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Numbers Chapter
Six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 6
In
this chapter is given the law concerning Nazarites, Numbers 6:1; which
directs what they were to abstain from, from drinking wine, or any strong liquors,
from shaving their heads, and defiling themselves with the dead, Numbers 6:3; and in
case of a defilement, directions are given what offerings a Nazarite should
bring to be offered for him, Numbers 6:9; and
when the time of his Nazariteship was up, an account is given of what rites and
ceremonies should then be performed, Numbers 6:13; and
the chapter is concluded with the form of blessing the children of Israel, to
be used by Aaron and his sons, Numbers 6:22.
Numbers 6:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
YLT
1And Jehovah speaketh unto
Moses, saying,
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... At the same time, or
immediately after the law concerning the woman suspected of adultery was given;
with which the following law concerning Nazarites may be thought to have a
close connection, as some Jewish writers observe, women being concerned in it
as well as men; and as wine leads to adultery, as Jarchi observes, abstinence
from it, which the Nazarite's vow obliged to, and forbearance of trimming and
dressing the hair, and a being more strictly and closely devoted to the service
of God, were very likely means of preserving from unchastity, and any suspicion
of it:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 6:2 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them:
‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a
Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,
YLT
2`Speak unto the sons of
Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When a man or woman doeth singularly, by
vowing a vow of a Nazarite, to be separate to Jehovah;
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"F17Misn.
Nazir, c. 9. sect. 1. Maimon & Bartenora in ib. :"
when either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a
vow of a Nazarite; or "do a wonderful thing"F18יפלא "mirificaverit", Montanus; "si mirandum
aliquid fecerit", Munster; and some in Fagius and Vatablus; so Aben Ezra.
; 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, Numbers 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 oneF19Misn. Nazir, c. 1. sect.
2. ; 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, Lamentations 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.
Numbers 6:3 3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar
drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar
drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins.
YLT
3from wine and strong drink
he doth keep separate; vinegar of wine, and vinegar of strong drink he doth not
drink, and any juice of grapes he doth not drink, and grapes moist or dry he
doth not eat;
He shall separate himself from wine,.... Old or
new, as Ben Gersom; from drinking it, any of it: not only from an immoderate
and excessive drinking of it, which every man should abstain from, but from
drinking of it at all, that he might be more free and fit for the service of
God; for prayer, meditation, reading the Scriptures, and attendance on the worship
of God in all its branches, and be less liable to temptations to sin; for, as
Aben Ezra observes, many transgressions are occasioned by wine, which, if drank
immoderately, intoxicates the mind, and unfits for religious duties, excites
lust, and leads on to many vices:
and strong drink; any other intoxicating and inebriating
liquor besides wine, or any other sort of wines besides such that is made of
the fruit of the vine, as wines of pomegranates, dates, &c. or such as are
made of barley, as our ale, or of apples and pears, called cider and perry,
respectively:
and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink; all the three
Targums paraphrase it, vinegar of new wine, and vinegar of old wine, these
operating in like manner as wine and strong drink themselves:
neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes; any liquor in
which grapes are macerated, as the Targum of Jonathan; or water into which they
are squeezed, or which is made of the lees of wine, or is a second sort of wine
made of the grapes after they have been pressed, which we call
"tiff":
nor eat moist grapes or dried; which have somewhat of
the nature and taste of wine, and produce some of the like effects, and may
lead to a desire after drinking it; wherefore this, as other things mentioned,
are, as Aben Ezra says, a kind of an hedge, to keep at a distance from drinking
wine.
Numbers 6:4 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing
that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.
YLT
4all days of his separation,
of anything which is made of the wine-vine, from kernels even unto husk, he
doth not eat.
All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made
of the vine tree,.... Of its leaves, branches, and fruit, especially the latter,
put into any sort of food, or infused into any liquor, or mixed with any sauce
for food: the days or time of separation were according as the vow was made,
for a shorter or longer time; though the JewsF20Misn. Nazir, c. 1.
sect. 3. & c. 6. sect. 3. say, where the vow is, absolutely expressed, it
is always to be understood of thirty days, during which time the Nazarite was
not to eat or drink of any composition that had anything the vine in it:
from the kernels even to the husk; the JewsF21Misn.
