The Nazirite vow and the priestly blessing

6:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 6:2 “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them, ‘When either a man or a woman takes a special vow, to take a vow as a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 6:3 he must separate himself from wine and strong drink, he must drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from strong drink, nor may he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 6:4 All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin. 6:5 “‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor may be used on his head until the time is fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord. He will be holy, and he must let the locks of hair on his head grow long. 6:6 “‘All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he must not contact a dead body. 6:7 He must not defile himself even for his father or his mother or his brother or his sister if they die, because the separation for his God is on his head. 6:8 All the days of his separation he must be holy to the Lord. 6:9 “‘If anyone dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he must shave his head on the day of his purification – on the seventh day he must shave it. 6:10 On the eighth day he is to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the entrance to the tent of meeting. 6:11 Then the priest will offer one for a purification offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because of his transgression in regard to the corpse. So he must reconsecrate his head on that day. 6:12 He must rededicate to the Lord the days of his separation and bring a male lamb in its first year as a reparation offering, but the former days will not be counted because his separation was defiled. 6:13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he must be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 6:14 and he must present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish for a purification offering, one ram without blemish for a peace offering, 6:15 and a basket of bread made without yeast, cakes of fine flour mixed with olive oil, wafers made without yeast and smeared with olive oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings. 6:16 “‘Then the priest must present all these before the Lord and offer his purification offering and his burnt offering. 6:17 Then he must offer the ram as a peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of bread made without yeast; the priest must also offer his grain offering and his drink offering. 6:18 “‘Then the Nazirite must shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting and must take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire where the peace offering is burning. 6:19 And the priest must take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one cake made without yeast from the basket, and one wafer made without yeast, and put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head; 6:20 then the priest must wave them as a wave offering before the Lord; it is a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the raised offering. After this the Nazirite may drink wine.’ 6:21 “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord his offering according to his separation, as well as whatever else he can provide. Thus he must fulfill his vow that he makes, according to the law of his separation.” 6:22 The Lord spoke to Moses: 6:23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the way you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 6:24 “The Lord bless you and protect you; 6:25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 6:26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’ 6:27 So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” The Leader’s Offerings

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

This passage gives rules for a voluntary Nazirite vow and then gives the Aaronic blessing. The vow set a person apart to the Lord for a time. The blessing placed God’s name on Israel and asked for his protection, grace, and peace.

Numbers 6 has two parts. First, it explains the Nazirite vow. A man or woman could choose this special vow to be set apart to the Lord. During that time the person must not drink wine or any grape product, must not cut the hair, and must not come near a dead body. These signs showed a serious and visible separation for God.

The law also shows what to do if the Nazirite becomes unclean by sudden contact with death. The person must be purified, shaved, and bring offerings. The interrupted days do not simply count as finished. The vow must be started again after cleansing. This shows that holiness matters, but God also provides a way for defilement to be dealt with.

When the vow is completed, the Nazirite brings offerings and shaves the consecrated head at the tent of meeting. The hair is burned on the altar fire tied to the peace offering. After that, wine may be drunk again. The vow was temporary and binding, not a permanent rule for everyone.

Second, the Lord gives Moses the words of the priestly blessing. Aaron and his sons were to bless Israel with these words: the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you peace. The final line says that in this way God puts his name on Israel and blesses them. The priests speak the words, but the Lord is the one who truly gives the blessing.

• A Nazirite vow was voluntary, but once made it had to be kept.
• The vow showed separation to the Lord in outward, visible ways.
• Wine, uncut hair, and corpse avoidance marked the Nazirite’s consecration.
• If defilement happened, the Nazirite had to be cleansed and reconsecrated.
• The vow ended with sacrifices, shaving, and the return to ordinary life.
• The priestly blessing asks the Lord for protection, grace, and peace.
• God himself is the source of the blessing, even though the priests speak it.

• Do not drink wine or any grape product during the vow.
• Do not cut the hair during the time of separation.
• Do not come near a dead body, even for close family.
• If defiled, undergo cleansing and bring the required offerings.
• Fulfill the vow that has been made to the Lord.
• May the Lord bless and keep his people.
• May the Lord give grace and peace.
• The people bear the Lord’s name, and he promises to bless them.

This passage belongs to Israel’s life under the Mosaic covenant. It shows a holy people ordered around God’s presence and priestly ministry. The Nazirite vow is a special form of consecration within that covenant. The priestly blessing points to God’s covenant favor and peace, and it fits the larger biblical hope for fuller and lasting access to God’s presence.

God’s people should take devotion seriously and not treat vows lightly. Set-apart living may involve real self-denial. When sin or defilement happens, the right response is cleansing and renewed obedience, not despair. True peace comes from the Lord’s favor, not from outward religion alone.

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