Numbers 6

1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the sons of Israel and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to dedicate themselves unto the LORD,

3 they shall separate themselves from wine and strong drink and shall drink no vinegar of wine or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall they drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes or dried.

4 All the days of their Nazariteship they shall eat nothing that is made of the wine vine, from the kernels even to the husk.

5 All the days of the vow of their Nazariteship no razor shall come upon their head, until the days are fulfilled of their separation unto the LORD; they shall be holy and shall let the locks of the hair of their head grow.

6 All the days that they separate themselves unto the LORD they shall come in unto no dead body.

7 They shall not make themselves unclean for their father or for their mother, for their brother or for their sister, when they die because the consecration of their God is upon their head.

8 All the days of their Nazariteship they are holy unto the LORD.

9 And if anyone dies very suddenly beside them, and they have defiled the head of their Nazariteship, then they shall shave their head in the day of their cleansing; on the seventh day shall they shave it.

10 And on the eighth day they shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest to the door of the tabernacle of the testimony,

11 and the priest shall offer the one as the sin and the other as a burnt offering and reconcile the one that sinned upon the dead and shall sanctify their head that same day.

12 And they shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of their Nazariteship and shall bring a lamb of the first year for their guilt; but the days that were before shall be lost because their Nazariteship was defiled.

13 This is, therefore, the law of the Nazarite, in the day in which their Nazariteship is fulfilled: they shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the testimony;

14 and they shall offer their offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish as the sin and one ram without blemish for peace offerings,

15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil and their present and their drink offerings.

16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD and shall offer his sin and his burnt offering;

17 and he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall likewise offer his present and his drink offering.

18 Then the Nazarite shall shave the head of their Nazariteship at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony and shall take the hair of the head of their Nazariteship and put it upon the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace.

19 Then the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram and one unleavened cake out of the basket and one unleavened wafer and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite after their Nazariteship is shaven;

20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD, which shall be a holy thing of the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder; and after that the Nazarite shall drink wine.

21 This is the law of the Nazarite who made a vow of their offering unto the LORD for their Nazariteship, beside that which their means allows, according to the vow which they vowed, so they must do according to the law of their Nazariteship.

22 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, Thus shall ye bless the sons of Israel, saying unto them,

24 The LORD bless thee and keep thee;

25 the LORD make his face shine upon thee and have mercy on thee;

26 the LORD lift up his face upon thee, and place peace in thee.

27 And they shall place my name upon the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.

Numbers 6 Commentary

Chapter 6

The law concerning the Nazarites. (1-21) The form of blessing the people. (22-27)

Verses 1-21 The word Nazarite signifies separation. Some were appointed of God, before their birth, to be Nazarites all their days, as Samson and John the Baptist. But, in general, it was a vow of separation from the world and devotedness to the services of religion, for a limited time, and under certain rules, which any person might make if they pleased. A Nazarite is spoken of as well known; but his obligation is brought to a greater certainty than before. That the fancies of superstitious men might not multiply the restraints endlessly, God gives them rules. They must not drink wine or strong drink, nor eat grapes. Those who separate themselves to God, must not gratify the desires of the body, but keep it under. Let all Christians be very moderate in the use of wine and strong drink; for if the love of these once gets the mastery of a man, he becomes an easy prey to Satan. The Nazarites were to eat nothing that came of the vine; this may teach the utmost care to avoid sin, and all that borders upon it, and leads to it, or may be a temptation to us. They must not cut their hair. They must neither poll their heads, nor shave their beards; this was the mark of Samson being a Nazarite. This signified neglect of the body, and of the ease and ornament of it. Those who separate themselves to God, must keep their consciences pure from dead works, and not touch unclean things. All the days of their separation they must be holy to the Lord. This was the meaning of those outward observances, and without this they were of no account. No penalty or sacrifice was appointed for those who wilfully broke their vow of being Nazarites; they must answer another day for such profane trifling with the Lord their God; but those were to be relieved who did not sin wilfully. There is nothing in Scripture that bears the least resemblance to the religious orders of the church of Rome, except these Nazarites. But mark the difference, or rather how completely opposed! The religious of that church are forbidden to marry; but no such restriction is laid upon the Nazarites. They are commanded to abstain from meats; but the Nazarites might eat any food allowed other Israelites. They are not generally forbidden wine, not even on their fasting days; but the Nazarites might not have wine at any time. Their vow is lasting, even to the end of their lives; the Nazarites' vow was only for a limited time, at their own will; and in certain cases not unless allowed by husbands or parents. Such a thorough difference there is between rules of man's invention and those directed in Scripture, Let us not forget that the Lord Jesus is not only our Surety, but also our example. For his sake we must renounce worldly pleasures, abstain from fleshy lusts, be separate from sinners, make open profession of our faith, moderate natural affections, be spiritually-minded, and devoted to God's service, and desirous to be an example all around us.

Verses 22-27 The priests were solemnly to bless the people in the name of the Lord. To be under the almighty protection of God our Saviour; to enjoy his favour as the smile of a loving Father, or as the cheering beams of the sun; while he mercifully forgives our sins, supplies our wants, consoles the heart, and prepares us by his grace for eternal glory; these things form the substance of this blessing, and the sum total of all blessings. In so rich a list of mercies worldly joys are not worthy to be mentioned. Here is a form of prayer. The name Jehovah is three times repeated. The Jews think there is some mystery; and we know what it is, the New Testament having explained it. There we are directed to expect the blessing from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the communion of the ( 2 Corinthians. 13:14 ) yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 6

In this chapter is given the law concerning Nazarites, Nu 6:1,2; which directs what they were to abstain from, from drinking wine, or any strong liquors, from shaving their heads, and defiling themselves with the dead, Nu 6:3-8; and in case of a defilement, directions are given what offerings a Nazarite should bring to be offered for him, Nu 6:9-12; and when the time of his Nazariteship was up, an account is given of what rites and ceremonies should then be performed, Nu 6:13-21; and the chapter is concluded with the form of blessing the children of Israel, to be used by Aaron and his sons, Nu 6:22-27.