Chapter 6

Keywords

separate/Nazir/נזיר [h5139] • crown/crown/נזר [h5145] • vow/נדר [h5088] • work a miracle/פלא [h6381] • wine/יין [h3196] • strong drink/שכר [h7941] • vinegar/חמץ [h2558] • vine/גפן [h1612] • razor/תער [h8593] • head/ראש [h7218] • loose locks/פרע [h6545] • dead soul/נפש מת [h5315] • defile/טמא [h2930] • shave/גלח [h1548] • sanctify/קדש [h6942] • fall/נפל [h5307] • law/תורה [h8451] • offering/קרבן [h7133] • complete/תמים [h8549] • peace-offerings/שלמים [h8002] • hair/שער [h8181] • arm/זרע [h2220] • wave-offering/תנופה [h8573] • bless/ברך [h1288] • guard/שמר [h8104] • cause to shine/אור [h215] • be gracious/חנן [h2603] • lift up/נשא [h5375] • face/פנים [h6440] • peace/שלום [h7965] • name/שם [h8034]

Aleph/Tav Annotation Key

[/Vav], [Zayin/] etc. — grayed; the Hebrew prefix or suffix letter. Silent, not read aloud.

[at] — plain black italics; an English preposition not present in the Hebrew. Silent parenthetical.

Prefixes rendered throughout: ו and • ב in / by • ל to / for • מ from • כ as / according to • ה the. Suffixes: ו his / him • ה her • ם their / them • ך you / your • י my / me.

[Numbers 6:1–27 — Retranslation from the Hebrew]

The Vow of the Nazir — Three Separations (v.1–8)

1 And Yahuah spoke [h1696] to Moshe (Moses), to say:

📖 לאמר (le'mor) — ל (lamed, to) + אמר (amar, say): “to say.”

2 “Speak to the sons of Yisra'al (Israel), and you shall say to them: A man or a woman, when he shall work a miracle [h6381] to vow [h5087] a vow [h5088] of a Nazir (Nazarite) [h5139], to separate [h5144] to Yahuah,

📖 יפלא (yafli) — Hiphil of פלא (pala, h6381), “cause a wonder / work a miracle.” The same idiom, כי יפלא נדר (ki yafli neder), opens the law of vows in Lev 27:2; compare לפלא נדר (lefalle neder) in Lev 22:21 and Num 15:3.

📖 The root gives פלאי (pil'i), “miraculous,” the word by which the messenger of Yahuah answers Manoach's (Manoah's) question about his name (Judg 13:18); the next verse uses the same Hiphil stem, ומפלא לעשות (umafli la'asot), “and working a miracle to do” (Judg 13:19). The noun פלא (pele, h6382) is the first name in ויקרא שמו פלא יועץ (vayiqra shemo pele yo'ets) (Isa 9:6, Heb. 9:5) and the object in עשה פלא (oseh pele) (Exod 15:11).

📖 Three lamed prefixes: לנדר (lindor) to vow • להזיר (lehazir) to separate • ליהוה (laYahuah) to Yahuah. נזיר (nazir, Nazir) and להזיר (lehazir, to separate) share the root נזר (nazar).

3 from wine [h3196] and strong drink [h7941] he shall separate; vinegar [h2558] of wine and vinegar of strong drink he shall not drink, and every soaking [h4952] of grapes [h6025] he shall not drink, and grapes, moist [h3892] and dried [h3002], he shall not eat.

📖 מיין (miyayin) — מ (mem, from) + יין (yayin, wine).

📖 חמץ (chomets, h2558, vinegar) is written with the same consonants as חמץ (chomets, h2557, leaven). As vinegar the word occurs six times, twice in this verse; another is Ps 69:21 (Heb. 69:22).

4 All the days of his crown [h5145], from all that is made from the vine [h1612] of the wine, from the kernels [h2785] and until the skin [h2085], he shall not eat.

📖 נזרו (nizro) — נזר (nezer, crown) + ו (vav, his).

📖 חרצנים (chartsanim, h2785) and זג (zag, h2085) each occur only here in the Hebrew Bible.

5 All the days of the vow of his crown a razor [h8593] shall not pass upon his head [h7218]; until the filling [h4390] of the days which he separates to Yahuah, sanctified [h6918] he shall be, making great [h1431] the loose locks [h6545] of the hair [h8181] of his head.