Nazir, c. 6. sect. 2. Aben Ezra in loc. are divided about the two words here
used, which of them signifies the outermost part of the grape, and which the
innermost; Ben Gersom agrees with us, but it matters not much who are in the
right, since both are forbidden: by this part of the law, the people of God,
who are spiritual Nazarites, are taught to live temperately and soberly, and to
abstain from all appearance of sin: it is pretty remarkable what the JewsF23T.
Bab. Erubin, fol. 43. 1. say, that when the son of David comes, it will be free
for a Nazarite to drink wine on sabbath days and festivals, though not on week
days; from whence it appears, they seem to be conscious of a change of the
ceremonial law in his days.
Numbers 6:5 5 ‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall
come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself
to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair
of his head grow.
YLT
5`All days of the vow of his
separation a razor doth not pass over his head; till the fulness of the days
which he doth separate to Jehovah he is holy; grown up hath the upper part of
the hair of his head.
All the days of the vow of his separation,.... Be the
time he has vowed to be a Nazarite a week, a, month, or more, even a thousand
days, but not less than thirty, as Ben Gersom observes:
there shall no razor come upon his head; he might not
shave his beard, nor cut off his locks, and shave his head, nor cut short his
locks with a pair of scissors, nor any with anything by which the hair may be
removed, as Ben Gersom; nor pluck off his hair with his hands, as Maimonides
saysF24Hilchot Nezirut, c. 5. sect. 11. ; but let it grow as long as
it would during the time of his separation, which is expressed in the latter
part of the verse:
until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself
unto the Lord; to his service, to which he wholly addicted himself as long as
his vow continued:
he shall be holy; separate from other men, and their
practices and customs, and spend his time in holy exercises, in a religious
way, and abstain from what might be a temptation to sin, or in the least hinder
him in his acts of devotion:
and shall let the locks of
his hair grow; two reasons Fagius gives of this part of the law, the one is,
because of the mystery of it; letting the hair grow signified an increase of
virtue or grace, as Samson's strength was increased and became very great while
his hair was not cut; and so spiritual Nazarites, while they are in the way of
their duty, grow in grace, and in knowledge of God and Christ, and all divine
things, and grow stronger and stronger in the Lord, and in the power of his
might; and Ainsworth hints at the same thing, and also supposes it might be an
emblem of the subjection of the saints to Christ, as the letting the hair grow
was a sign of the woman's subjection to man: the other is, that it was
appointed to take the Israelites off of the errors and superstitious they had
imbibed in Egypt, by ordering them to perform those rites and ceremonies to the
honour of the true God, which they had used in the service of demons; and for
this he cites a passage out of Cyrill; but it does not appear, by any good
authority, that such a custom obtained among the Egyptians, or any other
Gentiles so early; and what were used among them in later times took their rise
from hence, and were imitations of this law; though there seems to be no great
likeness between this law of Nazariteship and the customs of the Heathens, who
used to consecrate their hair to their deities, Apollo, Hercules, Bacchus,
Minerva, and Diana: what seems best to agree is what Lucian saysF25De
Dea Syria. , who observes, that young men consecrate their beards, and let
their hair grow, consecrated from their birth, which they afterwards cut and lay
up in vessels in the temple, some of gold, others of silver.
Numbers 6:6 6 All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body.
YLT
6`All days of his keeping
separate to Jehovah, near a dead person he doth not go;
All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord,.... This
phrase is repeated at every new article and branch of the law of the Nazarites,
of which what follows is the third; showing that each part of it, during that
time, was strictly to be observed:
he shall come at no dead body: not near to any, not
even to be in the same place where a dead body lay, nor to touch one, nor to
attend the funeral of any, nor be concerned at all about burying the dead; now,
as such so defiled were unclean seven days, and during that time might not go
into the tabernacle, the Nazarites were strictly cautioned against such
pollution, that they might not be detained from the service of God they had
devoted themselves unto; see Numbers 19:11.
Numbers 6:7 7 He shall not make himself unclean even for his father
or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his
separation to God is on his head.
