Matthew Poole and continuators on Numbers 6

2 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:

For both sexes might make this vow, if they were free and at their own dispose, for otherwise their parents or husbands could disanul the vow, Numb. 30. 4. and in that case they sinned in taking Gods name in vain and vowing what they could not perform.

Whereby they did sequester themselves in a great part from worldly employments and enioyments, that they might intirely con[illegible: 1+ letters]ecrate themselves to Gods service, and this either for their whole life time, of which see Iude. 13. 5. and 16. 17. 1 Sam. 1. 11. Luk. 1. 15. or for a less and limited space of time, of which in this chapter.

Marginal references: Or, make themselves Nazarites.

3 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 .

Which was forbidden him for greater caution to keep him at the further distance from wine.

Which was forbidden him for greater caution to keep him at the further distance from wine.

b Least they should either inflame or dispose him to luxury, and consequently to the breaking of his vow: or cloud his reason and thereby occasion some mistake or miscarriage in the rules to which he had bound himself. Compare Lev. 10. 9.

4 All the dayes of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine-tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

Which were sometimes more, sometimes fewer, as he thought fit to appoint.

Marginal references: Or, Nazariteship.; Heb. of the vine of the wine.

5 All the dayes of the vow of his separation, there shall no rasor come upon his head, untill the dayes 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.

Nor scissers, or other instrument to cut off any part of his hair. This was appointed, partly as a sign of his mortification to wordly delights and vain affectation of outward beauty, which is promoted by the polling or cutting off the hair; partly as a testimony of that purity which hereby he professed, because the cutting off the hair was a sign of uncleanness, as appears from ver. 9. and Levit. 14. 8, 9. partly that by the notorious length of his hair he might be constantly minded of his vow and the exquisite holiness it required, and that others might thereby be admonished and stirred up to the imitation of his holy example; and partly that he might reserve his hair entirely for God to whom it was to be offered, ver. 18.

(i. e.) Wholly consecrated to God and his service, whereby he shews that inward and substantial holiness was the great thing which God required and valued in these, and consequently in other rites and ceremonies.

Marginal references: Judg. 13. 5. 1 Sam. 1. 11.

7 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.

Wherein he was equal to the High-priest, Lev. 21. 11. being, in some sort, as sacred a person, and as eminent a type of Christ, Heb. 7. 26. and therefore justly required to prefer the service of God to which he had so fully and peculiarly given himself before the expressions of his affections to his dearest and nearest relations.

(i. e.) The token of his consecration, to wit, his long hair.

(i. e.) Whereby he hath devoted himself to his God in an eminent manner. The Genitive case of the object.

Marginal references: Heb. separation.

9 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.

Because his whole body, and especially his hair was defiled by such an accident, which he ought to impute either to his own heedlessness, or at least to Gods providence so ordering the matter possibly for the punishment of his other sins, or for the quickening of him to more caution and purity and detestation of all dead works whereby he would be defiled,

To be reckoned from the time of his pollution, for uncleanness contracted by the dead continued for seven days, and the seventh day was the day of cleansing for it, Levit. 15. 13. Numb. 19. 11, 12.

10 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.

As in the case of him that had a running issue, Lev. 15. 14.

Marginal references: Lev. 5. 7. and 24. 22.

11 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 sameday.

Heb. make: which is oft put for sacrificing or offering, as Exod. 29. 36. 1 Chron. 21. 23. compared with 2 Sam. 24. 22.

Because such a pollution was though not his sin, yet the chastisement of his sin, and had an appearance of sin, to wit, of negligence in not standing sufficiently upon his guard, which in such persons was in a manner equivalent to a sin.

(i. e.) Contracted a ceremonial uncleanness, which is called sinning, because it was a type of sin, and a violation of a law, though through ignorance and inadvertency, as many other sins were.

Begin again to hallow or consecrate it.

12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the dayes of his separation , and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass-offering: but the dayes that were before shall be lost , because his separation was defiled:

As many days as he had before separated or vowed unto God.

(i. e.) Not reckoned or imputed to him. Heb. fall, to wit, to the ground, i. e. be void or of none effect.

Marginal references: Lev. 5. 6.; Heb. fall.

