Send away from the camp (5:1–4). The sacred camp of Israel has been numbered and organized with its concentric circles of holiness, with the priests and Levites constituting the first level of human presence in proximity to the sanctuary, the Tent of Meeting. The twelve tribes encamp symmetrically around the central sanctuary and its attendants, constituting the second level of human presence in the camp. Now the next level of the encampment is described in terms of relative cultic isolation on the perimeter of the camp of those with various impurities.
Mary Douglas posits that humans developed social distinctions of conformity and disunity based on their observations of natural forces. She defines “dirt” or “uncleanness” as that which is “out of place” in society, and “holiness” as that which is in harmony with nature, having “wholeness and completeness.”34 With regard to biblical purity she highlights the human understanding of Levitical legislation as denoting an ideal for humanity.
But the Hebrew Bible provides further distinction between the common and the unclean, as well as between the holy and the pure. Douglas sees in Leviticus and Numbers a “paradox insofar as they legislate against impurity without designating any social category as inherently impure or liable to contaminate others.”35 But the Torah in fact legislates against any kind of class system, even to the point of giving resident aliens status in worship and purification under the same matrix of law as the Israelite. Ethical and moral distinctions, not class systems, play a significant role in the understanding of these distinctions. Hence Douglas observes, “the Judaism of Leviticus and the book of Numbers is not among the exclusive religions, nor do its commands weigh heavily upon its congregation. Purification is easy, and open to all who wish for it.”36
Skin disease (5:2). Scholars have debated extensively the meaning of ṣāraʿat, translated “leprosy” in earlier versions. Some have questioned whether leprosy (known today as Hansen’s disease) even existed in the ancient world.37 Harrison and Wenham argue for the inclusion of this disease among ancient infectious skin diseases.38 The extensive description of the disease, its effects and treatment, and the purification process after having had the disease, as well as the adjudication by the priest at the conclusion of the purification rituals, all evidence a disease with some symptoms similar to Hansen’s and some dissimilar.
Other serious skin infections, such as psoriasis or eczema, may be intended by this ritual exclusion. In each case the form of skin disease was considered by the ancients to be at discord with the harmony of nature, indicating to an adjudicating priest that “the world is no longer in balance, and that its fundamental categories have been violated.”39
Full restitution (5:7). The sanctity of the community applies to economic relationships, whereby monetary compensation for fraud or extortion between individuals provides stability and justice in society. By comparison, the Law Code of Hammurabi called for restitution penalties ranging from a one-sixth to 100 percent addition to the principal amount of the damage incurred for defrauding another person under oath. For example, if a person deposited gold or silver with another person in the presence of witnesses, and later denied the transaction, the witnesses would be called to testify on behalf of the depositor, and the repayment was double the original amount (see comment on Lev. 6:1–7).40
If a man’s wife goes astray (5:12). This particular case concerns a woman suspected by her husband of having an adulterous affair.41 In Mesopotamian as well as biblical law, if a man or a woman was caught having intercourse with another’s spouse, they were both executed. In Law 129 of the Code of Hammurabi, the man and woman were to be bound together and thrown into the river.42 A trial by ordeal places punishment in the hands of God for a case of unapprehended adultery.43 Westbrook argues that the ancient Near Eastern societies shared a set of legal traditions, among them marriage and divorce codes.44 See sidebar on “Suspected but Unobserved Adultery.”
Grain offering (5:15). The Šurpu purification ritual from Assur of the Middle Babylonian period (ca. 1350–1050 B.C.) used flour in relation to a variety of misdemeanors, including a case where a man had intercourse with a neighbor’s wife. A “magic circle of flour” was placed around a brazier, then wiped over the offender in an atonement (ukappar) ritual. This act was accompanied by several sympathetic magic rituals involving onions, dates, matting, and wool, which were then thrown into the brazier’s fire with some of the flour.45
Loosen her hair (5:18). The unbinding of one’s hair was a sign of mourning or disgrace (Lev. 10:6, 13:45; 21:10). In ancient Greek literature, the loosening of the hair was a sign of one’s unmarried state or a potential sign of freedom, including sexual immorality and eroticism,46 but similar customs are not evident in the ancient Near East.
Drink the bitter water (5:24). From the archives of Mari comes a case in which a water potion made with dirt from the gate of the city is consumed by the accused and then is followed by an oath before the gods.47 Water mixed with dust may not be bitter to the physical taste, which would normally be alkaline, but bitter in terms of the potential distress and bitterness of the life situation being tried.48