the water of jealousy
Preserved but no longer current.
If a woman was known to have committed adultery she was to be stoned to death, according to the Mosaic law (Deut. xxii, 22). If, however, the husband had no proof, but only suspected his wife of infidelity, he might take her before the Sanhedrin to be examined, and if she denied it, she was given the "water of jealousy" to drink (Numb, v, 11-29).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the water of jealousy” mean?
If a woman was known to have committed adultery she was to be stoned to death, according to the Mosaic law (Deut. xxii, 22). If, however, the husband had no proof, but only suspected his wife of infidelity, he might take her before the Sanhedrin to be examined, and if she denied it, she was given the "water of jealousy" to drink (Numb, v, 11-29).
Is “the water of jealousy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.