Numbers 6 · WEB
The Nazirite Vow and the Aaronic Blessing
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: 'When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Yahweh,
3he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.
4All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skin.
5All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
6All the days that he separates himself to Yahweh he shall not go near a dead body.
7He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his separation to God is on his head.
8All the days of his separation he is holy to Yahweh.
9If any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it.
10On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting.
11The priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead; and shall make his head holy that same day.
12He shall separate to Yahweh the days of his separation and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.
13This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting,
14and he shall offer his offering to Yahweh: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, one ram without defect for peace offerings,
15a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, along with their meal offering and their drink offerings.
16The priest shall present them before Yahweh and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering.
17He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering and its drink offering.
18The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
19The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, 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 the head of his separation;
20and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. This is holy for the priest, together with the wave breast and the heave thigh. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.'
21This is the law of the Nazirite who vows, and of his offering to Yahweh for his separation, in addition to that for which he is able to afford. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation."
22Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
23"Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.' You shall tell them,
24'Yahweh bless you and keep you.
25Yahweh make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
26Yahweh lift up his face toward you and give you peace.'
27So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them."
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Summary
God gives instructions for the Nazirite vow, a special voluntary commitment by which any man or woman could dedicate themselves to God for a set period. The Nazirite must abstain from all grape products, avoid cutting their hair, and stay away from dead bodies. The chapter closes with the Aaronic Blessing — one of the most beloved benedictions in Scripture — through which the priests would pronounce God's blessing, grace, and peace over all Israel.
Themes
- Voluntary devotion and consecration to God
- Holiness as separation for a purpose
- God's desire to bless his people
- The priestly role of pronouncing God's blessing
- Grace, protection, and peace as the content of divine blessing
Key verses
- Num 6:24-26 — “Yahweh bless you and keep you. Yahweh make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. Yahweh lift up his face toward you and give you peace.”
- Num 6:27 — “So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
- Num 6:5 — “All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy.”
Context & background
The Nazirite vow (from the Hebrew nazir, meaning "consecrated" or "separated") was a voluntary act of intensified devotion available to any Israelite, male or female — a democratization of holiness ordinarily associated with priests. Famous Nazirites in Scripture include Samson (Judg 13), Samuel (1 Sam 1), and John the Baptist (Luke 1:15). The Aaronic Blessing (vv. 24-26), given at Sinai in the Sinai Peninsula (modern Egypt), is among the oldest liturgical texts in existence; a version was discovered inscribed on silver scrolls in Jerusalem dating to the 7th century BC. It remains in active use in Jewish synagogues and many Christian churches today, making it one of the most enduring pieces of biblical liturgy.
Cross-references
- 2 Cor 13:14 — Paul's apostolic blessing echoes the threefold Aaronic structure
- Acts 18:18 — Paul shaving his head as part of a vow, likely a Nazirite dedication
- Heb 7:7 — "The lesser is blessed by the greater," placing the priestly blessing in its theological context
- Judg 13:5 — Samson's Nazirite vow from birth, illustrating the lifelong form of the vow
- Ps 67:1 — "God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us" — a psalm directly echoing the Aaronic Blessing