Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 6:2
Speak 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:
2. shall make a special vow ] as in Num 15:3; Num 15:8, Lev 22:21; Lev 27:2. The exact force of the term is not clear, but it does not seem to differ from ‘ make a vow.’
a Nazirite 1 [Note: The spelling Nazarite, of the A.V., is erroneous.] ] Heb. Nzr, denotes ‘one separated’ (as R.V. marg.). The full form is ‘a Nazir of God’ (Jdg 13:5; Jdg 13:7), i.e. a religious devotee. Two kinds of Nazirites are mentioned in the O.T.2 [Note: See art. Nazirite in Hastings’ DB. iii.] , (1) those who were bound for life, (2) those who took the vow for a specified time. There is no evidence that the latter class existed before the exile. Of life-long Nazirites Samson is the clearest instance; and see Amo 2:11 f., and perhaps 1Sa 1:11, Luk 1:15. The Rechabites (Jer 35:6-10) may have been devotees of a somewhat similar type. Temporary Nazirites were very numerous in later Jewish history. They are probably referred to in Act 18:18; Act 21:23 f. ‘The Nazirites who had accomplished their days’ are spoken of in 1Ma 3:49 . And in the Mishna, the authoritative compendium of rabbinic regulations, one section or ‘tract’ is called Nazir, and deals exclusively with the subject. The temporary vow was frequently taken for purely private and personal reasons, such as thanksgiving for recovery from illness, for the birth of a child, and so on. The present passage deals with an already established custom, and is written chiefly with the object of prescribing the offerings to be made at the conclusion of the vow.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 2. When either man or woman shall separate, c.] The word nazir, from nazar, to separate, signifies merely a separated person, i. e., one peculiarly devoted to the service of God by being separated from all servile employments. From the Nazarites sprang the Rechabites, from the Rechabites the Essenes, from the Essenes the Anchorites or Hermits, and in imitation of those, the different monastic orders. Some contend strongly that the Nazarite was a type of our Lord but neither analogy nor proof can be produced. Our blessed Lord both drank wine and touched the dead, which no Nazarite would do: as to his either shaving his hair or letting it grow, we know nothing. His being called a Nazarene, Mt 2:23, is nothing to the purpose, as it can mean no more than either that he was an inhabitant of Nazareth, which was a place of no credit, and therefore used as a term of reproach; or that he was in a general sense consecrated to the service of God-so were Samson, Samuel, Jeremiah, and John Baptist; or rather, that he was the netser or BRANCH, Isa 11:1, and tsemach, Num 3:8; Num 6:12, which is quite a different word; but this title is expressly applied to our blessed Lord by the above prophets; but in no place do they or any other prophets call him a Nazarite, in the sense in which nazir is used. Indeed it could not in truth be applied to him, as the distinguishing marks of a Nazarite never belonged to him. He was, it is true, the netser or branch out of the root of Jesse, the genuine heir to the throne of David, whose dominion should extend over the universe, who should be King of kings, and Lord of Lords; but the word , Mt 2:23, signifies merely a Nazoraean, or inhabitant of Nazareth.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Either man or woman; for both sexes might make this vow, if they were free and at their own dispose, for otherwise their parents or husbands could disannul the vow, Num 30:5, and in that case they sinned in taking Gods name in vain, and vowing what they could not perform.
