Ba – The Nazarite Vow 6: 1-21

The Nazarite Vow
6: 1-21

The Nazarite vow DIG: Why was one of the main characteristics of a Nazirite the growth of his or her hair? What did it symbolize? Why do you think that the LORD required a Nazirite to abstain from specific things? What similarities are there between the Nazirites and the priesthood? In what ways were Nazarites like priests? In what way did Yeshua Messiah become a Nazirite?

REFLECT: Why do you think a person would become a Nazirite? Why do you think a Nazirite was required to bring a sin offering at the conclusion of his or her vow? Can a Nazirite Vow be taken in today’s world? What aspect of it cannot be fulfilled today? Have you ever felt the need to take time apart to be with the Lord in a special way? What was it that brought you to that place in your life?

The Nazirites were lay people within the community,
who had been set apart as especially holy and dedicated to ADONAI.

The Hebrew word for Nazirite is nazir. It is from the verb nazar, meaning to separate. From its usage in the Torah, it would seem that nazir means a separated one. The Nazirites were under an unusual vow of separation, who were lay people within the community who had been set apart as especially holy and dedicated to ADONAI. Such dedications to special service to YHVH were made either by their parents or by the Nazirites themselves. The three most famous Nazirites of the Bible were Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist. Yet these three were exceptional because they were all set apart as Nazirites prior to birth. The normal Nazirite vow was for a short term, from only one month to several years. Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist were all conceived in otherwise barren wombs, and were therefore dedicated by their grateful mothers into lives of separation under the Nazarite vow. But according to Torah, the life of the Nazir was open to any and all who desired it.

According to the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ei – The Oral Law), there were two components to undertaking the Nazarite vow. There was an oral declaration and a statement of duration. The oral declaration was regarded as binding even if it was stated in less than explicit language. Thus, one who said, “I will abstain from haircuts,” or “I will abstain from grape seeds,” or “I will be like Samson” are all regarded as having formally taken a Nazirite vow (M.Nazir 1:1-2). It is also said, “If they filled a cup [of wine] for him and he said, ‘I will be an abstainer (Nazir) from it’ then he becomes a Naziri (M.Nazir 2:2). The Master’s words: I tell you the truth, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, are formulated as a statement of vow. In addition to the oral declaration, a statement of duration was necessary. Thirty days was the minimum duration of the vow. One who did not state the length of his or her vow was bound to at least thirty days (M.Nazir 1:3-7). The Master stated the duration of His vow at the outset. He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again: until that day when I drink it again with you in My Father’s Kingdom.

During the days of the Second Temple, the Nazirite vow could only be completed by the specified sacrifices there. However, Nazirite vows were regularly practiced long after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Even in the days while the Temple still stood, Jews living outside the land of Isra’el practiced Nazirite vows. Distance from the Temple prevented them from completing the vow according to prescribed Temple ritual. But it did not prevent them from otherwise observing the vow. Because a Nazirite vow can only be truly fulfilled at the Temple, the Sages say that one who takes and completes a Nazirite vow outside of the Land must repeat the vow within the land of Isra’el.⁹⁹

These verses are displayed in a chiastic fashion (see Ac – Numbers from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: Chiasm and introversion). The Nazir who successfully observed these prohibitions underwent the prearranged ritual (AB-BA). However, if his vow was cut short by contamination, another ritual was also set (C), which is the main point. It explains the placement of this portion of Scripture. After the census of the Israelites (see Ai – The First Census: The Old Generation of Rebellion), the positioning of the people and the Levites, and the detailing of the responsibilities of the priesthood in the wilderness march (Chapters 1-4), concern is expressed regarding the defilement of the camp both ritually (5:1-8) and ethically (5:11-31). Thus, the possibility of the defilement of the holy Nazarite occupies center stage here.¹⁰⁰

An Introduction (6:1-2): ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘When either a man or a woman makes a special kind of vow, the vow of a Nazir, consecrating himself to ADONAI . . .” When one thinks of the term Nazirite, the name Samson may come to mind (see the commentary on Judges Bt – The Twelfth Cycle: Sampson). But it turns out that his situation did not reflect the normal meaning of the Nazirite vow (and, as is well known, he didn’t keep the vows well at all!). Neither is it generally known that these vows of special devotion to YHVH could be made by a woman as well as a man. Most simply assume that the religious vows of the Nazir were intended for men only. However, this text expressly begins: when either a man or a woman. Thus, women were not precluded from this vow.