📖 גדל (gaddel, h1431) — “make great.”

📖 פרע (pera, h6545, loose locks) occurs only here and Ezek 44:20. The noun is from the verb פרע (pera, h6544), “uncover / let loose,” used in Num 5:18 (ופרע את־ראש האשה (ufara et-rosh ha'ishah)) and in Lev 21:10 of the high priest (את ראשו לא יפרע (et rosho lo yifra)).

📖 על־ראשו (al-rosho) — על (al, upon) + ראש (rosh) + ו (vav, his): “upon his head.” שער ראשו (se'ar rosho): “the hair of his head.”

6 All the days of his separating to Yahuah, upon a dead [h4191] soul [h5315] he shall not come.

📖 הזירו (hazziro) — infinitive of נזר (nezer) + ו (vav, his): “his separating.”

📖 The high priest receives the same prohibition in Lev 21:11: ועל כל נפשת מת לא יבא (ve'al kol nafshot met lo yavo), “and upon any souls of the dead he shall not come.”

7 To his father and to his mother, to his brother and to his sister, he shall not defile himself [h2930] to them in their death [h4194]; because the crown [h5145] of his Alahym is upon his head.

📖 Four lamed prefixes with the suffix ו (vav, his): לאביו (le'aviv) • ולאמו (ule'immo) • לאחיו (le'achiv) • ולאחתו (ule'achoto). במתם (bemotam) — ב (bet, in) + מות (mavet, death) + ם (mem, their).

📖 נזר (nezer, h5145) also names the crown of the sanctity on the high priest's head (נזר הקדש (nezer haqodesh), Exod 29:6; Lev 8:9). Of the high priest: כי נזר שמן משחת אלהיו עליו (ki nezer shemen mishchat Alahayu alayu), “for the נזר of the anointing oil of his Alahym is upon him” (Lev 21:12). Here: כי נזר אלהיו על־ראשו (ki nezer Alahayu al-rosho).

8 All the days of his crown, sanctified [h6918] is he to Yahuah.

📖 הוא (hu) — masculine pronoun: “sanctified is he.”

The Crown Defiled by the Dead (v.9–12)

9 And when one dies [h4191] to die [h4191] upon him in an instant [h6621], suddenly [h6597], and he defiles the head of his crown, and he shall shave [h1548] his head in the day of his cleansing [h2893]; in the seventh day he shall shave him.

📖 ימות (yamut) — imperfect of מות (mavet, die); מת (met) — participle of the same verb.

📖 עליו (alayu) — על (al, upon) + ו (vav, him). בפתע פתאם (befeta pit'om) — two words for suddenness; ב (bet, in) on the first.

📖 יגלחנו (yegalchennu) — verb + suffix נו (nun-vav, him); the object is ראש (rosh, head), masculine.

📖 The seventh day is the day of cleansing from the dead in Num 19:12.

10 And in the eighth day he shall cause to come [h935] two turtledoves [h8449] or two offspring [h1121] of a dove [h3123] to the priest, to the opening [h6607] of the tent of meeting.

📖 The same offering, in the same words (וביום השמיני (uvayom hashemini) … שתי תרים או שני בני יונה (shtei torim o shnei benei yonah) … אל פתח אהל מועד (el petach ohel mo'ed)), is brought for the discharge in Lev 15:14.

11 And the priest shall make one for a sin-offering [h2403] and one for an ascending-offering [h5930], and shall make atonement [h3722] upon him, from that which he sinned upon the soul; and he shall sanctify [h6942] Aleph/Tav–his head [h7218] in that day.

📖 Aleph/Tav–his head (intra-merism). וכפר (vekhipper) — “and make atonement”; the root כפר (kipper) means “cover.” The head defiled in v.9 (וטמא ראש נזרו (vetimme rosh nizro)) is sanctified in v.11 (וקדש את־ראשו (veqiddesh et-rosho)).

📖 מאשר (me'asher) — מ (mem, from) + אשר (asher, that which). על־הנפש (al-hanefesh) — “upon the soul,” the same noun as the dead soul of v.6.

12 And he shall separate to Yahuah Aleph/Tav–the days of his crown [h3117], and he shall cause to come [h935] a lamb [h3532], one year old, for a guilt-offering [h817]; and the days, the first ones, shall fall [h5307], because his crown was defiled.

