6:2 a man or a woman While the Nazirites depicted elsewhere in the Bible are all men, women could also take the vow. A woman needed permission from her husband or father, as was the case with other vows (30:3–16).

a Nazirite The Hebrew term used here, nazir, means “devoted one.” The nature of the vow is described by the related Hebrew verb nazar, which denotes abstaining. It designates someone who took a vow to live distinctly from the rest of the community. The Nazirite did this by following certain distinctive customs (compare note on vv. 1–21). In nonreligious contexts it describes someone singled out from a group (see Gen 49:26).

6:3 wine and fermented drink That is, any fermented drink. Barley was also fermented into a beer-like substance in antiquity.

fresh or dry grapes The Nazirite was not allowed to consume any beverage or food deriving from the grapevine.

6:4 All the days of his separation The period of time one would live as a Nazirite was up to the individual. In the case of Samson and Samuel, their parents devoted them to Yahweh as lifelong Nazirites.

6:5 a razor will not pass over his head Nazirites were not permitted to cut their hair. The treatment of the hair after the period of the vow ended (Num 6:13–21) suggests that uncut hair was central to the Nazirite vow. This is exemplified in the story of Samson, who loses his power when his hair is cut, but regains it when his hair grows back (Judg 16:15–31).

6:6 to a person who is dead Nazirites were prohibited from touching corpses. Since death was the antithesis of life, contact with death resulted in ritual impurity and made all persons unfit for entering sacred space and approaching the life-giver, God. This prohibition resembles that of the high priest, who was prohibited from attending funerals (Lev 21:2–11).

Did Samson Violate His Nazirite Vow?

6:9 on the seventh day he will shave it off When Nazirites broke their vow through unintentional contact with a corpse, the vow would start again following procedures for purification.

6:10 two turtledoves or two young pigeons These are the least costly animal sacrifices of the sacrificial system.

the tent of assembly The tent was essentially a “portable Sinai,” where Moses and God conversed in private. See note on Num 1:1.

6:11 a sin offering This offering, known as the chatta'th, was for ritual purification or cleansing. See note on Lev 4:1–5:13.

a burnt offering The burnt offering was a general food offering that was offered twice daily (see Lev 1:3–17 and note).

he will make atonement for him Refers to purging of impurity. See note on Lev 4:20.

Atonement

he sinned concerning the corpse The Hebrew word for sinning (chata) speaks of missing or failing to meet a standard (compare Judg 20:16). Nazirites fail to meet the standard of their vows when they come in contact with a corpse—even if that contact was unintentional.

6:12 will fall away The period of the Nazirite’s vow restarted after his purification, atonement, and reparation. The previous period did not count toward the vow’s fulfillment.

6:14 ram-lamb A more costly animal than the pigeons or turtledoves. The Hebrew term used here, keves, refers generally to sheep since texts that use the word often explicitly indicate the age of the sheep (compare Exod 12:5; Lev 4:32; 9:3; 14:10).

a fellowship offering The meat of this offering belonged to the person bringing the sacrifice. It was cooked and eaten within the tabernacle area. See note on Lev 3:1–17.

6:17 grain offering See Lev 2:1–16 and note.

6:18 he will put it on the fire Because the hair was holy (Num 6:5, 7)—set apart to God because of the terms of the vow—it had to be destroyed by fire to avoid incurring defilement as a sacred object.

6:20 the breast section of the wave offering, and in addition to the upper thigh of Here, the wave offering (tenuphah in Hebrew) is elevated and offered to God for His special attention and ownership. The thing offered became the property of God. The offered portions were first placed on the palms of the donor as a symbolic gesture of prior ownership and subsequent transfer to God. See note on Lev 7:30.

Nazirite may drink wine The vow has thus ended.

6:21 concerning the instruction of his separation Nazirites were obligated to fulfill their vows (compare Num 30:3; Deut 23:22). If they were too poor to do so, the community could do so on their behalf—a practice known in later Jewish history.

6:23 Aaron and his sons That is, the high priest and priests, respectively.

You will bless the Israelites A priest was responsible for blessing the people in God’s name (Deut 10:8; 21:5). The blessing came directly from God and was only mediated through the priest, as demonstrated by the three references to the divine name in Num 6:24–26, and the use of the first person in v. 27.

Functions of Priests Table

6:24 keep The Hebrew word used here, shamar, has the sense of guarding or keeping safe.

6:25 his face The Hebrew word panim (used here and in v. 26) refers to the physical face. It also may idiomatically refer to someone’s presence because seeing a face required being in the person’s physical presence (compare Exod 33:20). In the ancient Near East, including the ot, when a deity’s face shines, it is a sign of favor (for example, Pss 31:16; 80:3, 7, 19).

6:26 will lift up his face The Hebrew idiom nasa’ panim used here describes looking favorably upon someone (e.g., Gen 19:21; Job 42:8–9). This expression describes how people of superior status implied their acceptance of an inferior when they looked up at them.

6:27 they will put my name on Putting God’s name upon Israel indicates ownership (Deut 12:5; 28:10; Jer 7:10).