Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:
When either man or woman shall ... vow a vow of a Nazarite, х Naaziyr (H5139)] - 'a separated one,' from a Hebrew word, to separate [Septuagint, hafagnisasthai hagneian, to purify purity.] And it was used to designate a class of persons who, under the impulse of extraordinary piety, and with a view to higher degrees of religious improvement, voluntarily renounced the occupations and pleasures of the world to dedicate themselves unreservedly to the divine service. The vow might be taken by either sex, provided they had the disposal of themselves (Numbers 30:4), and for a limited period-usually a month or a life-time (Judges 13:5; Judges 16:17).
We do not know, perhaps, the whole extent of abstinence they practiced. But they separated themselves from three things in particular-namely, from wine, and all the varieties of vinous produce; from the application of a razor to their head, allowing their hair to grow; and from pollution by a dead body. The reasons of the self-restriction are obvious. The use of wine tended to inflame the passions, intoxicate the brain, and create a taste for luxurious indulgence. The cutting off the hair being a recognized sign of uncleanness (Leviticus 14:8-9), its unpolled luxuriance was a symbol of the purity the man professed. Besides, its extraordinary length kept him in constant remembrance of his vow, as well as stimulated others to imitate his pious example.
Moreover, contact with a dead body disqualifying for the divine service, the Nazarite carefully avoided such a cause of unfitness, and, like the high priest, did not assist at the funeral rites of his nearest relatives, preferring his duty to God to the indulgence of his strongest natural affections. х Migepen (H1612) hayayin (H3196), a wine vine, to distinguish it from similar plants of a poisonous quality (Deuteronomy 32:32; 2 Kings 4:39).]