📖 Aleph/Tav–the days of his crown (intra-merism). בן־שנתו (ben-shenato) — literally “a son of his year”: one year old.

📖 יפלו (yiplu, h5307, fall) — the verb used of the thigh in the ordeal of Num 5:21, 22, 27. The same verb, ויפלו (vayiplu), is used of Manoach (Manoah) and his wife falling upon their faces when the messenger ascends in the flame of the altar (Judg 13:20).

📖 Compare the thigh in Rev 19:16: the rider on the white horse has “upon the garment and upon his thigh [G3382] a name written: King of kings and Master of masters”; he also has “a name written that no one knows except himself” (Rev 19:12).

The Law of the Nazir — The Days Filled (v.13–21)

13 And cut from [Vav+Zayin/] Aleph/Tav [h2063] — the law [h8451] of the Nazir: in the day of the filling of the days of his crown, he shall cause to come [h935] Aleph/Tav him [/Vav] [h853] to the opening of the tent of meeting.

📖 וזאת (vezot) — Vav + Zayin/AT: “and cut from Aleph/Tav.” זאת תורת הנזיר (zot torat hanazir) recurs in v.21.

📖 אתו (oto) — Aleph/Tav him [/Vav].

📖 מלאת (melot, filling) is not the Aleph/Tav symbol; the aleph belongs to the root מלא (male).

14 And he shall bring near [h7126] Aleph/Tav–his offering [h7133] to Yahuah: a lamb one year old, complete [h8549], one, for an ascending-offering; and a ewe-lamb [h3535], one, one year old, complete, for a sin-offering; and a ram [h352], one, complete, for peace-offerings [h8002];

📖 Aleph/Tav–his offering (intra-merism). והקריב (vehiqriv, bring near) and קרבנו (qorbano, his offering) share the root קרב (qarav).

📖 בן־שנתו (ben-shenato) — literally “a son of his year”; בת־שנתה (bat-shenatah) — literally “a daughter of her year”: each one year old. All three animals are תמים (tamim), complete.

📖 אחת (achat, one, feminine) is an infixed form (Chet between Aleph and Tav); infixed forms are not annotated.

15 and a basket [h5536] of unleavened bread [h4682]: fine flour [h5560], loaves [h2471] mixed [h1101] in the oil [h8081], and wafers [h7550] of unleavened bread anointed [h4886] in the oil; and their food-offering [h4503] and their drink-offerings [h5262].

📖 בשמן (bashemen) — ב (bet, in) with the article: “in the oil,” twice. ומנחתם (uminchatam) • ונסכיהם (veniskeihem) — suffix ם (mem, their).

16 And the priest shall bring near to the face [h6440] of Yahuah, and shall make Aleph/Tav–his sin-offering [h2403] and Aleph/Tav–his ascending-offering [h5930].

📖 Aleph/Tav–his sin-offering (intra-merism); and Aleph/Tav–his ascending-offering (intra-merism with vav).

📖 לפני (lifnei) — ל (lamed, to) + פני (penei, face of): “to the face of Yahuah.”

17 And Aleph/Tav–the ram [h352] he shall make a sacrifice [h2077] of peace-offerings to Yahuah, upon the basket of the unleavened loaves; and the priest shall make Aleph/Tav–his food-offering [h4503] and Aleph/Tav–his drink-offering [h5262].

📖 And Aleph/Tav–the ram • Aleph/Tav–his food-offering • and Aleph/Tav–his drink-offering. With v.16, five Aleph/Tav in succession, one on each offering the priest makes.

18 And the Nazir shall shave, [at] the opening of the tent of meeting, Aleph/Tav–the head of his crown [h7218]; and he shall take Aleph/Tav–the hair of the head of his crown [h8181], and he shall give upon the fire [h784] which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings.

📖 פתח אהל מועד (petach ohel mo'ed) stands without a prefix; “at” is supplied. ונתן (venatan) has no expressed object.

📖 Aleph/Tav–the head of his crown • Aleph/Tav–the hair of the head of his crown (intra-merism). ראש נזרו (rosh nizro) — “the head of his crown,” as in v.9.

19 And the priest shall take Aleph/Tav–the arm [h2220], boiled [h1311], from the ram, and one unleavened loaf from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall give upon the palms [h3709] of the Nazir, after his shaving himself Aleph/Tav–his crown [h5145].