13 And this is the law of the Nazarite: when the dayes of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

By the Priests appointment and direction.

14 And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he-lamb of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt-offering, and one ew-lamb of the first year, without blemish, for a sin-offering , and one ram without blemish, for peaceofferings :

Whereby he confessed and bewailed his frailties and miscarriages notwithstanding the strictness of his vow and all the diligence and care which he could use, and consequently acknowledged his need of the grace of God in Christ Jesus the true Nazarite.

For thankfulness to God, who had given him grace to make and in some measure to keep such a vow. So he offered all the three sorts of offerings, that he might so far fulfill all righteousness and profess his obligation to observe the will of God in all things.

Marginal references: Lev. 4. 2, [illegible: 1 word] ▪ 32.; Lev. 3. 6.

15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oyl, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oyl, and their meatoffering, and their drink-offerings .

Such as did generally accompany the sacrifices, of which see Lev. 2. 1. and Numb. 28.

Marginal references: Lev. 2. [illegible: 1 word].

18 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.

Or, of his Nazariteship, i. e. in which the chief of his Nazarite-ship or separation to God consisted.

Publickly, that it might be known that his vow was ended, and therefore he was at liberty as to those things from which he had restrained himself for a season, otherwise some might have been scandalized at his use of his liberty. See Act. 21. 26.

Either 1. the fire of the Altar. But why then is this restrained to the peaceofferings, seeing it was common to the burnt-offerings, and to the sin-offerings? or rather 2. to the fire of the kitchin, upon which the flesh of the peace-offerings was boyled.

Marginal references: Act. 21. [illegible: 1 word] ▪

19 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.

The left shoulder, as it appears from ver. 20. where this is joyned with the heave-shoulder, which was the right-shoulder, and which was the Priests due in all sacrifices, Lev. 7. 32. and in this also. But here the other shoulder was added to it, as a special token of thankfulness from the Nazarites for Gods singular favours vouchsafed unto them.

That he may give them to the Priest, as his peculiar gift.

20 And the priest shall wave them for a waveoffering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest with the wave-breast, and heaveshoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine .

Of the wave-offering and heave-offering. See Lev. 7. 30.

And return to his former freedom and manner of living, he is discharged from his vow.

Marginal references: Exod. [illegible: 1 word] 23.

21 This is the Law of the Nazarite, who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, besides that that his hand shall get : according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do, after the law of his separation.

(i. e.) Besides what he shall voluntarily promise and give according to his ability.

23 Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel , saying unto them,

Heb. Thus, in this manner, or in these words: yet so as that they were not tied to these very words, because after this we have examples of Moses and David and Solomon and others blessing the people in other words.

To wit, in the publick assembly.

24 The LORD bless thee , and keep thee :

(i. e.) Bestow upon you all manner of blessings, temporal and spiritual. Compare Gen. 12. 2.

(i. e.) Continue his blessings to thee, and preserve thee in and to the use of them, keep thee from sin and its bitter effects.

25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee m, and be gracious unto thee:

l (i. e.) Smile upon thee.: this is opposed to the hiding of his face, and to the covering himself or his face with a cloud; and it is explained by the following words, be gracious unto thee. Others expound it of illumination or direction and the revelation of himself and of his will to them.

26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee , and give thee peace ,

(i. e.) Look upon thee with a chearful and pleasant countenance, as one that is reconciled to thee and well pleased with thee and thy offering and services. See of this phrase Psal. 4. 6. Prov. 16. 15. To this is opposed the falling and the casting down of the countenance, of which see Gen. 4. 5, 6. Iob 29. 24. Or, Regard, Protect, and help thee. Compare Psal. 33. 18.

Peace with God and with thy own conscience and with all men, and all prosperity, which is comprehended under this word.

27 And they shall put my Name upon the children of Israel , and I will bless them .

(i. e.) Shall call them by my name, shall recommend them to me as my own people, and bless them and pray unto me for them as such: which is a powerful argument to prevail with God for them, and therefore hath been oft used by the Prophets interceding for them, as Ier. 14. 9. Dan. 9. 18, 19. Compare 1 Sam. 12. 22.

I will ratify their blessings, and give those blessings to the people which the Priests pray for.