YLT
7for his father, or for his
mother, for his brother, or for his sister -- he is not unclean for them at
their death, for the separation of his God [is] on his head;
He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his
mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die,.... Aben Ezra
adds also, for his wife, and for his daughter, and for others; what even the
priests of the Lord, the common priests might do, a Nazarite might not, not
come near any of his relations when dead, as to touch them, to close their
eyes, or wash their bodies, and provide for their funeral, and attend that, or
to be where they were; in this respect they were upon a level with the high
priest, who was forbid the same, which shows how sacred these persons were; see
Leviticus 21:1;
this may instruct spiritual Nazarites to abstain from the company and
conversation of sinners, dead in trespasses and sins, and from all dead works
and sinful actions, which, as they are deserving of death, are defiling:
because the consecration of his God is upon his head; or that which
shows him to be consecrated to God, and separated to his service, is upon his
head, namely, his long hair: the Targum of Jonathan renders it, "the crown
of his God"; so Aben Ezra observes, that some say that the word
"Nazarite" is derived from "Nezer", a crown, in proof of
which this passage is produced; and in this respect the Nazarites were not only
types of Christ our King and high priest, who is a priest on his throne, and
has on his head many crowns, but of the saints who are freed from the power and
dominion of sin, and are made kings and priests unto God.
Numbers 6:8 8 All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.
YLT
8all days of his separation
he [is] holy to Jehovah.
All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord. Set apart for
his service, separate from all others, especially the dead, and under
obligation to abstain from the above things; from drinking wine, from shaving
his hair, and from defiling himself for the dead, and to be employed in holy
and religious exercises during the time his vow is upon him.
Numbers 6:9 9 ‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he
defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his
cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.
YLT
9`And when the dead dieth
beside him in an instant, suddenly, and he hath defiled the head of his
separation, then he hath shaved his head in the day of his cleansing; on the
seventh day he doth shave it,
And if any man die very suddenly by him,.... In the
place where he is, whether house or field, a public or private place, in the
tent where he is, as Jarchi; there are two words we render, "very
suddenly", which many take to be synonymous; and that being of the same
signification, two being used increase the sense, but others think they have a
different meaning: the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan render
them,"suddenly through ignorance,'understanding it of a chance matter, as
when one man is killed by another, not wilfully and through malice, but without
intention and design: Jarchi interprets the first of them by violence, and the
latter through error or mistake, and so may include both cases; as when a man
dies at once, through the force of a disease seizing him, or he is killed by
the violent hands of a man, who stabs him in the presence of a Nazarite; or
else when this is done ignorantly and through mistake; be it which way it will,
if a Nazarite was present:
and he both defiled the head of his consecration: or the
consecration of his head, his Nazariteship, that is, his hair, he being
polluted by the dead, through being where it was:
then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing; which was the
seventh day from his defilement, as follows:
on the seventh day he shall shave it; for so many
days was a person unclean that had touched a body, of had been where one was,
and on the seventh day he was to be cleansed, Numbers 19:11; and
this was one way of cleansing the Nazarite, cutting off his locks of hair,
which were to grow long, and made him to be a Nazarite; and shave his head for his
pollution by the dead, put an end to his Nazariteship; and he was obliged to
begin again, and his hair being polluted, must be shaved, and new hair grow to
make him a Nazarite again: thus by one single breach of the law of God a man
becomes guilty of all, and liable to its curse, and his legal righteousness
becomes insufficient to justify him before God, and therefore his own
righteousness must be renounced by him in the business of justification; and
which, Ainsworth suggests, is the mystery of the Nazarite's head being shaved
when polluted.
Numbers 6:10 10 Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves
or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting;
YLT
10and on the eighth day he
bringeth in two turtle-doves or two young pigeons unto the priest, unto the
opening of the tent of meeting,
And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles or two young
pigeons to the priest,.... Not a turtledove and a young pigeon, as Ben Gersom observes,
but two of one of the sorts, which was the offering of the poorer sort of
childbearing women at their purification, and of profluvious persons, men or
women, Leviticus 12:8; and
this case of the Nazarite's being an uncleanness, could not be purged away but
by sacrifice; which was typical of the sacrifice of Christ, by which that
unclean thing sin is put away for ever; even the sins of holy things can be
moved in no other way; these were to be brought to the priest to be offered by
him:
to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; for being
defiled, the Nazarite might not go into the tabernacle, and therefore was to
bring his offering to the door of it, where the priest received it of him.
Numbers 6:11 11 and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the
other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned in
regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that same day.