📖 Aleph/Tav–the arm • Aleph/Tav–his crown (intra-merism).

📖 הזרע (hazeroa) is written without the vav usual in זרוע (zeroa, arm). The unpointed consonants זרע (z-r-a) are those of זרע (zera, h2233), seed (ונזרעה זרע (venizre'ah zara), Num 5:28).

📖 התגלחו (hitgalcho) — reflexive infinitive of גלח (galach) + ו (vav, his): “his shaving himself.” כפי (kappei) — “the palms of.”

20 And the priest shall wave [h5130] Aleph/Tav them [/Vav/Mem] [h853] a wave-offering [h8573] to the face of Yahuah; sanctity [h6944] is he for the priest, upon the breast [h2373] of the wave-offering and upon the thigh [h7785] of the lifted-offering [h8641]; and after, the Nazir shall drink wine.

📖 אותם (otam) — Aleph/Tav them [/Vav/Mem] (suffixed). הוא (hu) — masculine: “sanctity is he.” לכהן (lakohen) — ל (lamed, for) + the priest.

📖 תרומה (terumah, h8641) — from רום (rum), “be high, lifted”: “lifted-offering.” KJV: “heave offering.”

📖 חזה התנופה (chazeh hatenufah) and שוק התרומה (shoq haterumah) are named as the priest's portion in Lev 7:34.

📖 ואחר ישתה הנזיר יין (ve'achar yishteh hanazir yayin) — the wine withheld in v.3 is drunk after the offerings.

21 Cut from [Zayin/] Aleph/Tav [h2063] — the law of the Nazir who shall vow his offering to Yahuah upon his crown, apart from [h905] that which his hand shall attain [h5381]; according to the mouth [h6310] of his vow which he shall vow, so he shall do, upon the law of his crown.

📖 זאת (zot) — Zayin/AT: “cut from Aleph/Tav.” The section of the days filled is bounded by וזאת (vezot, v.13) and זאת (zot, v.21).

📖 מלבד (millevad) — מ (mem, from) + ל (lamed, to) + בד (bad, apart/alone). כפי (kefi) — כ (kaf, according to) + פי (pi, mouth of). על־נזרו (al-nizro) • על תורת נזרו (al torat nizro) — “upon his crown” • “upon the law of his crown.”

The Blessing of Aharon (Aaron) and His Sons (v.22–27)

22 And Yahuah spoke to Moshe (Moses), to say:

23 “Speak to Aharon (Aaron) and to his sons, to say: Thus you shall bless [h1288] Aleph/Tav–the sons of Yisra'al (Israel) [h1121], saying to them:

📖 Aleph/Tav–the sons of Yisra'al (Israel) (intra-merism). ואל־בניו (ve'el-banav) — ו (vav) + אל (el) + בני (benei) + ו (vav): “and to his sons.” אמור (amor) — infinitive of אמר (amar).

24 Yahuah bless you, and guard [h8104] you;

25 Yahuah cause his face to shine [h215] to you, and favor [h2603] you;

26 Yahuah lift up [h5375] his face to you, and set [h7760] for you peace [h7965].

📖 Each line opens with a verb whose subject is יהוה (Yahuah). Every clause closes on the suffix ך (kaf, you, singular): יברכך (yevarechecha) • וישמרך (veyishmerecha) • אליך (eleicha) • ויחנך (vichunneka) • אליך (eleicha) • לך (lecha).

📖 פניו (panayu) — פנים (panim) + ו (vav, his): “his face,” in v.25 and v.26. אליך (eleicha) — “to you.” לך (lecha) — ל (lamed, for) + ך (kaf): “for you.”

27 And they shall set Aleph/Tav–my name [h8034] upon the sons of Yisra'al (Israel), and I, I will bless them.”

📖 Aleph/Tav–my name (intra-merism); שמי (shemi) — שם (shem) + י (yod, my). The last Aleph/Tav of the chapter.

📖 ושמו (vesamu, and they shall set, h7760) is the same verb as וישם (veyasem, and set) at the end of v.26. ואני (va'ani) — the pronoun stated before the verb אברכם (avarechem) (I will bless them; suffix ם (mem)).

Appendix — Aleph/Tav Occurrences in Numbers 6

18 Aleph/Tav-family tokens: 11 intra-merism, 3 intra-merism with vav, 2 suffixed, 2 Zayin/AT. No standalone Aleph/Tav and no inter-merism in this chapter. None in v.1–10. Not annotated: מלאת (v.5, v.13; root מלא), חטאת (v.11, 14, 16; root חטא), אחת (v.14, 19; infixed).

