And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse: (Numbers 5:18)
These various acts would have the tendency to break down the woman’s fortitude and cause her to confess, if guilty.
Bitter water.
The literal expression in the Hebrew is “waters of bitterness.” Not that the water was of itself bitter of taste, but that for the guilty person there would be bitter results (see Jer. 2:19; 4:18; Eze. 23:48).