Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
the priest shall take holy water—Water from the laver, which was to be mixed with dust—an emblem of vileness and misery (Genesis 3:14; Psalms 22:15).
in an earthen vessel—This fragile ware was chosen because, after being used, it was broken in pieces (Leviticus 6:28; Leviticus 11:33). All the circumstances of this awful ceremony—her being placed with her face toward the ark—her uncovered head, a sign of her being deprived of the protection of her husband (I Corinthians 11:7) —the bitter potion being put into her hands preparatory to an appeal to God—the solemn adjuration of the priest (Numbers 5:19-22), all were calculated in no common degree to excite and appall the imagination of a person conscious of guilt.
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