Numbers 6

The LORD spoke to Moses and said,

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2"Speak to the people of Israel and tell them this: when a man or a woman makes a special promise, the promise of a Nazirite, in order to set himself apart for the LORD,

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

NoteA Nazirite (the Hebrew word means "one set apart" or "dedicated") was not a priest and did not belong to any special tribe or class. Any ordinary Israelite, man or woman, could take this vow voluntarily, usually for a fixed stretch of time, after which normal life resumed. The three restrictions that follow (no grape products, no cutting the hair, no contact with a corpse) were the whole content of the vow. (KJV "Nazarite" is the same word; it has no connection with the town of Nazareth.)

3he must stay away from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from strong drink, and he must not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.

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

Note"Strong drink" translates a Hebrew word for fermented drink made from something other than grapes, beer made from barley, or drink made from dates or other fruit. The ban covers not just alcohol but everything the grapevine produces, including vinegar, which was soured wine used as a condiment and, watered down, as a cheap drink.

4For the whole time he is set apart, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

4All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

5For the whole time of his promise to stay set apart, no razor may touch his head. Until the time he is set apart for the LORD is complete, he is holy, and he must let the hair of his head grow long.

5All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

NoteUncut hair was the visible public marker of the vow: anyone meeting the person could see at once that he was under it. The length of the hair also showed roughly how long he had been keeping it.

6For the whole time he is set apart for the LORD, he must not go near a dead body.

6All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.

NoteIn Israelite law, touching or being under the same roof as a corpse made a person ritually unclean for seven days. "Unclean" here is a ceremonial status, not dirt or wrongdoing; it simply barred a person from the sanctuary and from holy things until the set purification was carried out.

7Even if his father or his mother or his brother or his sister dies, he must not make himself unclean for them, because the sign that he is set apart for his God is on his head.

7He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.

NoteBurying and mourning close relatives was a duty so strong that the law elsewhere makes exceptions for it. This verse removes even that exception for the Nazirite. The KJV phrase "the consecration of his God is upon his head" uses a Hebrew word (nezer) that also names the crown or diadem worn by a king or the high priest, the long hair functions as that kind of emblem.

8For the whole time he is set apart, he belongs to the LORD as holy.

8All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.

9If someone beside him dies very suddenly, so that the head he set apart is made unclean, then he must shave his head on the day he is made clean, which is the seventh day.

9And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.

NoteThe seven days are the standard purification period after contact with a corpse (set out in Numbers 19). Shaving removes the hair that had been dedicated and is now defiled, so the vow can be started over from zero.

10On the eighth day he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

10And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:

NoteKJV "turtles" means turtledoves, small wild pigeons, not turtles. A pair of birds was the least expensive animal offering the law allowed, so this requirement did not depend on wealth. The tent of meeting (KJV "tabernacle of the congregation") was the portable sanctuary the Israelites carried through the wilderness; its entrance was where offerings were presented.

11The priest will offer one bird as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and so cover over his sin, because he sinned by being near the dead body. That same day he will make his head holy again.

11And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day.

NoteA sin offering (also translated "purification offering") dealt with ritual defilement and unintentional wrongs; a burnt offering was burned up entirely on the altar rather than shared as food. "Atonement" translates a Hebrew verb meaning to wipe clean or cover over, restoring a person to a state in which they may approach the sanctuary.

12He must set himself apart to the LORD again for the full time of his promise, and bring a male lamb one year old as a guilt offering. The days before this do not count, because his time of being set apart was made unclean.

12And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.

NoteThe guilt offering (KJV "trespass offering") was the sacrifice made when something holy had been damaged or misused, and it often came with compensation. Note what the verse says next: the clock resets entirely. Time already served under the vow does not count toward the total.

13This is the law for the Nazirite when the time he is set apart is complete. He must be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting,

13And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:

14and there he must present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb a year old with nothing wrong with it as a burnt offering, one female lamb a year old with nothing wrong with it as a sin offering, and one ram with nothing wrong with it as a peace offering,

14And he shall offer his 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 for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings,

Note"Without blemish" means physically unflawed, no injury, disease or deformity. A peace offering (also translated "fellowship offering") was the one kind of sacrifice partly eaten by the worshiper and their household as a shared meal, with set portions going to the priests.

15along with a basket of bread made without yeast, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and thin wafers made without yeast and brushed with oil, together with the grain offerings and the drink offerings that go with them.

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

NoteBread without yeast is flat and quick to make; leavened bread was normally kept out of offerings burned at the altar. KJV "meat offering" does not mean flesh, in 1611 "meat" meant food in general, and this offering was flour, oil and incense. A drink offering was wine poured out beside the altar.

16The priest will bring all of these before the LORD and will present the man's sin offering and his burnt offering.

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

17He will present the ram to the LORD as a peace offering, along with the basket of bread made without yeast. The priest will also present the grain offering and the drink offering that go with it.

17And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.

18Then, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave the head he set apart. He must take the hair from his head and put it on the fire that is burning under the peace offering.

18And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.

NoteBurning the hair in the fire under the peace offering hands it over with the sacrifice rather than simply discarding it: the hair had been dedicated along with the person, so it is disposed of as a holy thing.

19The priest will take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one loaf without yeast from the basket, and one wafer without yeast, and put them into the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved off the hair he set apart.

19And the priest shall take the sodden 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 the hair of his separation is shaven:

NoteKJV "sodden" is the old past participle of "seethe" and means boiled. Placing the food in the worshiper's hands and then waving it is the gesture that formally transfers it from him to the sanctuary.

20The priest will then lift them up and move them back and forth before the LORD as a wave offering. This is a holy portion for the priest, along with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

20And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.

NoteThe wave offering was presented with a ritual motion before the altar and then went to the priests as food. The breast and the thigh (KJV "heave shoulder") were the priests' standing share of every peace offering; the boiled shoulder here is an extra portion on top of that. The closing line marks the vow as formally over, the ban on wine lifts.

21This is the law for the Nazirite who makes the promise, and for the offering he brings to the LORD because he is set apart, besides whatever else he can afford. He must do exactly what he promised, following the law for being set apart."

21This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.

NoteKJV "beside that that his hand shall get" means "in addition to whatever else he can afford." The offerings listed are the minimum; a person with means could promise more, and having promised it, was bound to it.

22The LORD spoke to Moses and said,

22And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

23"Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: this is how you are to bless the people of Israel. Say to them,

23Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,

NoteAaron and his sons were the priests; this is the wording they were to use over the assembled people. In Hebrew the blessing is tightly built, three lines of three, five and seven words, each naming the LORD, each widening as it goes.

24'May the LORD bless you and keep you safe.

24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

25May the LORD make his face shine on you and be kind to you.

25The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

Note"Make his face shine on you" is an ancient idiom for turning toward someone with favor, the way a face lights up on seeing a person you are glad to see. The opposite idiom, hiding the face, means refusal or disregard.

26May the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.'

26The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Note"Lift up his countenance" is a parallel idiom: to raise the face toward someone, meeting their eyes, rather than looking away. "Peace" translates shalom, which is broader than the absence of fighting: it covers health, safety, prosperity and everything being sound and whole.

27In this way they will put my name on the people of Israel, and I will bless them."

27And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

Note"Put my name on" is legal-sounding language for marking something as belonging to someone, the way a name stamped on property identifies its owner.