Numbers6

English Standard Version

TranslationKJV WEB ASV ESV NIV NASB NKJV NLT

¹And the Lord to , ,

² to the of and to them, either a a a special , the of a , to himself to the Lord,

³he shall himself from and . He shall made from or and shall any of or , or .

⁴ the of his he shall that is by the , not even the the .

⁵ the of his of , shall his . the is for he himself to the Lord, he shall be . He shall the of of his grow .

⁶ the that he himself to the Lord he shall go a .

⁷ even for his or for his , for or , if they , shall he make himself , his to is on his .

⁸ the of his he is to the Lord.

⁹And any him and he his , then he shall his on the of his ; on the he shall it.

¹⁰On the he shall or to the to the of the of ,

¹¹and the shall for a and the for a , and make him, he by the . And he shall his that

¹²and to the Lord for the of his and a a for a . But the shall be , his was .

¹³And is the for the , the of his has been : he shall be to the of the of ,

¹⁴and he shall his to the Lord, a without for a , and ewe a without as a , and without as a ,

¹⁵and a of , of with , and with , and their and their .

¹⁶And the shall them the Lord and his and his ,

¹⁷and he shall the as a of to the Lord, with the of . The shall also its and its .

¹⁸And the shall his at the of the of and shall the from his and it on the is the of the .

¹⁹And the shall the the , when it is , and out the and , and shall them the of the , he has the hair of his ,

²⁰and the shall them for a the Lord. They are a for the , with the that is and the that is . And that the may .

²¹ is the of the . if he an to the Lord his , as he can , in exact with the he , then he shall in addition the of the .

²²The Lord to , ,

²³ to and his , , you shall the of : you shall to them,

²⁴The Lord you and you;

²⁵the Lord make his to upon you and be to you;

²⁶the Lord lift his upon you and you .

²⁷So shall they my the of , and I will them.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Numbers 6.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The law concerning the Nazarites. (1–21). The form of blessing the people. (22–27).

vv1-21

The word Nazarite signifies separation. Some were appointed of God, before their birth, to be Nazarites all their days, as Samson and John the Baptist. But, in general, it was a vow of separation from the world and devotedness to the services of religion, for a limited time, and under certain rules, which any person might make if they pleased. A Nazarite is spoken of as well known; but his obligation is brought to a greater certainty than before. That the fancies of superstitious men might not multiply the restraints endlessly, God gives them rules. They must not drink wine or strong drink, nor eat grapes. Those who separate themselves to God, must not gratify the desires of the body, but keep it under. Let all Christians be very moderate in the use of wine and strong drink; for if the love of these once gets the mastery of a man, he becomes an easy prey to Satan. The Nazarites were to eat nothing that came of the vine; this may teach the utmost care to avoid sin, and all that borders upon it, and leads to it, or may be a temptation to us. They must not cut their hair. They must neither poll their heads, nor shave their beards; this was the mark of Samson being a Nazarite. This signified neglect of the body, and of the ease and ornament of it. Those who separate themselves to God, must keep their consciences pure from dead works, and not touch unclean things. All the days of their separation they must be holy to the Lord. This was the meaning of those outward observances, and without this they were of no account. No penalty or sacrifice was appointed for those who wilfully broke their vow of being Nazarites; they must answer another day for such profane trifling with the Lord their God; but those were to be relieved who did not sin wilfully. There is nothing in Scripture that bears the least resemblance to the religious orders of the church of Rome, except these Nazarites. But mark the difference, or rather how completely opposed! The religious of that church are forbidden to marry; but no such restriction is laid upon the Nazarites. They are commanded to abstain from meats; but the Nazarites might eat any food allowed other Israelites. They are not generally forbidden wine, not even on their fasting days; but the Nazarites might not have wine at any time. Their vow is lasting, even to the end of their lives; the Nazarites' vow was only for a limited time, at their own will; and in certain cases not unless allowed by husbands or parents. Such a thorough difference there is between rules of man's invention and those directed in Scripture, Let us not forget that the Lord Jesus is not only our Surety, but also our example. For his sake we must renounce worldly pleasures, abstain from fleshy lusts, be separate from sinners, make open profession of our faith, moderate natural affections, be spiritually-minded, and devoted to God's service, and desirous to be an example all around us. (Nu 6:22-27)

vv22-27

The priests were solemnly to bless the people in the name of the Lord. To be under the almighty protection of God our Saviour; to enjoy his favour as the smile of a loving Father, or as the cheering beams of the sun; while he mercifully forgives our sins, supplies our wants, consoles the heart, and prepares us by his grace for eternal glory; these things form the substance of this blessing, and the sum total of all blessings. In so rich a list of mercies worldly joys are not worthy to be mentioned. Here is a form of prayer. The name Jehovah is three times repeated. The Jews think there is some mystery; and we know what it is, the New Testament having explained it. There we are directed to expect the blessing from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, 2Co 13:14; each of which Persons is Jehovah, and yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.

Key Words

spokeH1696Hebrew

דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue

MosesH4872Hebrew

מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver

sayingH559Hebrew

אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)

peopleH1121Hebrew

בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)

IsraelH3478Hebrew

יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity

WhenH3588Hebrew

כִּי: (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

manH376Hebrew

אִישׁ: a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)

orH176Hebrew

אוֹ: desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also if

womanH802Hebrew

אִשָּׁה: a woman

makesH6381Hebrew

פָּלָא: properly, perhaps to separate, i.e. distinguish (literally or figuratively); by implication, to be (causatively, make) great, difficult, wonderful