YLT
11and the priest hath
prepared one for a sin-offering, and one for a burnt-offering, and hath made
atonement for him, because of that which he hath sinned by the body, and he
hath hallowed his head on that day;
And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other
for a burnt offering,.... That is, one of the turtles or young pigeons for the one
kind of sacrifice, and one for the other sort; both being necessary; the one to
expiate sin, and the other as a gift to God by way of thankfulness for
acceptance of the former:
and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead; by being
where the dead body was, which, though not sinful, in a moral sense, was, in a
ceremonial one, and therefore required a sacrifice to atone for it; and which
atonement was made by the sin offering typical of Christ, who was made an
offering for sin:
and shall hallow his head the same day; consecrate
himself to God afresh, particularly the hair of his head, let that grow again
and begin his Nazariteship anew; so Jarchi interprets it, to return and begin
the account of his Nazariteship.
Numbers 6:12 12 He shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, and bring a male lamb in its first year
as a trespass offering; but the former days shall be lost, because his separation
was defiled.
YLT
12and he hath separated to
Jehovah the days of his separation, and he hath brought in a lamb, a son of a
year, for a guilt-offering, and the former days are fallen, for his separation
hath been defiled.
And he shall consecrate unto the Lord the days of his separation,.... He was to
begin his account again, from the time of his shaving his head, and devote as
many days to the service of the Lord as what he had vowed before:
and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering; we see how
much trouble and expense were brought by a single act of pollution, and that
involuntary too; how much more need is there of an atoning sacrifice for the
sins of men, even for all of them, and for which only the sacrifice of Christ
is sufficient?
but the days that were before shall be lost; which were
before the pollution, how near soever the time of Nazariteship being at an end
was, whether his vow was for thirty days, or a hundred, or a whole year; be it
what it will, and the pollution happened on the last of those days, all were
lost; he was obliged to begin again, and go through the whole time he at first
vowed; and this was the case if he drank the least quantity of wine, or shaved
ever so little of the hair of his head, or was any ways polluted by the dead;
and this severity, as it may seem, was used to make him cautious that he broke
not his vow by any means:
because his separation was defiled; in the case instanced
in, by the dead, but it was the same if he broke the law of Nazariteship in any
of the other articles of it.
Numbers 6:13 13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the
days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the
tabernacle of meeting.
YLT
13`And this [is] the law of
the Nazarite; in the day of the fulness of the days of his separation doth
[one] bring him in unto the opening of the tent of meeting,
And this is the law of the Nazarite,.... This has
respect either to what goes before; those are the things he is obliged to that
vows the vow of a Nazarite; what he is to abstain from during the time of his
vow, and what he is to do in case of any defilement; or to what follows after,
what is binding upon him, what offerings he is to bring, and what rites and
ceremonies are to be observed by him when he has finished his vow:
when the days of his separation, or Nazariteship:
are fulfilled; whether more or fewer; when the time is
quite up, and he has gone through his vow without any breach of it:
he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation; it is not said by whom he should be brought, whether by himself
or by the priest; the Targum of Jonathan is,"he shall bring himself;'that
is, present himself; and so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; which latter adds, or the
priest shall bring him by command, whether he will or not, to offer his
offering.
Numbers 6:14 14 And he shall present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt
offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as a sin offering, one
ram without blemish as a peace offering,
YLT
14and he hath brought near
his offering to Jehovah, one he-lamb, a son of a year, a perfect one, for a
burnt-offering, and one she-lamb, a daughter of a year, a perfect one, for a
sin-offering, and one ram, a perfect one, for peace-offerings,
And he shall offer his offering unto the Lord,.... The
Nazarite was to present his offering at the door of the tabernacle, to the
priest, in order to be offered for him to the Lord:
one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering; according to
the law, manner, and custom of a burnt offering, as Aben Ezra observes, which,
whether of the herd or of the flock, was to be a male and unblemished, and not
more than a year old, Leviticus 1:3,
and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin
offering; as was the manner and custom of a sin offering, to be a female,
as is remarked by the same writer, see Leviticus 4:32,
and one ram without blemish for peace offerings; all sorts of
offerings were offered on this occasion; a "sin offering", though the
vow was performed, and not any mistake made, or anything omitted that was
known; yet, lest there should be any secret and unknown breach of the law of
Nazariteship committed, a sin offering was required: this teaches us that there
may be secret and unknown sins committed by the best of men, in their most
sacred and solemn services; and that there is no justification before God by
the best works of men, find that the purest and most perfect stand in need of
the atoning sacrifice of Christ: a "burnt offering" was to be
offered, which usually followed the sin offering, as it did here, though
mentioned first, see Numbers 6:16; and
which was done by way of thanksgiving to God for his acceptance of the sin
offering: and "peace offerings" were, as Aben Ezra observes, for joy
that he had performed his vow: the burnt offering was wholly the Lord's, the
sin offering the priest had his part of, and the peace offerings the Nazarite
and his friends ate of, and so everyone had their share in these oblations.
Numbers 6:15 15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour
mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering
with their drink offerings.
YLT
15and a basket of unleavened
things of flour, cakes mixed with oil, and thin cakes of unleavened things
anointed with oil, and their present, and their libations.
And a basket of unleavened bread,.... As at the
consecration of Aaron and his sons, Exodus 29:2; though
for peace offerings for thanksgiving leavened bread was offered, Leviticus 7:13,
cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened
bread anointed with oil; ten of each sort, as Jarchi says, ten cakes and ten wafers, see Exodus 29:9,
and their meat offering and their drink offering; which always
used to attend every sacrifice.
Numbers 6:16 16 Then the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering;
YLT
16`And the priest hath
brought [them] near before Jehovah, and hath made his sin-offering and his
burnt-offering;
And the priest shall bring them before the Lord,.... All the
above offerings to the altar of burnt offering, and there present them to the
Lord in the name of the Nazarite:
and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: here they
stand in the proper order in which they were offered.
Numbers 6:17 17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of a peace
offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer
its grain offering and its drink offering.
YLT
17and the ram he maketh a
sacrifice of peace-offerings to Jehovah, besides the basket of unleavened
things; and the priest hath made its present and its libation.
And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace
offerings unto the Lord,.... After he had offered the other two:
with the basket of unleavened bread; which went along with
that:
the priest shall also offer his meat offering, and his drink
offering: of which he had his part, and were the usual appendages of other
sacrifices; see Numbers 28:1.
Numbers 6:18 18 Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at
the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his
consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of
the peace offering.
YLT
18`And the Nazarite hath
shaved (at the opening of the tent of meeting) the head of his separation, and
hath taken the hair of the head of his separation, and hath put [it] on the
fire which [is] under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings.
And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation, at
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,.... The Targum of
Jonathan is,"and the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation
without,'without the tabernacle, the door of it, where the people assembled
together; so that this was to be done publicly, that it might be known of all,
and no offence taken at the Nazarite's drinking wine, and concerning himself
for the dead, and attending funerals, for by this action it was known that his
Nazariteship was at an end; and whereas the hair of the Nazarite was consecrated
to the Lord by his vow, and this vow being punctually fulfilled, it was sacred,
and to be presented to the Lord, and to be of no use and service to himself or
others, and therefore to be all clean shaven off; for, as MaimonidesF26Hilchot
Nezirut, c. 8. sect. 6. says, if two hairs only were left, nothing was done,
and the command of shaving not kept:
and shall take the hair of the head of his separation; being cut off
and shaved:
and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice
of the peace offerings; under the pot or cauldron, as the Targum of Jonathan, in which
the ram for the peace offerings was boiled: this was done in the court of the
women in later times, at the southeast of which was a chamber called the
chamber of the Nazarites, where they bailed their peace offerings, and shaved
their hair and cast it under the potF1Misn. Middoth, c. 2. sect. 5.
T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 16. 1. ; and this might not be put, as before observed, to
any other use; if any of it was made use of in a sack that was made of hair
cloth, we are toldF2Misn. Orlah, c. 3. sect. 3. that sack was to be
burnt.
Numbers 6:19 19 ‘And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the
ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them
upon the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair,
YLT
19`And the priest hath taken
the boiled shoulder from the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket,
and one thin unleavened cake, and hath put on the palms of the Nazarite after
his shaving his separation;
And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram,.... The left
shoulder, for the right shoulder, which is the heave shoulder of every peace
offering, belonged to the priest by another law; and by this law of the
Nazarite, he had also the other shoulder, and so had both, which was peculiar
to this case; the vow of the Nazarite being a very sacred thing and he being
enabled to perform it, a greater expression of gratitude for it was expected
and required of him: this shoulder was taken out of the pot in which it was
boiled:
and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened
wafer; one of the ten cakes, and one of the ten wafers, both are
mentioned; and which appear by this to be together in the basket of unleavened
bread, from whence they were now to be taken, the rest having been offered with
the other sacrifices:
and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite; the boiled
shoulder, and the cake and wafer upon it:
after the hair of his separation is shaven; and cast into
the fire; for the waving of these seems to be the last and finishing part of
this whole affair.
