Ceremony of purification. They were to take for the unclean person some of the dust of the burning of the cow, i.e., some of the ashes obtained by burning the cow, and put living, i.e., fresh water (see Leviticus 14:5), upon it in a vessel. A clean man was then to take a bunch of hyssop (see Exodus 12:22), on account of its inherent purifying power, and dip it in the water, on the third and seventh day after the defilement had taken place, and to sprinkle the tent, with the vessels and persons in it, as well as every one who had touched a corpse, whether a person slain, or one who had died a natural death, or a grave; after which the persons were to wash their clothes and bathe, that they might be clean in the evening. As the uncleanness in question is held up as the highest grade of uncleanness, by its duration being fixed at seven days, i.e., an entire week, so the appointment of a double purification with the sprinkling water shows the force of the uncleanness to be removed; whilst the selection of the third and seventh days was simply determined by the significance of the numbers themselves. In Numbers 19:20, the threat of punishment for the neglect of purification is repeated from Numbers 19:13, for the purpose of making it most emphatic.

Numbers 20:1 Parallel Commentaries

Then. This was the first month of the fortieth year after the departure from Egypt. This year was the last of their journeyings, for from the going out of the spies unto this time, was about thirty-eight years.

Deuteronomy 1:22,23 And you came near to me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land...

Deuteronomy 2:14 And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years...

into

Numbers 13:21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

Numbers 27:14 For you rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation...

Numbers 33:36 And they removed from Eziongaber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.

Deuteronomy 32:51 Because you trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin...

Kadesh. This Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, is different from Kadesh-barnea, lying in, or adjoining to the wilderness of Paran, about eight leagues south of Hebron. Kadesh is called Rekam, by the Targumists, Rekem, in the Syriac, and Rakim, in Arabic. Rekem, says Rabbi Nissin, is on the east, meaning of the land of Israel.

Numbers 20:16 And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and has brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold...

Psalm 29:8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

Miriam

Numbers 12:1,10,15 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman...

Numbers 26:59 And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bore to Levi in Egypt...

Exodus 2:4,7 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him...

Exodus 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand...

Micah 6:4 For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of servants; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron...