EJ&T: Numbers 6 - The Law of the Nazarite

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

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The Law of the Nazarite

A man or woman who becomes a Nazarite must not drink alcoholic beverages of any kind. Don't drink grape juice or eat any part of a grape or raisin, seeds or skins.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 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: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. Numbers 6:1-4

Don't cut you hair.

All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. Numbers 6:5

Stay away from dead bodies, including dead family members.

All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no 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 the consecration of his God is upon his head. Numbers 6:7-8

Once you become a Nazarite, you are holy to God. So if you happen to get near a dead body after becoming a Nazarite, you must shave your head seven days later.

All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord. And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. Numbers 6:9

On the eighth day after getting near a dead body, bring two doves or young pigeons to a priest. The priest will kill them for God; one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. After these sacrifices, your head will become holy once again.

And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. Numbers 6:10-11

After the priest kills the birds, consecrate yourself to the Lord again as a Nazarite. Then kill a young lamb as a trespass offering. Any time you served as a Nazarite before the dead body episode doesn't count. The clock starts after you kill the lamb.

And he shall consecrate unto the Lord the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled. Numbers 6:12

When you decide to retire, bring three animals to the priest to be killed for God: an unblemished, first year lamb for a burnt offering; an unblemished, first year, female lamb for a sin offering; and and unblemished ram for a peace offering. Include a basket of unleavened bread, a few cakes mingled with oil, some unleavened bread wafers anointed with oil, a meat offering, and a drink offering.

And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And he shall offer his offering unto the Lord, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. And the priest shall bring them before the Lord, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering. Numbers 6:13-17

Then shave your head and burn your hair as a peace offering.

And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings. Numbers 6:18

Your retirement ceremony ends with the priest handing you the sodden shoulder of a ram, an unleavened cake, and an unleavened water. Then the priest will wave them in the air before the Lord. This is holy for the priest and fun for God.

And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven: And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder. Numbers 6:19-20a

After you retire, you may drink wine once again.

And after that the Nazarite may drink wine. This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the Lord for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation. Numbers 6:20b-21