< >The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the sons of Isreal and say to them: 'If a man or a woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the lord as a Nazirite, he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. During the entire period of his vow of seperation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the Lord is over. Throughout the period of his separation to the Lord he must not go near a dead body. Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonally unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head. Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the Lord." (Numbers 6:1-8)
< >In short the Nazirite must abstain from all alcohol and any part of the grapevine, must not cut his hair or beard, and must never go near a dead body. If a Nazirite is accidentally defiled by a dead body he must follow a set of prescribed rules in order to reconsecrate himself to the Lord.
< >"If someone dies suddenly in his presence thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing-the seventh day. Then on the eighth day he must bring two dovesor two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and one as a burnt offering to make attonement for him because he sinned by being in the presence of a dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head. He must dedicate himself to the Lord for the period of his separation and must bring a year old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because he became defiled during his separation." (Numbers 6:9-12)
< >The Mishna, the Jewish digest of oral law, mentions that the typical vow as 30 days, though longer periods were not uncommon. The Bible records two cases of lifelong Nazirites, Samson (Judges 13:3-7) and Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11) who were dedicated from birth, especially as stated in the Qumran text: Ben Sira 46.13. John the Baptist is also said to have benn a life long Nazirite.
< >The status of a life long Nazirite was different in that the prohibition against defilement from a dead body didn't apply. Verses 13-19 in the book of Numbers describe what the Nazirite must do at the conclusion of his separation.
< >"Now this is the law for the Nazirite when the period of his separation is over. He is brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. There he is to present his offerings to the Lord: a years old male lamb without defect for burnt offering, a year old ewe lamb without defect for sin offering, a ram without defect for fellowship offering, together with there grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made without yeast- cakes made with fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. The priest is to present them before the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with its grain offering and drink offering. Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting the Nazirite must shave off the hair which he has dedicated. He is to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket , both made without yeast. The preist shall then wave them before the Lord as a wave offering ; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine." (Numbers 6:13-19)
< >The vow of the Nazirite is discribed in great detail in Nazir, the fourth tractate of Order Nashim in the Mishnah. Some of the topics covered are the minimum duration of the vow, the three things forbidden to a Nazirite, and the procedure if a Nazirite break his vow. Opening with a discussion of the Nazirite in the mold of Samson and closing with the Nazirite status of Samuel.
< >Samson's life as a Nazirite is describe in great detail in the book of Judges. He is described as a Nazirite from his mothers womb.
< >'The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used upon his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite set apart to God from birth,and he will begin the deliverance of Isreal from the hands of the Philistines." (Judges 13:3-5)
< >When Samsomns hair was shaved his great strength left him. Thus the source of his legendary strength was his vow.
< >The Nazirite vow is also mentioned in Acts 18:18 and 21:23, in which the apostle Paul and other early Christians are reported as having taken the vow.
< >The law of the Nazirite can be best summarized by the conclusion of the sixth chapter of Numbers.
< >"This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering according to his separation, in addition to what else he can afford; according to his vow which he takes, so he shall do according to the law of his separation." (Numbers 6:21)