Numbers 6:2
in Numbers 6“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself unto Jehovah,
KJV
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:
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This verse in Numbers 6
Commentary
5 notes on this verseWhen either man or woman shall separate, etc. - The word נזיר nazir, from נזר nazar, to separate, signifies merely a separated person, i. e., one peculiarly devoted to the service of God by being separated from all servile employments. From the Nazarites sprang the Rechabites, from the Rechabites the Essenes, from the Essenes the Anchorites or Hermits, and in imitation of those, the different monastic orders. Some contend strongly that the Nazarite was a type of our Lord; but neither analogy nor proof can be produced.
This site's exposition
And the Lord spake unto Moses
on Numbers 6:1-2
The word Nazarite enters the King James Bible at verse 2 and stands in twelve verses in all, six of them in this chapter. Behind it is the Hebrew nazir, which Genesis 49:26 and Deuteronomy 33:16 use of Joseph, him that was separate from his brethren. The vow is opened to either man or woman, and it runs for a term the person names, which verse 5 and verse 13 both call the days of his separation.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Christ was called in reproach a Nazarene, so were his followers: but he was no Nazarite according to this law; he drank wine, and touched dead bodies, yet in his this type had its accomplishment, for in him all purity and perfection met; and every true Christian is a spiritual Nazarite, separated by vow unto the Lord.
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
When either man or woman . . . shall vow a vow of a Nazarite--that is, "a separated one," from a Hebrew word, "to separate." 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 words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| דַּבֵּר֙ | daber | speak | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ | veamarta | and you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵהֶ֑ם | ʾalehem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֽוֹ־ | ʾov- | or | H176 → | 321 times |
| אִשָּׁ֗ה | ʾishah | a woman | H802 → | 781 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יַפְלִא֙ | yafli' | he will make hard | H6381 → | 71 times |
| לִנְדֹּר֙ | lindor | to vow | H5087 → | 31 times |
| נֶ֣דֶר | neder | a vow of | H5088 → | 60 times |
| נָזִ֔יר | nazir | a Nazirite | H5139 → | 16 times |
| לְהַזִּ֖יר | lehazir | to be a Nazirite | H5144 → | 10 times |
| לַֽיהוָֽה׃ | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
דַּבֵּר֙speak
daberH1696 →1141 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וְאָמַרְתָּ֖and you will say
veamartaH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵהֶ֑םto them
ʾalehemH413 →5510 times
אִ֣ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אֽוֹ־or
ʾov-H176 →321 times
אִשָּׁ֗הa woman
ʾishahH802 →781 times
כִּ֤יif
kiH3588 →4482 times
יַפְלִא֙he will make hard
yafli'H6381 →71 times
לִנְדֹּר֙to vow
lindorH5087 →31 times
נֶ֣דֶרa vow of
nederH5088 →60 times
נָזִ֔ירa Nazirite
nazirH5139 →16 times
לְהַזִּ֖ירto be a Nazirite
lehazirH5144 →10 times
לַֽיהוָֽה׃to Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Romans 1:1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God—
it leads to
- Acts 9:15
“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.
- Romans 15:16
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy…
- 1 Corinthians 1:1
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
- Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
- Colossians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
- Acts 9:15
Through
Judges 13:5For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will…
it leads to
- Numbers 6:5
For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall pass over his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Numbers 6:5
Through
Hebrews 7:27Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when…
it leads to
- Hebrews 9:12
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.
- Hebrews 9:28
so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
- Hebrews 9:12
Where this verse is studied
About Numbers

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
