Numbers 19:11

"He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days: the same shall purify himself therewith 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. Whosoever toucheth a dead person, the body of a man that hath died, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of Jehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water for impurity was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him."

"Unclean seven days ..." (Numbers 19:11). It will be remembered from Leviticus that uncleanness incurred by touching the dead body of an unclean animal lasted only "until even," but here the uncleanness from touching the corpse of a human being lasted "seven days." What a comment is this upon contamination in mankind resulting from his rebellion against God.

"The same shall purify himself ..." (Numbers 19:12). Note how the priesthood is so effectively by-passed, no priest whatever being involved. This has to be considered typical of the Kingdom of God in which all the members are a royal priesthood, having no need whatever of any other mediator, except Jesus Christ alone.

The mention of uncleanness from touching the dead is extensively mentioned in Leviticus, where, it will be remembered, the priests could not suffer such contamination for any except their closest families, and the High Priest could not suffer it for any one. Aaron was not even allowed to touch the bodies of Nadab and Abihu.

"The water for impurity ... sprinkled upon him ..." (Numbers 19:13). This "sprinkling" was no minimal affair. "It consisted of throwing the purifying water over the unclean person, the word meaning to `throw in handfuls,' or `bowlfuls'."[13]