The Hebrew text uses an extremely strong verb in describing the vow of the Nazir in the phrase makes a special (Hebrew: pala) kind of vow. The verb pala in the Hiphil means to make a hard, extraordinary vow. This verb in the Niphal is used extensively throughout the TaNaKh with ADONAI as the subject and is often rendered by words of amazement. Moshe declares in Exodus 3:20: . . . the wonders that I will perform, and Psalm 118:23 . . . it is marvelous in our eyes. In our passage here in Numbers, as in Leviticus 27:2, the Hiphil is used as an extraordinary vow of a believer of YHVH. This vow, then, does not describe a routine matter or even an expected act of devotion one might make from time to time. This vow was an act of unusual devotion to God, based on an intense desire to demonstrate to the LORD one’s utter separation to Him alone.¹⁰¹

B Prohibitions (6:3-8): While under the term of the vow, the Nazir was prohibited from consuming any fruit of the vine. He is to abstain from wine and other intoxicating liquor, he is not to drink vinegar from either source, he is not to drink grape juice, and he is not to eat grapes or raisins. As long as he remains a Nazir he is to eat nothing derived from the grapevine, not even the grape-skins or the seeds (6:3-4). The significance of abstaining from the fruit of the vine and intoxication seems to be a direct connection to the priesthood. Just as the priests were forbidden from drinking alcohol while on duty in the Temple, the nazarite was forbidden from drinking alcohol while under his vow. Yet, the nazarite’s prohibitions far exceeded those of the priesthood. One who undertook a Nazirite vow would need to be scrupulously careful to avoid any food made with grape products, even if the amounts were small.¹⁰²

Throughout the period of his vow as a Nazir, he is not to shave his head. Until the end of the time for which he has consecrated himself to ADONAI he is to be holy: he is to let the hair on his head grow long (6:5). The significance of the hair is that it indicated the duration of the vow. At a minimum, a Nazirite vow was thirty days, but there was no upper limit. A Nazir could take the vow for years. When the vow was finally completed, the Nazir shaved his hair and offered it up in the Temple as part of the sacrificial service in the Chamber of the Nazirites in the Court of the Women (see the commentary on Acts Co – Paul’s Arrest in Jerusalem). In Acts, where we are told that Paul had his hair cut off, for he was keeping a vow. Perhaps he was completing (or beginning) a personal Nazirite vow in the diaspora with the intention of repeating it in Jerusalem under the authority of the priesthood. At any rate, he was seen fulfilling a Nazirite vow in Acts 21:20-26.

Throughout the period for which he has consecrated himself to ADONAI, he is not to approach a corpse. He is not to make himself unclean for his father, mother, brother or sister when they die, since his consecration to God is on his head. Throughout the time of his being a Nazir he is holy to the LORD (6:6-8). In respect to the prohibition of coming into contact with the dead, the Nazir resembles the High Priest, who was also forbidden to contaminate himself attending the burial rites of the members of his immediate family (Leviticus 21:11).

C Defilement (6:9-12): If someone next to him died very suddenly, so that he defiles his consecrated head, then he is to shave his head on the day of his purification; he is to shave it on the seventh day. On the eighth day he is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tabernacle. The priest is to prepare one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering and thus make atonement for him, inasmuch as he sinned because of the dead body. That same day he is to re-dedicate his head; he is to consecrate to ADONAI the full period of his being a nazir by bringing a male lamb in its first year as a guilt offering. The previous days will not be counted, because his dedication became defiled.

