The somewhat peculiar procedure of the ordeal in Numbers 5:6-28 hinged on a potion that invoked God's judgment on the woman. . . .It was not a poison and most likely did not contain any drug that would induce an abortion. It functioned almost as a prop to empower the ritual of execration and was coupled with an oath first spoken by the priest and then repeated by the woman. Certainly, there was an element of shaming involved in having to participate in this ritual and in speaking these words. However, such a public ritual, like a purgative oath, had a positive function as well, to remove all doubt of guilt or suspicion. . . .The fact that it involved elements of the ordeal rather than just a formal oath "before God" suggests a blending of judicial procedures to satisfy a case that otherwise could not be proven and would continue to damage a household's reputation.