Numbers 6:11

6:1-21 The word Nazarite signifies separation. Some were appointed of God, before their birth, to be Nazarites all their days, as Samson and John the Baptist. But, in general, it was a vow of separation from the world and devotedness to the services of religion, for a limited time, and under certain rules, which any person might make if they pleased. A Nazarite is spoken of as well known; but his obligation is brought to a greater certainty than before. That the fancies of superstitious men might not multiply the restraints endlessly, God gives them rules. They must not drink wine or strong drink, nor eat grapes. Those who separate themselves to God, must not gratify the desires of the body, but keep it under. Let all Christians be very moderate in the use of wine and strong drink; for if the love of these once gets the mastery of a man, he becomes an easy prey to Satan. The Nazarites were to eat nothing that came of the vine; this may teach the utmost care to avoid sin, and all that borders upon it, and leads to it, or may be a temptation to us. They must not cut their hair. They must neither poll their heads, nor shave their beards; this was the mark of Samson being a Nazarite. This signified neglect of the body, and of the ease and ornament of it. Those who separate themselves to God, must keep their consciences pure from dead works, and not touch unclean things. All the days of their separation they must be holy to the Lord.

This was the meaning of those outward observances, and without this they were of no account. No penalty or sacrifice was appointed for those who wilfully broke their vow of being Nazarites; they must answer another day for such profane trifling with the Lord their God; but those were to be relieved who did not sin wilfully. There is nothing in Scripture that bears the least resemblance to the religious orders of the church of Rome, except these Nazarites. But mark the difference, or rather how completely opposed! The religious of that church are forbidden to marry; but no such restriction is laid upon the Nazarites. They are commanded to abstain from meats; but the Nazarites might eat any food allowed other Israelites. They are not generally forbidden wine, not even on their fasting days; but the Nazarites might not have wine at any time. Their vow is lasting, even to the end of their lives; the Nazarites' vow was only for a limited time, at their own will; and in certain cases not unless allowed by husbands or parents. Such a thorough difference there is between rules of man's invention and those directed in Scripture, Let us not forget that the Lord Jesus is not only our Surety, but also our example. For his sake we must renounce worldly pleasures, abstain from fleshy lusts, be separate from sinners, make open profession of our faith, moderate natural affections, be spiritually-minded, and devoted to God's service, and desirous to be an example all around us.

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 6:11-12 . A sin-offering — Because such a pollution was, though not his sin, yet the chastisement of his sin. He sinned by the dead — That is, contracted a ceremonial uncleanness, which is called sinning, because it was a type of sin, and a violation of a law, though through ignorance and inadvertency. Hallow his head — Begin again to hallow or consecrate it. The days of his separation — As many days as he had before vowed to God. Lost — Hebrew, fall to the ground; that is, be void, or of none effect.

(11) And the priest shall offer . . . — The word which is here rendered “offer” ( asah ) , like the Greek poiein, means literally “do.” Its sacrificial signification, however, in this place, is entirely dependent upon the context. By the dead.—i.e., by reason of, or on account of the dead body with which he had been brought in contact.

11 . a sin-offering ] A form of sacrifice not mentioned in the historical or prophetical books. Its purpose was the removal of defilement, separation from all that was not holy. It was thus used at the consecration of places ( Exodus 29:36 , Leviticus 8:14 f.), and of persons —priests ( Exodus 29:14 , Leviticus 4:3 ; Leviticus 8:2 ; Leviticus 8:14 &c.), and Levites ( Numbers 8:8 ; Numbers 8:12 ); and also to make atonement for inadvertent transgressions ( Numbers 15:24 ; Numbers 15:27 , Leviticus 4:2 ; Leviticus 4:13 &c.), and for ceremonial uncleanness (here, Leviticus 12:6 ; Leviticus 12:8 ; Leviticus 14:19 ; Leviticus 15:15 ). Before the exile the sin-offering appears only as a fine levied by the priests at the sanctuary ( 2 Kings 12:16 ). a burnt-offering ] A very ancient rite, expressing self-dedication to God. hallow his head ] It had become free from pollution on the previous day, but needed re-hallowing for the purposes of the vow.

Verse 11. - For that he sinned by the dead. This is one of the cases in which the law seemed to teach plainly that an outward, accidental, and involuntary defilement was sin, and had need to be atoned for. The opposite principle was declared by our Lord ( Mark 7:18 -93). The Septuagint has here the strange reading περὶ ω΅ν ἥμαρτε περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς . Shall hallow his head. By dedicating again to God the free growth of his hair. Numbers 6:11

Shall offer, Heb. make , which is oft put for sacrificing or offering , as Exodus 29:36 1 Chronicles 21:23 , compared with 2 Samuel 24:22 . For a sin-offering, because such a pollution was, though not his sin, yet the chastisement of his sin, and had an appearance of sin, to wit, of negligence in not standing sufficiently upon his guard, which in such persons was in a manner equivalent to a sin. For that he sinned, i.e. contracted a ceremonial uncleanness, which is called sinning, because it was a type of sin, and a violation of a law, though through ignorance and inadvertency, as many other sins were. Shall hallow; begin again to hallow or consecrate it.

9-12. If any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration—Cases of sudden death might occur to make him contract pollution; and in such circumstances he was required, after shaving his head, to make the prescribed offerings necessary for the removal of ceremonial defilement (Le 15:13; Nu 19:11). But by the terms of this law an accidental defilement vitiated the whole of his previous observances, and he was required to begin the period of his Nazaritism afresh. But even this full completion did not supersede the necessity of a sin offering at the close. Sin mingles with our best and holiest performances, and the blood of sprinkling is necessary to procure acceptance to us and our services.

But if any one died suddenly in a moment "by him" (עליו, in his neighbourhood), and he therefore involuntarily defiled his consecrated head, he was to shave his head on the day of his purification, i.e., on the seventh day (see Numbers 19:11 , Numbers 19:14 , Numbers 19:16 , and Numbers 19:19 ), not "because such uncleanness was more especially caught and retained by the hair," as Knobel fancies, but because it was the diadem of his God ( Numbers 6:7 ), the ornament of his condition, which was sanctified to God. On the eighth day, that is to say, on the day after the legal purification, he was to bring to the priest at the tabernacle two turtle-doves or young pigeons, that he might make atonement for him (see at Leviticus 15:14-15 , Leviticus 15:29 ., Numbers 14:30-31 , and Numbers 12:8 ), on account of his having been defiled by a corpse, by preparing the one as a sin-offering, and the other as a burnt-offering; he was also "to sanctify his head that same day," i.e., to consecrate it to God afresh, by the unimpeded growth of his hair.