Discussion

1. The Crown upon the Head

נזר names both the Nazir's crown and the high priest's crown of the sanctity. In Numbers 6 the נזר is “upon his head” (v.7), and the head is shaved, sanctified, and the hair of the head given to the fire (v.9, 11, 18). The references below are the other places where נזר, נזיר, or פרע meet the head.

1.1 — Exodus 29:4–6 — The Crown of the Sanctity upon the Turban

4 And Aleph/Tav–Aharon (Aaron) and Aleph/Tav–his sons you shall bring near to the opening of the tent of meeting, and you shall wash Aleph/Tav them [/Mem] [h853] in the water. 5 And you shall take Aleph/Tav–the garments, and you shall clothe Aleph/Tav–Aharon (Aaron) Aleph/Tav–the tunic, extending to [Vav/] Aleph/Tav the robe of the ephod, and Aleph/Tav–the ephod, and Aleph/Tav–the breastplate; and you shall gird to him in the band of the ephod. 6 And you shall set the turban upon his head, and you shall give Aleph/Tav–the crown of the sanctity [h5145] upon the turban.

📖 נזר הקדש — the same noun as נזר אלהיו in Num 6:7. Moshe (Moses) sets the נזר upon Aharon's (Aaron's) head at his consecration.

1.2 — Leviticus 21:10–12 — The High Priest

10 And the priest, the great one from his brothers, upon whose head the oil of anointing is poured, and who has filled Aleph/Tav–his hand to put on Aleph/Tav–the garments, Aleph/Tav–his head he shall not uncover [h6544], and his garments he shall not tear; 11 and upon any souls [h5315] of the dead [h4191] he shall not come; to his father and to his mother he shall not defile himself; 12 and from the sanctuary he shall not go out, and he shall not profane Aleph/Tav the sanctuary of his Alahym; because the crown [h5145] of the anointing oil of his Alahym is upon him: I am Yahuah.

📖 Set beside Num 6:6–7: ועל כל נפשת מת לא יבא / על־נפש מת לא יבא; לאביו ולאמו לא יטמא / לאביו ולאמו … לא־יטמא; כי נזר שמן משחת אלהיו עליו / כי נזר אלהיו על־ראשו.

📖 The high priest may not פרע his head (v.10). The Nazir lets the פרע of his hair grow (Num 6:5).

1.3 — Ezekiel 44:17–20 — The Priests of the House

17 And there shall be, in their coming to the gates of the inner court, garments of linen they shall put on; and wool shall not come up upon them in their ministering in the gates of the inner court, and within. 18 Turbans of linen shall be upon their head, and breeches of linen shall be upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves in sweat. 19 And in their going out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall strip off Aleph/Tav–their garments in which they minister, and lay Aleph/Tav them [/Vav/Mem] [h853] in the chambers of the sanctity, and put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify Aleph/Tav–the people in their garments. 20 And their head they shall not shave, and loose locks [h6545] they shall not let grow long; they shall surely trim Aleph/Tav–their heads.

📖 The only other occurrence of the noun פרע (Num 6:5).

1.4 — Genesis 49:22–26 — The Nazir of His Brothers

22 Yoseph (Joseph) is a son of fruitfulness, a son of fruitfulness upon a spring; daughters step upon the wall. 23 And they embittered him, and shot, and hated him, the masters of arrows. 24 And his bow abode in strength, and the arms [h2220] of his hands were made agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Ya'akov (Jacob); from there is the shepherd, the stone of Yisra'al (Israel); 25 from the Al of your father, and he shall help you, extending to [Vav/] Aleph/Tav Shaddai, and he shall bless you: blessings of the heavens from above, blessings of the deep crouching beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, unto the boundary of the everlasting hills; they shall be to the head of Yoseph (Joseph), and to the crown of the head [h6936] of the Nazir [h5139] of his brothers.

📖 נזיר אחיו — the first occurrence of נזיר. Moshe (Moses) repeats the phrase over Yoseph (Joseph) in Deut 33:16.

