Numbers 19:4
And dipping his finger in her blood, shall sprinkle it over against the door of the tabernacle seven times,
Open Numbers 19:4 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- et tingens digitum in sanguine ejus, asperget contra fores tabernaculi septem vicibus,
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ λήμψεται Ἐλεαζὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῆς, καὶ ῥανεῖ ἀπέναντι τοῦ προσώπου τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῆς ἑπτάκις.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְלָקַ֞ח אֶלְעָזָ֧ר הַכֹּהֵ֛ן מִדָּמָ֖הּ בְּאֶצְבָּע֑וֹ וְהִזָּ֞ה אֶל נֹ֨כַח פְּנֵ֧י אֹֽהֶל מוֹעֵ֛ד מִדָּמָ֖הּ שֶׁ֥בַע פְּעָמִֽים
Haydock's commentary
And. Hebrew, "And Eleazar, the priest, shall take part of her blood with his finger." He looked from the pile of wood, where he was standing, towards the west, and sprinkled the blood, and wiping his fingers upon the skin of the cow, waiting till the fire was kindled, before he opened her belly; he then threw into the fire the cedar-wood, &c. (Drusius)
Others believe that this last ceremony was performed by some one else, (ver. 7,) as it is not clear that Eleazar became unclean. His being substituted instead of Aaron, might shew that Christ would institute a new priesthood.
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Jerome The Letters of St. Jerome, To Eustochium
12. I linger long in the land of the midday sun for it was there and then that the spouse found her bridegroom at rest and Joseph drank wine with his brothers once more. I will return to Jerusalem and, passing through Tekoa the home of Amos, I will look upon the glistening cross of Mount Olivet from which the Saviour made His ascension to the Father. Here year by year a red heifer was burned as a holocaust to the Lord and its ashes were used to purify the children of Israel. Here also according to Ezekiel the Cherubim after leaving the temple founded the church of the Lord.