A vow of a Nazarite; whereby they did sequester themselves in a great part from worldly employments and enjoyments, that they might entirely consecrate themselves to Gods service; and this either for their whole lifetime, of which see Jdg 13:5; 16:17; 1Sa 1:11; Luk 1:15; or for a less and limited space of time, of which in this chapter.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2-8. When either man or woman . . .shall vow a vow of a Nazaritethat is, “a separated one,”from a Hebrew word, “to separate.” It was used todesignate a class of persons who, under the impulse of extraordinarypiety and with a view to higher degrees of religious improvement,voluntarily renounced the occupations and pleasures of the world todedicate themselves unreservedly to the divine service. The vow mightbe taken by either sex, provided they had the disposal of themselves(Nu 30:4), and for a limitedperiodusually a month or a lifetime (Jdg 13:5;Jdg 16:17). We do not know,perhaps, the whole extent of abstinence they practised. But theyseparated themselves from three things in particularnamely, fromwine, and all the varieties of vinous produce; from the applicationof a razor to their head, allowing their hair to grow; and frompollution by a dead body. The reasons of the self-restrictions areobvious. The use of wine tended to inflame the passions, intoxicatethe brain, and create a taste for luxurious indulgence. The cuttingoff the hair being a recognized sign of uncleanness (Lev 14:8;Lev 14:9), its unpolled luxuriancewas a symbol of the purity he professed. Besides, its extraordinarylength kept him in constant remembrance of his vow, as well asstimulated others to imitate his pious example. Moreover, contactwith a dead body, disqualifying for the divine service, the Nazaritecarefully avoided such a cause of unfitness, and, like the highpriest, did not assist at the funeral rites of his nearest relatives,preferring his duty to God to the indulgence of his strongest naturalaffections.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them,…. Whom the following law only concerned, and not Gentiles; so runs the Jewish canon,
“the Gentiles have no Nazariteship, though they may bring their vows and freewill offerings as an Israelite, yet if they vow the vow of a Nazarite, the law of the Nazarite is not obliging on them, or they bound by it; but it is free for them to drink wine, and defile themselves for the dead; for it is written, “speak unto the children of Israel” q:”
when either man or woman shall separate [themselves] to vow a vow of a Nazarite; or “do a wonderful thing” r; something unusual and uncommon, and what is out of the way of the men of the world, who give themselves up to pleasure, and have little regard to the worship and service of God; wherefore for a person, a man or woman, to vow abstinence from wine and dress, and from the company of others, and to oblige themselves to strict and close devotion to God, was something singular and surprising. This is to be understood of such persons who were at their own disposal; for such that were in their minority, and under the power of parents, or were married women, if they vowed, their vows did not stand, and their parents or husbands could disannul them, unless they had consented to them by their silence, when they heard them made, Nu 30:3. There were various sorts of Nazarites; some were appointed by God, as Samson; some were devoted by their parents, as Samuel; and some by themselves, concerning whom is this law more especially; some were perpetual Nazarites, a Nazarite for life, as the two persons just mentioned; though the Jews distinguish between a Samsonian Nazarite, and a perpetual one s; and some were only for a certain time, according as they vowed:
to separate [themselves] unto the Lord; the Targum of Jonathan is, “to the name of the Lord”; to the honour of his name. Such persons devoted themselves, and set apart their time to serve the Lord in a stricter and purer manner than others, and therefore were had in great account, La 4:7; they were types of Christ, who, though he was not strictly a Nazarite, but a Nazarene, yet answered to the Nazarites in his being set apart in divine predestination by his Father to the office of Mediator; in the sanctification of himself, and devoting himself, his time and service, to his Father’s glory; and in his being holy and harmless in his life and conversation, and separate from sinners: and they were also emblems of the special people of God, who are a separate people in election, redemption, and calling, and in the intercession of Christ; and as they will be at the last judgment, and to all eternity, and should be now separate from others in their lives and conversations.
q Misn. Nazir, c. 9. sect. 1. Maimon Bartenora in ib. r “mirificaverit”, Montanus “si mirandum aliquid fecerit”, Munster; and some in Fagius and Vatablus; so Aben Ezra. s Misn. Nazir, c. 1. sect. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
2 When either man, or woman shall separate themselves. God recently appointed a tribute for every soul, whereby the Israelites were to acknowledge that they were His children. By that profession, then, he bound them all to Himself from the least to the greatest. A closer tie of obligation is now treated of, when any should voluntarily devote himself to God for a season. These were called Nazarites, which is equivalent to separate or select, because there was greater dignity or excellence in them than in the common people. For they were as ornaments to the Church, and God willed that His peculiar glory should shine brightly in them. When, therefore, Amos expostulates with them (Amo 2:11) because they had prevented the prophets from exercising their office, and had corrupted the Nazarites with wine, he says, in amplification of their crime, that they bad been honored with a special blessing, when God had created of their sons Nazarites and prophets. And when Jeremiah deplores the desolation of the Church, he insists on this corruption, that their Nazarites no longer appeared as of old, “purer than snow,” etc. (Lam 4:7.) Nor is it to be doubted, that when Jacob distinguished Joseph his son by the title of a Nazarite (331) among his brethren, (Gen 49:26,) he alluded in the spirit of prophecy to that degree of honor in which afterwards, under the Law, they stood who separated themselves unto God, as the lights of the Church. Therefore, although this consecration pertained not to the whole people, yet it should be deservedly reckoned amongst the exercises of piety, because the Nazarites were like standard-bearers to shew others the way; and though they did not attract all to follow their example, yet the ardor of their zeal was of no little advantage to the weak and inexperienced, exciting them forwards according to their capacity.
