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Numbers 6

Numbers 6 sets terms for a vow of consecration and places Israel under YHWH’s spoken blessing.

YHWH tells Moses how Israelite men and women may take a Nazirite vow, setting themselves apart to him for a defined period. The rules cover abstaining from grape products, leaving hair uncut, and avoiding contact with the dead. Instructions follow for restarting a defiled vow and bringing offerings when the vow ends. Then YHWH gives Aaron and his sons words to bless Israel, promising that he himself will bless the people who bear his name.

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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 the LORD,
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 skins.
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 the LORD. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
6“‘All the days that he separates himself to the LORD 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.
9“‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation, 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 the LORD 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.
13“‘This 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 the LORD: 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 with their meal offering and their drink offerings.
18The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, 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 the LORD. They are holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.
21“‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows and of his offering to the LORD for his separation, in addition to that which he is able to afford. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”
23“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,
24‘The LORD bless you, and keep you.
25The LORD make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you.
26The LORD lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’
27“So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
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Key verses
Numbers 6:26The blessing culminates in peace, given by YHWH as he turns his face toward his people.
Numbers 6:24The opening words place both blessing and protection in YHWH’s hands, establishing the source of Israel’s good.
Numbers 6:23God entrusts Aaron and his sons with specific words, making this blessing part of their priestly service.
Where this chapter reaches

Leviticus shares the chapter’s laws of ritual purity and sacrificial offerings, including cleansing after contact with death. Psalm echoes its language of God’s shining face and blessing, while John and Philippians also speak of peace given by God to his people.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What stands out to you about the cost and care involved in completing a Nazirite vow?

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How does the closing promise that God will bless Israel shape your reading of the priestly blessing?

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Questions people ask about Numbers 6

What is a Nazirite vow in Numbers 6?

A Nazirite vow is a special commitment by an Israelite man or woman to be set apart to YHWH. During the vow, the person avoids all grape products and dead bodies and leaves their hair uncut. Numbers 6 describes a vow that ends with prescribed offerings and shaving the head.

What does the blessing in Numbers 6:24–26 mean?

The blessing asks YHWH to protect Israel and show his favor, granting grace and peace. His face shining on the people describes his favorable regard. Aaron and his sons are commanded to pronounce these words, and verse 27 identifies God himself as the one who blesses Israel.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).