Numbers 6:18

18 '1The Nazirite shall then shave his dedicated head of hair at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and take the dedicated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

Numbers 6:18 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 6:18

And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation, [at]
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation
The Targum of Jonathan is,

``and the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation without,''

without the tabernacle, the door of it, where the people assembled together; so that this was to be done publicly, that it might be known of all, and no offence taken at the Nazarite's drinking wine, and concerning himself for the dead, and attending funerals, for by this action it was known that his Nazariteship was at an end; and whereas the hair of the Nazarite was consecrated to the Lord by his vow, and this vow being punctually fulfilled, it was sacred, and to be presented to the Lord, and to be of no use and service to himself or others, and therefore to be all clean shaven off; for, as Maimonides F26 says, if two hairs only were left, nothing was done, and the command of shaving not kept:

and shall take the hair of the head of his separation;
being cut off and shaved;

and put [it] in the fire which [is] under the sacrifice of the peace
offerings;
under the pot or cauldron, as the Targum of Jonathan, in which the ram for the peace offerings was boiled: this was done in the court of the women in later times, at the southeast of which was a chamber called the chamber of the Nazarites, where they bailed their peace offerings, and shaved their hair and cast it under the pot F1; and this might not be put, as before observed, to any other use; if any of it was made use of in a sack that was made of hair cloth, we are told F2 that sack was to be burnt.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 Hilchot Nezirut, c. 8. sect. 6.
F1 Misn. Middoth, c. 2. sect. 5. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 16. 1.
F2 Misn. Orlah, c. 3. sect. 3.

Numbers 6:18 In-Context

16 'Then the priest shall present them before the LORD and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering.
17 'He shall also offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD , together with the basket of unleavened cakes; the priest shall likewise offer its grain offering and its drink offering.
18 'The Nazirite shall then shave his dedicated head of hair at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and take the dedicated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
19 'The priest shall take the ram's shoulder when it has been boiled, and one unleavened cake out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his dedicated hair.
20 'Then the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD . It is holy for the priest, together with the breast offered by waving and the thigh offered by lifting up; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.'

Cross References 1

  • 1. Numbers 6:9; Acts 21:23, 24
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