When the Nazirite period ended because of corpse contamination it needed to start all over again. During Temple times, a Nazir that came into contact with a dead body was required to go through a seven-day purification via the waters of the red heifer (see De – The Red Heifer). In this respect, the demands on the Nazir were more stringent than the corpse-contaminated priest, who, as in the case of a layman, underwent a seven-day purification, but did not have to bring any sacrifices. While the Nazir had to bring the sacrifices as seen below.¹⁰³

B Completion (6:13-20): This is the mitzvah for the Nazir when his period of dedication to ADONAI is over: he is to be brought to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where he will present his offering to ADONAI – one male lamb in its first year without defect as a burnt offering, one female lamb in its first year without defect as a sin offering, one ram without defect as peace offerings, a basket of matzah, loaves made of fine flour mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers spread with olive oil, their grain offering and their drink offerings. The priest is to bring them before ADONAI, offer his purification offering (see the commentary on Leviticus  Al – The Purification Offering: Purified by Blood), his burnt offering (see Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God), and his ram as a sacrifice of peace offerings to ADONAI, with the basket of matzah. The priest will also offer the grain offering and drink offering that go with the peace offering. The Nazir will shave his dedicated head at the entrance to the Tabernacle, take the hair removed from his dedicated head and put it on the fire under the sacrifice of peace offerings (see Leviticus Ak – The Peace Offerings: At Peace with God). These sacrifices resemble the sacrifices offered by the priesthood on their day of ordination. When the ram has been boiled, the priest is to take its shoulder, one loaf of matzah from the basket and one unleavened wafer, and place them in the hands of the Nazir, after he has shaved his dedicated head. The priest is to wave them as a wave offering before ADONAI; this is set aside for the priest, along with the breast for waving and the raised-up thigh. Following that, the Nazir may drink wine.

This is the primary aspect of the Nazirite vow that cannot be kept today. Without a Temple, the Nazirite vow can never be properly completed. Therefore, one who understands the Nazirite prohibitions is never able to fully resolve his or her vow.

Summary (6:21): The Torah goes on to suggest that a Nazir completing his vow may well want to bring more than these minimum sacrifices. This is the mitzvah for the Nazir who makes a vow and for his offering to ADONAI for his being a Nazir. He should at least bring these in addition to anything more for which he has sufficient means. In keeping with whatever vow he makes, he must do it according to the mitzvah for the Nazir. It seems that most Nazirites could not even afford the minimum though. In Acts 21, Jacob (James) had four Nazirite believers in the community who could not pay their own expenses to complete their vow. So it was suggested that Paul pay for their expenses, and go with them to Jerusalem and complete his own vow (see the commentary on Acts Cn – Paul’s Advice from Jacob and the Elders at Tziyon).

Priests and Nazirites: But why would anyone want to be a Nazir? What was the allure of Nazirite life? What did it mean to be under a Nazarite vow? One cannot help but notice that the mitzvot of the Nazir bear a striking resemblance to several of the mitzvot of the priesthood. Just as the priesthood was forbidden to drink wine or any fermented drink when serving in the Tabernacle or Temple, so too the Nazir was forbidden any wine or fermented drink. Just as the priesthood was commanded to avoid ritual contamination through a human corpse, so the Nazir was forbidden. In fact, the Nazirite prohibition from corpse contact extended further that of the average priest. The average priest was allowed to become unclean for close relatives. Only the high priest was under purity restrictions as severe as the Nazirites (Leviticus 21:11; Numbers 6:7).

The parallels go even further. The priests were not allowed to uncover their heads or use a razor on their hair, but they were to trim it (Leviticus 10:6; Ezeki’el 44:20). The Nazirites were not allowed to use a razor or even trim their hair while under the vow. Obviously the priesthood and Nazirites share a similar status. The Torah even explicitly states that the high priest has been separated (nezer) by virtue of the anointing oil poured on his head (Leviticus 21:10-12). The Torah uses almost identical language to explain the Nazirite’s high level of purity (Numbers 6:6-7). Notice the identical construction of the Nazirite passage and the high priest passage. By virtue of their construction and content, the two passages clearly point to each other. Therefore, the Ruach Ha’Kodeah means for us to make a comparison between a priest and Nazir. Both high priest and the Nazir enjoy a status of separation called nezer which is theirs by virtue of a ritual marking on their heads. For the high priest, it is the anointing oil poured out on his head that grants him the nezer status. For the Nazir, it is the hair on his head that grants him the nezer status.

The Torah gives us another connection between the Nazirite and the priesthood and things on their heads. The engraved plate which the high priest wore was part of the priestly clothing. The words: Holy to the LORD were inscribed on it (see the commentary on Exodus Gc – Make an Engraved Plate: Holy to the LORD). During the period of his vow, the Nazirite is holy to the LORD (6:8). This is the same status attributed to the priesthood, especially the high priest.

