And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Additional obligations under which Israel lay to God; the prophets and Nazarites appointed by Him to furnish religious instruction and examples of holy self-restraint.
Of your young men. It was a specimen of Israel's highly favoured state, that, of the class most addicted to pleasures, God chose those who by a solemn vow bound themselves to abstinence from all produce of the vine, and from all ceremonial and moral defilement. The Nazarite also was bound not to shave, nor to cut his hair; and he was to be "holy unto the Lord." His consecrated hair, which was woven into seven locks (the number of consecration), was called by the same name as the mitre of the priest х neezer (H5145)]. (Judges 15:13; Numbers 6:2, etc.) God left nothing undone to secure the purity of their worship, and their faithfulness to it (Lamentations 4:7, "Her Nazarites were purer than snow; they were whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in body than rubies; their polishing was of sapphire"). The name comes from a Hebrew root х naazar (H5144)], 'to set apart.' Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist were Nazarites.
Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? Will any of you dare to deny it is so?