Numbers 6:20 20 and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering
before the Lord; they are holy for the priest, together with the breast of
the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering. After that the Nazirite
may drink wine.’
YLT
20and the priest hath waved
them, a wave-offering before Jehovah; it [is] holy to the priest, besides the
breast of the wave-offering, and besides the leg of the heave-offering; and
afterwards doth the Nazarite drink wine.
And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before
the Lord,.... Putting his hands under the Nazarite's, as in other cases
where this ceremony was used; and so moving them to and fro, backwards and
forwards, upwards and downwards, testifying hereby the goodness of God unto
him, his sovereign dominion over him, that all he had depended on him, and was
received from him; and that all he did, particularly in keeping his vow of
Nazariteship, was through his assistance, and for which he made this grateful
acknowledgment by delivering the above, together with what follows, to his
priest:
this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave
shoulder; besides these which were given him by another law, the wave
shoulder of the Nazarite's ram was given him to eat; it was holy, and set apart
for his use, and his only, and it belonged not in common to the course of the
priests then on duty, but to him only that officiated in this peculiar service;
and so it is observed by the Jewish writersF3Maimon. in Misn.
Challah, c. 4. sect. 9. , that the Nazarite's ram and some other things were
not given to every priest, but to him that offered the sacrifice, as it is
said, "he shall wave this is holy to the priest"; upon which it is
observed, that it follows from hence, that the priest that waves is he that
eats the sacrifice:
and after that the Nazarite may drink wine; and cut his
hair, and shave his head, and be defiled for the dead as other persons, the vow
of his Nazariteship being fulfilled.
Numbers 6:21 21 “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord the offering for his separation, and besides that, whatever else
his hand is able to provide; according to the vow which he takes, so he must do
according to the law of his separation.”
YLT
21`This [is] the law of the
Nazarite, who voweth his offering to Jehovah for his separation, apart from
that which his hand attaineth; according to his vow which he voweth so he doth
by the law of his separation.'
This is the law of the Nazarite, who hath vowed,.... The vow
of a Nazarite; what he is obliged to do when his Nazariteship is up:
and of his offering
unto the Lord for his separation; of the several offerings
required of him, to offer to the Lord, for and upon his going through his
Nazariteship, his burnt offering, sin offering, sacrifice of peace offerings,
his meat offering and drink offering; together with the basket of unleavened
bread, cakes and wafers:
besides that that his hands shall get; the above
offerings were what he was obliged unto by the law of God, even though a poor
man; but, besides these, it was expected of a man of substance, that he would
voluntarily of himself offer more, according to his ability and the length of
the time of his Nazariteship:
according to the vow which he hath vowed, so he must do after the
law of his separation; there were some things he was obliged to do by his vow, and as
he had vowed, there was a necessity upon him to fulfil it; as to abstain from
the things he vowed so to do, and that as long a time as he fixed by his vow,
and when finished to offer the sacrifices required of him.
Numbers 6:22 22 And the Lord spoke to
Moses, saying:
YLT
22And Jehovah speaketh unto
Moses, saying,
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... At the same time
perhaps that the above law was given concerning the Nazarites; though why this
should follow upon that, and what connection there is between the one and the
other, it is not easy to say; the Nazarites were holy persons, and so were the
priests; and therefore, according to Aben Ezra and others, the law of the one
is joined to the law of the other:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 6:23 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way
you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
YLT
23`Speak unto Aaron, and unto
his sons, saying, Thus ye do bless the sons of Israel, saying to them,
Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons,.... Aaron and his sons
that succeeded him in all after generations, being the persons that were in a
public manner to bless the people of Israel, they are particularly addressed,
see Deuteronomy 10:8,
saying, on this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; in such
manner and with such words as after expressed; standing upon an eminence,
lifting up their hands on high, spreading out their fingers, and raising their
voices, and pronouncing the blessing in the Hebrew language, in the name of
Jehovah, with their face towards the people; all which, according to the Jewish
writersF4Maimon. Hilchot Neshiut Cappim. c. 14. sect. 11. Gersom in
loc. , were to be strictly observed:
saying unto them; as follows.