A further parallel between priests and Nazirites is obvious in the list of sacrifices both are to present to ADONAI. The sacrifices the priests were to bring for their ordination are listed in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8. They include a purification offering, a burnt offering, and a peace offering for ordination along with a basket of unleavened bread, cakes mixed with oil and wafers spread with oil. The sacrifices the Nazirite needed to bring at the termination of his vow included the same combinations.

Three would-be priests: What was the connection the Torah is emphasizing between the priest and the Nazir. Perhaps the Nazirite vow was the laymen’s response to the priesthood. To the average Israelite, the priesthood was inaccessible, because according to the Torah, only the descendants of Aaron qualified for the priesthood. Therefore, a Reubenite or a Simeonite found himself excluded from position among the priests of ADONAI. Perhaps the Nazarite vow was the next best thing, a sort of quasi-priestly status which could be attained by anyone who was willing to make the vow.

This may help to explain how Samuel the prophet rose to the office of high priest. He was not from the House of Aaron. It is likely that his formal adoption into the family of Eli granted him a position in Aaron’s house to take on the role of priest. But it is also possible that his status of being a Nazirite since birth allowed him priestly privileges which would have otherwise not have been available to him. At any rate, the connection between the priesthood and the Nazir is again emphasized in the story of Samuel.

John the Baptist was another Nazir from birth. Unlike Samuel, John was already from a priestly family and was kosher to serve in the priesthood by any standard. However, like the Essene sect of his day, he opted out of participating in the Temple services with a politically compromised and morally corrupt priesthood. When he reached the age of priesthood (that is 30), rather than going to serve as a priest, he went to the Jordan River and baptized the multitudes in a “back to God” movement. Perhaps his lifelong status as a Nazir, was priesthood enough for him.

A third and particularly tantalizing Nazirite account is that of James the Righteous, the brother of the Master. Eusebius quotes Hegesippus in his ecclesiastical History regarding the martyrdom of James. He writes, “James drank no wine or intoxicating liquor; no razor came near his head. He alone was permitted to enter the Holy Place, for his garments were not of wool but of linen. He used to enter the Sanctuary alone, and was often found on his knees beseeching forgiveness for the people . . .” This text raises an intriguing problem. We find here a very strong and early tradition about James that places him inside the Temple Sanctuary, which was forbidden to all except for the priesthood. How is it that James, a man descended from the House of David and the tribe of Judah was allowed access to the Sanctuary where only the priests were allowed? How is it that we find James clothed in linen garments, that is priestly garments, praying inside the Temple proper? Is it because James was a Nazir, and as a Nazir, he obtained some kind of quasi-priestly status? We must either accept it as so, or reject the tradition of Hegesippus altogether. Regardless of which one we choose, we cannot ignore that once again a connection between priest and Nazirite has been drawn.

The Torah itself goes on to tie the priesthood and the Nazirite more tightly together by following the passage about the Nazarites with the priestly benediction (see Bb – The Aaronic Blessing). It seems to be an awkward association unless there is some connection between the Nazarite vow and the priesthood.¹⁰⁴

Nobody is saved by making and keeping a vow. Salvation is the gift of ADONAI to those who believe (Ephesians 2:8-9), not a reward to those who behave. However, there are some people who are led by the Lord to make special vows to God; not to get something from Him but to give something to Him. And as long as those vows don’t contradict Scripture, they can be blessed by YHVH (Psalm 22:25; 50:14; 61:5 and 8, 76:11 and 116:14). People will make vows to God just so He’ll get them out of trouble (Psalm 66:13-14); Jonah 2:9), and some of these people will forget their promises when they’re safe and comfortable again. But it’s a dangerous thing to make promises to God and not keep them (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7).¹⁰⁵

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being such a wonderful Heavenly Father. Thank You for the joy of being able to offer back to You the spiritual sacrifice of praise.  You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house- a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Messiah Yeshua (First Peter 2:5). You, God, are so worthy of our praise! Through Yeshua then, let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips giving thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15).  What a privilege it is to have a loving relationship with You as our Heavenly Father and a joy to follow and obey all You say in Your Holy Word. Thank You for being willing to live within those who love You.  Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). You are awesome and I thank You for letting me, though I may not be a Levite, to offer sacrifices of praise to You! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen