Numbers 6:18

18 "Then the Nazirites will shave their heads at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair as proof that they had made this vow, and put it on the fire under the fellowship offering.

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 "The priest will bring these offerings to the LORD and make the offering for sin and the burnt offering.
17 He will sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the LORD, offer the basket of unleavened bread along with it, and make the grain offerings and wine offerings.
18 "Then the Nazirites will shave their heads at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair as proof that they had made this vow, and put it on the fire under the fellowship offering.
19 "Then the priest will take one of the shoulders from a boiled ram, one ring of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread and hand them to the Nazirites after they have shaved off their hair.
20 The priest will present them as an offering to the LORD. They are holy and belong to the priest, along with the ram's breast that is presented and the thigh that is given. After that, the Nazirites may drink wine.
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