Now, because God abominates all fictitious worship, he put a restraint on their licentiousness, by giving them a clear and certain rule. And, from the testimony of Amos which I have just quoted, it is gathered that God alone was the appointer of the Nazarite vow. We must remember, then, that the Nazarites shone among the people of God like precious jewels, and although few imitated them, yet that they were as standard-bearers and leaders to awaken zeal amongst the multitude for the service of God. We must observe, by the way, that Samson was a Nazarite of another kind, because he did not take the vow upon him only for a season, but was sanctified from the womb for his whole life, and separated from the rest of the people; in which respect, too, he was a type of Christ, and represented Him, as it were. And surely whatever is here taught should be referred to the sole Fountain of sanctity, as if the image of Christ had been set before the eyes of the Jews in a mirror. For the nearer any one under the Law approached to God, the more did Christ shine forth in him. We know that the whole priesthood of the Law was nothing but His image. The same may be said of the Nazarites, whose purity and abstinence ornamented them with peculiar dignity.
(331) The Hebrew word rendered separate in the A. V of Gen 49:26, is נזיר , Nazir. — W. Vide C. in loco.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
VI.
(2) When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow . . . Better, When a man or woman shall make a special (or singular) vow (as in Lev. 27:2)the vow of a Nazirite. The verb which is here used denotes the doing something wonderful or extraordinary, and the spiritual lesson seems to be that Christs servants are expected and required to do something more than others (Mat. 5:46-47). The vows here referred to were made for a specific period. At a later time, however, some were consecrated or set apart as Nazirites during the entire period of their lives, as in the case of Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist. This consecration, however, appears to have been made rather as the result of Divine revelation than of arbitrary appointment on the part of their parents. The meaning of the word Nazirite (Hebrew nazir) is contained in the concluding words of the verseto separate (i.e., himself) unto Jehovahwhere the cognate verb is used.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Man or woman Childless parents, says the Mishna, undertook this vow in the hope of obtaining offspring. This course was followed by Manoah’s wife and by Samuel’s mother. If a female Nazarite broke her vow she was liable to forty stripes. According to the Hebrew canons, “The father or the husband may disannul the Nazariteship of his child or of his wife, if he will.” Philo, after describing the votive offerings occasionally made by the people, goes on to say: “And when they have no longer any materials left in which they can display their piety, they then consecrate and offer up themselves, displaying an unspeakable holiness, and a most superabundant excess of a God-loving disposition, on which account such a dedication is fitly called THE GREAT VOW; for every man is his own greatest and most valuable possession, and this even he now gives up and abandons.”
Shall separate The original word signifies the doing of something wonderful or extraordinary, and is the very term used in Lev 27:2, for making a singular vow.” It intimates an unusual and intense zeal for Jehovah. From the absence of any prescribed ritual, and from the statements in the Mishna, we infer that this act of self-consecration was a private affair. If the vow was broken, its renewal required a public ceremonial.
