deed bodi of man slayn in the feeld, ether deed bi hym silf, ether a boon, ether the sepulcre `of hym, he schal be vncleene bi seuene daies.
Young's Literal Translation
`And every one who cometh, on the face of the field, against the pierced of a sword, or against the dead, or against a bone of man, or against a grave, is unclean seven days;
Update Bible Version
And whoever in the open field touches one that is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
Webster's Bible Translation
And whoever 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.
World English Bible
Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
New King James Version
Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
New Living Translation
And if someone in an open field touches the corpse of someone who was killed with a sword or who died a natural death, or if someone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be defiled for seven days.
New Life Bible
Anyone in an open field who touches one who has been killed with a sword, or who has died, or who touches a bone of a man, or a grave will be unclean for seven days.
New Revised Standard
Whoever in the open field touches one who has been killed by a sword, or who has died naturally, or a human bone, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, whosoever toucheth on the face of the field, one slain with a sword, or one who hath died, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If any man in the field touch the corpse of a man that was slain, or that died of himself, or his bone, or his grave, he shall be unclean seven days.
Revised Standard Version
Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
THE MESSAGE
"Anyone out in the open field who touches a corpse, whether dead from violent or natural causes, or a human bone or a grave is unclean for seven days. For this unclean person, take some ashes from the burned Absolution-Offering and add some fresh water to it in a bowl. Find a ritually clean man to dip a sprig of hyssop into the water and sprinkle the tent and all its furnishings, the persons who were in the tent, the one who touched the bones of the person who was killed or died a natural death, and whoever may have touched a grave. Then he is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day he is considered cleansed. The cleansed person must then scrub his clothes and take a bath; by evening he is clean. But if an unclean person does not go through these cleansing procedures, he must be excommunicated from the community; he has desecrated the Sanctuary of God . The Water-of-Cleansing has not been sprinkled on him and he is ritually unclean. This is the standing rule for these cases. "The man who sprinkles the Water-of-Cleansing has to scrub his clothes; anyone else who touched the Water-of-Cleansing is also ritually unclean until evening.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.

Contextual Overview

11 "Those who touch a dead person's body will be unclean for seven days. 12 They must wash themselves with the cleansing water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not wash themselves on the third day and the seventh day, they cannot be clean. 13 If those who touch a dead person's body stay unclean and go to the Lord 's Holy Tent, it becomes unclean; they must be cut off from Israel. If the cleansing water is not sprinkled on them, they are unclean and will stay unclean. 14 "This is the teaching about someone who dies in a tent: Anyone in the tent or anyone who enters it will be unclean for seven days. 15 And every open jar or pot without a cover becomes unclean. 16 If anyone is outside and touches someone who was killed by a sword or who died a natural death, or if anyone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be unclean for seven days. 17 "So you must use the ashes from the burnt offering to make that person clean again. Pour fresh water over the ashes into a jar. 18 A clean person must take a hyssop branch and dip it into the water, and then he must sprinkle it over the tent and all its objects. He must also sprinkle the people who were there, as well as anyone who touched a bone, or the body of someone who was killed, or a dead person, or a grave. 19 The person who is clean must sprinkle this water on the unclean people on the third day and on the seventh day. On the seventh day they will become clean. They must wash their clothes and take a bath, and they will be clean that evening. 20 If any who are unclean do not become clean, they must be cut off from the community. Since they were not sprinkled with the cleansing water, they stay unclean, and they could make the Lord 's Holy Tent unclean.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

toucheth: Numbers 19:11, Numbers 31:19

a bone: Ezekiel 39:11-16

a grave: Matthew 23:27, Luke 11:44

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:39 - General Leviticus 21:1 - There Numbers 9:6 - defiled 1 Samuel 20:26 - he is not clean 2 Kings 23:14 - the bones of men Isaiah 65:4 - remain Lamentations 4:14 - so that men could not touch Ezekiel 16:5 - but thou Ezekiel 39:12 - cleanse Luke 8:27 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
Before bedtime, men both young and old and from every part of Sodom surrounded Lot's house.
Genesis 19:5
They called to Lot, "Where are the two men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sexual relations with them."
Genesis 19:8
Look! I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. I will give them to you, and you may do anything you want with them. But please don't do anything to these men. They have come to my house, and I must protect them."
Genesis 19:10
But the two men staying with Lot opened the door, pulled him back inside the house, and then closed the door.
Genesis 19:15
At dawn the next morning, the angels begged Lot to hurry. They said, "Go! Take your wife and your two daughters with you so you will not be destroyed when the city is punished."
Genesis 19:16
But Lot delayed. So the two men took the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city. So the Lord was merciful to Lot and his family.
Genesis 19:18
But Lot said to one of them, "Sir, please don't force me to go so far!
Genesis 19:19
You have been merciful and kind to me and have saved my life. But I can't run to the mountains. The disaster will catch me, and I will die.
Genesis 19:35
So that night they got their father drunk again, and the younger daughter went and had sexual relations with him. Again, Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
Genesis 19:36
So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields,.... That is killed by another, that dies a violent death, either by the sword or other means; one that touched such an one was unclean, or that touched the sword with which he was slain, as the Targum of Jonathan adds: "or a dead body": that dies a natural death, or suddenly, or in any way:

or a bone off a man; dug out of a grave, and lying by itself:

or a grave; the Targum adds, either the covering or side of a grave:

shall be unclean seven days; all which has respect to the defiling nature of sin, which is the cause of death and the grave.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

One practical effect of attaching defilement to a dead body, and to all that touched it, etc., would be to insure early burial, and to correct a practice not uncommon in the East, of leaving the deal to be devoured by the wild beasts.


 
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