במדבר, פרק ה׳, פסוק כ״א

In a highly dramatic moment, the priest reaches the climax of the ritual. He administers a severe oath accompanied by a curse, aiming to bring the woman to a truthful confession before taking the irreversible step of erasing God's name into the bitter waters. The ceremony emphasizes the act of administering the oath, a repetition that commentators explain in several ways. Some suggest it is simply due to the lengthy conditions already stated in the ritual [שד״ל, מלבי״ם]. Others view it as two distinct oaths: one to tell the truth, and another to accept the curse if she is lying [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם]. A third perspective sees this as a dramatic pause in the ceremony. The priest stops right before writing God's name on the parchment, pleading with the woman to confess and thereby prevent the unnecessary erasure of the Divine Name [שפתי כהן]. To ensure his plea is effective, he must speak to her directly, without an interpreter, allowing his words to penetrate her heart [תורה תמימה].

The oath inherently carries a curse [רש״י, בכור שור], to which the woman is required to answer "Amen" [רלב״ג, חזקוני]. If she is guilty, she is told that God will make her a symbol of tragedy. Her fate will become a standard formula for others; people will use her name to curse their enemies, wishing upon them her exact punishment, or they will invoke her tragedy when swearing an oath, declaring that if they are lying, they should suffer her fate [רש״י, רשב״ם, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This devastation is to occur specifically among her people, as the punishment and disgrace are far more crushing when experienced publicly among those who know her [מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, the mention of her people indicates that this ritual is only conducted when the Israelites are settled in their land with a functioning Temple and Sanhedrin, rather than during times of exile [צפנת פענח, מלבי״ם].

The physical punishment directly targets the body parts involved in the sin [תולדות יצחק]. The swelling of the belly and the falling of the thigh describe severe physical deterioration, with the thigh either shriveling [ביאור שטיינזלץ] or suffering a defect that prevents future pregnancy [חזקוני]. The thigh is generally understood as a delicate euphemism for the reproductive organs and womb [שד״ל, חזקוני], though another approach suggests it serves as a metaphor for her overall physical strength and body [אם למקרא]. There is a fascinating discrepancy between the order of the organs mentioned in the priest's curse and the actual physical sequence of the punishment. The priest mentions the thigh before the belly, as the thigh represents where the physical transgression began [רש״י, רלב״ג]. However, when the bitter waters take effect, they strike the belly first. This is because the belly is where the sin was finalized [רלב״ג, משכיל לדוד], or because it represents the internal source of the evil thoughts and denial that led her to agree to drink the waters [תולדות יצחק]. The priest deliberately informs the woman of this reversed sequence in advance, ensuring that when her belly begins to swell first, she will not mistakenly conclude that the waters are failing to work properly [תורה תמימה].