Reference

Numbers 19:20

Annihilation / Destruction Destruction / Perishing Language Symbolic / Spiritual Interpretation

“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 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.

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.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Annihilation / Destruction

Keyword Match

60% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Destruction / Perishing Language

Keyword Match

90% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Annihilation / Destruction

The phrase "cut off from among the congregation" does not explicitly state destruction, consumption, perishing, or ceasing to exist, but rather separation or exclusion from the community.

Destruction / Perishing Language

The verse describes a consequence for ritual impurity rather than an act of divine destruction or perishing of the wicked. The "cutting off" is a social and religious exclusion from the community, not necessarily a physical annihilation or a judgment on moral wickedness.

Symbolic / Spiritual Interpretation

The verse describes a literal state of ritual uncleanness and a prescribed ritual purification process involving "water of separation," with a consequence of being "cut off from among the congregation" for non-compliance. There is no explicit symbolic language or metaphorical usage of "unclean" or "purify" within the verse itself; it refers to a physical defilement of a physical sanctuary.

Annihilation / Destruction

Related Verses

Numbers 19:13

“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.”

Numbers 19:12

“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.”

Leviticus 7:20

“But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.”

Numbers 19:21

“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.”

Numbers 19:11

“He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.”

Thematic Connections

Annihilation / Destruction Destruction / Perishing Language Symbolic / Spiritual Interpretation

Private Study Note

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