Numbers 6:13-21 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Reader Related Verse
Bible Comments

The Offerings Required at the Termination of the Nazirite Vow. The most distinctive feature of the concluding ritual was the shaving of the hair (cf. Acts 18:18) and the burning of it in the fire on the altar. This was probably at first of the nature of an offering, the primitive idea being that, as the hair was the seat of vitality ana energy, to present it to the Deity was to present to Him the best of one's self. Offerings of hair have been common in many religions, and were made on various occasions, particularly by girls just before marriage, and by mourners for the dead (see Pausanias, Description of Greece, i. 43, ii. 32; Æ sch., Cho. 6; Hom. Il. xxiii. 141). Of the sacrifice offered by the Nazirite a larger share than ordinary fell to the priest; for of the ram of the peace offering, in addition to the usual perquisites (Leviticus 7:34), he received also the shoulder.

Numbers 6:13. shall be brought: this is inappropriate, and the text is probably in some disorder.

Numbers 6:15. their meal offering and their drink offerings: see Numbers 15:4 f.

Numbers 6:20. heave thigh: better, thigh of the contribution.

Numbers 6:21. beside that which he is able to get: i.e. besides that which his means shall allow. The sacrifices explicitly prescribed are the minimum, but they are not to exclude others, if the offerer can afford them.

Related Commentaries of Numbers 6:13

Numbers 6:13-21

13 And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:

14 And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings,

15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings.

16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering:

17 And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.

18 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.

19 And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven:

20 And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.

21 This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.