Bible Dictionary
Water of jealousy
The water of jealousy was the water used in the Mosaic procedure for testing a wife suspected of unfaithfulness. It accompanied an oath and curse before the Lord; the water itself was not treated as a natural poison.
Biblical Usage
The suspected woman stood before the priest, who mixed holy water with dust from the sanctuary floor, wrote and blotted out the curses, and gave her the potion to drink after she answered “Amen.” The procedure distinguished innocence from guilt by divine judgment.
Scripture References