Commentary for Numbers 5:24

והשקה את האשה AND HE SHALL CAUSE THE WOMAN TO DRINK [THE BITTER WATER] — This was not the actual order of the proceedings, because really he offered her meal-offering first (before giving her the water to drink; cf. v. 26, 27), but Scripture here merely informs you that when he afterwards gives her the water to drink it will become bitter in her belly (cf. Sotah 19a). — Since only the thigh and the belly are mentioned (vv. 21. 22), I might conclude that only these are affected (see Sifrei Bamidbar 18); whence do we know that this applies also to the rest of the body? Because Scripture states here, “[and the water … shall come] into her [and become bitter]” — into all of her body! But if so, why does Scripture explicitly mention only the thigh and the belly? Because they (these two) were the first to begin the sin, therefore it (Scripture) makes the punishment begin with them (and for this reason Scripture mentions them explicitly, but, as a matter of fact, it extends to the whole body as is implied in the word בה (Sifrei Bamidbar 18).

He brought her offering. As the Torah writes (v. 26) “…and burn it on the altar” and after that he shall cause the woman to drink the water”.

V. 24. והשקה וגו׳. Die im heiligen Schrifttum so sehr verbreiteten Ausdrücke von dem "Trinken aus dem Becher des göttlichen Verhängnisses", die der Anschauung so nahe liegen, dass selbst "שתה" allein, ohne weitere Beifügung, ein Hinnehmen seines Verhängnisses aus Gottes Hand bedeutet, כי כאשר שתיתם על הר קדשי ישתו כל הגוים תמיד usw. (Obadja 1, 16), legen es nahe, dass dieses Trinken hier nichts als der in konkrete Handlung übersetzte sprachliche Ausdruck des Hinnehmens ihres durch ihre Schuld oder Unschuld bedingten Verhängnisses sei. Wie Ps.75, 8 u. 9 der Becher des Verhängnisses in Gottes Hand "gemischt" ist, so ist hier der Trank ihres Verhängnisses gemischt aus den Wahrheiten ihrer Bestimmung und aus den Folgen der Erfüllung oder Nichterfüllung derselben. — ובאו בה וגו׳. Die den Fluch bringenden Wasser kommen zunächst in sie למרים, ihre verhängnisvolle Wirkung tritt noch nicht ein, die ist erst noch durch das Folgende bedingt. Zunächst kommen sie in ihr Inneres למדים, um sich als bitterernste Wahrheiten an ihrer Vergangenheit zu erproben.

והשקה את האשה, “he shall make the woman drink;” the letter ה at the end of the word האשה, does not have a dot in it, as opposed to the same word in verse 27, where that dot is a pronoun.

למרים (The text is more lit., “and the waters shall enter into her as bitter”) — i.e. to become bad and bitter for her.

Since it says “abdomen” and “thigh”. Rashi is answering the question: Wasn’t this was also written previously (v. 22) “these lethal bitter waters will enter … to swell the abdomen…”? He answers “since it [merely] says…”

They will be [harmful and bitter] for her. Not that the waters would enter there towards some bitter substance, for they were already in her stomach and there was no other bitter substance there.