Numbers 6

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,

he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.

All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

“‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to the LORD. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

“‘All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body.

He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.

All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.

“‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it.

On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting.

The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall make his head holy that same day.

He shall separate to the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

“‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting,

and he shall offer his offering to the LORD: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, one ram without defect for peace offerings,

a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil with their meal offering and their drink offerings.

The priest shall present them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering.

He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering and its drink offering.

The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved the head of his separation;

and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. They are holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.

“‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows and of his offering to the LORD for his separation, in addition to that which he is able to afford. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,

‘The LORD bless you, and keep you.

The LORD make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you.

The LORD lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’

“So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter outlines the regulations for the Nazirite vow, a special form of consecration to the LORD involving abstinence from wine, avoidance of contact with the dead, and the letting of hair uncut, culminating in a set of sacrificial offerings at its completion. It concludes with the divine institution of the priestly blessing, by which Aaron and his sons are commissioned to invoke God’s name upon Israel.

Flow.

The chapter begins with the Lord instructing Moses about the Nazirite vow, detailing the restrictions: abstaining from all grape products, letting the hair grow, and avoiding ceremonial defilement through contact with corpses.
It addresses the case of unintentional defilement by proximity to sudden death, prescribing purification rituals, sacrifices, and the extension of the Nazirite period.
The completion of the vow is described: the Nazirite presents specific offerings, shaves his consecrated hair, and places it in the fire of the peace offering, after which he may resume normal life, including drinking wine.
The chapter closes with a distinct but related ordinance: the formal words of the priestly blessing, given by God to be used by Aaron and his sons to invoke His presence and peace upon Israel.

Connections.
Following chapter 5, which dealt with rituals for resolving impurity and acts of unfaithfulness within the camp, chapter 6 extends the theme of holiness by presenting a voluntary, intense form of consecration to the LORD through the Nazirite. This heightens the narrative focus on what it means to be set apart for God in the midst of the community. The priestly blessing at the end serves as a liturgical counterpart to the individual’s act of separation, showing that God’s people are both called to personal holiness and upheld by divine blessing. The shift from individual vow to communal benediction prepares for chapter 7, which records the offerings of the tribal leaders at the Tabernacle, highlighting corporate worship and dedication.

What it teaches.
The Nazirite vow illustrates the seriousness of consecration to God, emphasizing separation from worldly pleasures (WCF 19.5), ritual purity, and the need for atonement when holiness is compromised (; cf. WCF 7.3). The vow was temporary and voluntary, yet required strict obedience, reflecting the principle that holiness is a divine gift sustained by sacrificial provision. The priestly blessing, rooted in God’s promise to dwell with His people (HC LD 10), invokes His name as the source of blessing, protection, grace, and peace (WCF 7.6), signifying that all sanctification and favor flow from Him. The putting of God’s name on Israel fulfills His covenant commitment to be their God (HC Q/A 46).

Apply.
When one is set apart for God’s purposes, he is marked by distinct discipline, and when defiled, he is restored by sacrifice and grace.

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