Numbers 6 explained: A Special Vow and a Blessing

No grapes or wine (vv. 1-4)

A man or woman could choose to become a Nazirite, meaning someone set apart for God for a chosen period. They gave up wine and everything from the grapevine, though the text never says why grapes in particular, and suggestions like keeping a clear head remain guesses.

Uncut hair, no contact with death (vv. 5-8)

Their uncut hair was a visible sign that this person belonged to God for now. They also had to avoid dead bodies, even a parent's, because contact with death made a person ritually unclean, meaning unfit for worship for a time, a rule as strict as the one for the high priest.

If death happens nearby (vv. 9-12)

If someone died suddenly beside them, the Nazirite shaved their head on the seventh day and brought birds and a lamb to the priest. Then the vow started over from the beginning, because the earlier days no longer counted, even though the contact was accidental.

Ending the vow (vv. 13-21)

When the period was complete, the person brought animal and bread offerings, shaved their head, and burned the hair in the fire under the shared meal offering. The priest placed portions in their hands and lifted them before God as thanks, and after that they could drink wine again.

The priests' blessing (vv. 22-26)

The priests were given these exact words to speak over the people. The picture of God's shining face means looking on someone with warm favor, and peace here means wholeness and well-being, not only the absence of war.

Putting God's name on them (v. 27)

Speaking God's name over the people marked them as his, and God says that he himself, not the priest, is the one who blesses. Tiny silver scrolls from around 600 BC found near Jerusalem carry this blessing, making it one of the oldest known pieces of biblical text.

Key verse: Numbers 6:24

Something to think about

What do you think it does for a person to hear someone speak words of blessing or goodwill over them, whether or not either of them believes in God?