A vow of a Nazarite This vow involved the two radical significations of the term Nazarite: separation and consecration. He separated himself from strong drink, and from every production of the vine, even the skins and seeds of the grape; from every instrument of the barber, and from any dead body, even that of his nearest kindred. He was not cut off from marriage, from secular business, and from social life. He was not a monastic, though much of his time may have been devoted to sacred studies and to acts of worship. The descriptions of this character in the Scriptures are chiefly negative rather than positive. The separation is more definite than the consecration.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Num 6:2. When either man or woman shall separate themselves, &c. The word Nazarite signifies separated; because those who came under this vow separated themselves from the use of certain things specified in the following verses, and dedicated themselves peculiarly to the service of the Lord. Either man or woman might take this vow, provided the latter was at her own disposal; and not under the power of parent or husband, who might annul the vow. See chap. Num 30:4-5. From the mode of expression, whom either man or woman, it appears that this kind of vow had been in use before Moses’s time, and was not now first instituted; which is another proof of an opinion that we have frequently advanced, that the greater part of the laws of Moses had been in use from the earliest ages, and were now only reduced to a regular and written digest.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Num 6:2 Speak 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:
Ver. 2. To vow a vow. ] A voluntary vow, a religious promise made in prayer; hence , a vow, , a prayer.
To separate themselves unto the Lord.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
children = sons.
man. Hebrew. ‘ish. See App-14.
woman. Either could be a Nazarite.
vow a vow. Figure of speech Polyptoton (App-6), for emphasis = make a special vow. Compare Act 18:18; Act 21:23.
a Nazarite = one separate, from Hebrew. nazir, to separate. Compare Gen 49:26. Jdg 13:5, Jdg 13:7. Lam 4:7.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Nazarite
The Nazarite (more accurately Nazirite, one separated) was a person of either sex separated wholly unto the Lord. Abstention from wine, the symbol of mere natural joy Psa 104:15 was the expression of a devotedness which found all its joy in the Lord (cf); Psa 87:7; Psa 97:12; Hab 3:18; Php 3:1; Php 3:3; Php 4:4; Php 4:10. The long hair, naturally a reproach to man 1Co 11:14 was at once the visible sign of the Nazarite’s separation, and of his willingness to bear reproach for Jehovah’s sake. The type found its perfect fulfilment in Jesus, who was “holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners” Heb 7:26 who was utterly separated unto the Father; Joh 1:18; Joh 6:38 who allowed no mere natural claim to hinder or divert Him. Mat 12:46-50.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
When: Num 6:5, Num 6:6, Exo 33:16, Lev 20:26, Pro 18:1, Rom 1:1, 2Co 6:16, Gal 1:15, Heb 7:27
separate themselves: The word yaphli, rendered “shall separate themselves,” signifies, “the doing of something extraordinary,” and is the same word as is used concerning the making a singular vow. – Lev 27:2, it seems to convey the idea of a person’s acting from extraordinary zeal for God and religion.
to vow: Lev 27:2, Jdg 13:5, 1Sa 1:28, Amo 2:11, Amo 2:12, Luk 1:15, Act 21:23, Act 21:24
to separate themselves: or, to make themselves Nazarites, Lahazzir, from nazar, to be separate; hence nazir, a Nazarite, i.e., a person separated; one peculiarly devoted to the service of God by being separated from all servile employments. The Nazarites were of two kinds: such as were devoted to God by their parents in their infancy, or even sometimes before they were born; and such as devoted themselves. The former were Nazarites for life; and the latter commonly bound themselves to observe the laws of the Nazarites for a limited time. The Nazarites for life were not bound to the same strictness as the others, concerning whom the laws relate.
Reciprocal: Gen 49:26 – was separate Num 8:14 – separate Jdg 13:4 – drink not Jer 35:6 – Ye shall Lam 4:7 – Nazarites
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 6:2. Man or woman For both sexes might make this vow, if they were free and at their own disposal: otherwise their parents or husbands could disannul the vow. A vow of a Nazarite Whereby they sequestered themselves from worldly employments and enjoyments, that they might entirely consecrate themselves to Gods service, and this either for their whole life-time, or for a less and limited space of time.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate [themselves] to vow a vow of a {a} Nazarite, to separate [themselves] unto the LORD:
(a) Who separated themselves from the world, and dedicated themselves to God: a figure which was accomplished in Christ.