Numbers 6:24 24 “The Lord bless you
and keep you;
YLT
24`Jehovah bless thee and
keep thee;
The Lord bless thee,.... Jehovah, Father,
Son, and Spirit; the word "Jehovah" being three times used, and a
different accent put to each word, denoting three distinct persons and one
Jehovah, according to Deuteronomy 6:4;
who are each of them concerned in the blessing of the Lord's people, the
spiritual Israel of God; Jehovah the Father blesses with all spiritual blessings,
with electing, adopting, justifying, and pardoning grace, with regenerating and
calling, and persevering grace, and with eternal life: Jehovah the Son blesses
particularly with redeeming grace, and has a concern in all the other
blessings; the saints are blessed with them in him, they are all in his hands,
they are procured by him, come through him, and are the gifts of his grace: and
Jehovah the Spirit blesses as a spirit of regeneration and sanctification, as
the spirit of faith, as a comforter, as the spirit of adoption, and as the
earnest and sealer of the saints unto the day of redemption:
and keep thee; from, the evil of the world, from the evil
one Satan, from the evil of sin, and the power, prevalence, and dominion of it,
and from falling totally and finally by it, and keep in a state of grace unto
everlasting salvation.
Numbers 6:25 25 The Lord make His
face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
YLT
25`Jehovah cause His face to
shine upon thee, and favour thee;
The Lord make his face to shine upon thee,.... Cause
himself, the sun of righteousness, to arise and shine upon them, and give both
spiritual light and heat unto them; grant his gracious presence, the
manifestations of himself, communion with him, clearer discoveries of his love,
of interest in him, and an increase of spiritual light and knowledge of his
Gospel, and the truths of it, and of his mind and will:
and be gracious unto thee; by granting larger
measures of grace out of his fulness, by leading more abundantly into it, and
making fresh and frequent applications of it; grace is often wished for from
Christ as well as from the Father.
Numbers 6:26 26 The Lord lift up
His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’
YLT
26`Jehovah lift up His
countenance upon thee, and appoint for thee -- peace.
And the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee,.... Show his
face and favour, look cheerfully on his people, declare himself well pleased
with them in Christ, and appear as smiling upon them through him, indulging
them with visits of love, restoring to them the joys of his salvation, and
upholding them with his free Spirit; and so causing them to walk pleasantly and
comfortably in the ways of God, expecting eternal life and happiness, as God's
free gift through Christ:
and give thee peace; all outward needful
prosperity, internal peace of mind, through the blood and righteousness of
Christ, the peacemaker, and peace giver, and eternal peace in the world to
come.
Numbers 6:27 27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel,
and I will bless them.”
YLT
27`And they have put My name
upon the sons of Israel, and I -- I do bless them.'
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel,.... Call them
by his name, the people of the Lord; call upon the name of the Lord to bless
them, and pronounce the blessing on them in the name of the Lord, in or by the
name Jehovah, as Jarchi, three times used in this form of blessing:
and I will bless them; really and truly bless
them bless them with blessings indeed; with all sorts of blessings temporal and
spiritual; with solid and substantial ones; and such are blessed, and will
remain so, their blessings are irrevocable and irreversible; and unless the
Lord blesses, in vain do the priests bless, or any of his ministers pronounce a
blessing; theirs lies in words and wishes, his in real facts; they can only
pray and wish for the blessing, it is he only that can give it, and can ratify
and confirm what they declare and pronounce, according to his revealed word.
Some refer the relative "them" to the priests, as if the sense was, I
will bless the priests that bless Israel, for God will bless them that bless
his people; but Aben Ezra thinks it belongs both to Israel, and to the priests,
that God would confirm and establish the blessing of the priests pronounced on
Israel, and bless the priests also, who needed the divine blessing as well as
the people, and being found in the way of their duty, might expect it: the
Targum of Jonathan is,"I will bless them in my Word;'his essential Word, Christ,
in whom his chosen ones are blessed with all spiritual blessings, and who is
the promised seed, in whom all nations of the earth shall be blessed.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》