1.5 — Psalm 132:13–18 — His Crown Shall Blossom

13 For Yahuah has chosen in Tsiyon (Zion); he has desired her for a dwelling for him: 14 cut from [Zayin/] Aleph/Tav–my rest [h2063] unto eternity; here I will sit, for I have desired her. 15 Her provision blessing I will bless; her needy I will satisfy with bread. 16 And her priests I will clothe with salvation [h3468], and her pious ones shall surely shout for joy. 17 There I will cause to sprout a horn for David; I have arranged a lamp for my anointed [h4899]. 18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, and upon him his crown [h5145] shall blossom [h6692].

📖 יציץ (shall blossom) is from the same root as ציץ, the gold plate called נזר הקדש in Lev 8:9.

1.6 — Jeremiah 7:27–29 — Cut Off Your Crown

27 And you shall speak to them Aleph/Tav–all these words, and they will not hear to you; and you shall call to them, and they will not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them: This is the nation that did not hear in the voice of Yahuah his Alahym, and did not take correction; the faithfulness has perished, and she is cut off from their mouth. 29 Cut off [h1494] your crown [h5145] and cast away, and lift up a lamentation on the bare heights; because Yahuah has rejected and forsaken Aleph/Tav–the generation of his wrath.

📖 גזי נזרך — feminine imperative with the suffix ך (your). Here the נזר is cut off and thrown away.

2. The Vine, the Wine, and the Vinegar

The Nazir separates from everything of the vine, from the kernels to the skin (v.3–4), and drinks wine only after the offerings are complete (v.20).

2.1 — Genesis 9:18–21 — The First Vineyard

18 And the sons of Noach (Noah) who went out from the ark were Shem, and Cham (Ham), and Yapheth (Japheth); and Cham (Ham), he is the father of Kena'an (Canaan). 19 These three are the sons of Noach (Noah), and from these was all the earth scattered. 20 And Noach (Noah) began, a man of the ground, and he planted a vineyard [h3754]. 21 And he drank from the wine [h3196], and was drunk, and uncovered himself [h1540] in the midst of his tent.

📖 The first occurrences of כרם (vineyard) and יין (wine).

2.2 — Leviticus 25:2–5 — The Grapes of Your Nazir

2 Speak to the sons of Yisra'al (Israel), and you shall say to them: When you come to the land which I am giving to you, and the land shall rest a sabbath to Yahuah. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune [h2168] your vineyard, and gather Aleph/Tav–her produce; 4 and in the seventh year a sabbath of sabbath rest shall be for the land, a sabbath to Yahuah; your field you shall not sow, and your vineyard you shall not prune. 5 Aleph/Tav the growth of itself of your harvest you shall not reap, and Aleph/Tav–the grapes of your Nazir [h5139] you shall not gather; a year of sabbath rest shall be for the land.

📖 ענבי נזירך — in the sabbath year (and the jubilee, v.11) the unpruned vine is called נזיר, the same word as the Nazir of Num 6.

2.3 — Judges 13:12–14 — From All That Comes from the Vine

12 And Manoach (Manoah) said: Now let your words come; what shall be the judgment of the lad, and his work? 13 And the messenger of Yahuah said to Manoach (Manoah): From all that I said to the woman she shall guard herself. 14 From all that comes forth from the vine [h1612] of the wine she shall not eat, and wine and strong drink [h7941] she shall not drink, and any defiled thing she shall not eat; all that I commanded her she shall guard.

📖 מגפן היין — the phrase of Num 6:4, here spoken of the mother of the Nazir.

2.4 — Amos 2:9–12 — You Made the Nazirim (Nazarites) Drink Wine

9 And I, I destroyed Aleph/Tav–the Amori (Amorite) from their faces, whose height was as the height of cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; and I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath. 10 And I, I brought up Aleph/Tav you [/Kaf/Mem] [h853] from the land of Mitsrayim (Egypt), and led Aleph/Tav you [/Kaf/Mem] [h853] in the wilderness forty years, to possess Aleph/Tav–the land of the Amori (Amorite). 11 And I raised up from your sons for prophets, and from your young men for Nazirim (Nazarites) [h5139]. Is there not even cut from [Zayin/] Aleph/Tav, sons of Yisra'al (Israel)? says Yahuah. 12 And you made Aleph/Tav–the Nazirim (Nazarites) drink wine, and upon the prophets you commanded, saying: Do not prophesy.

📖 האף אין זאת — v.11 contains זאת (Zayin/AT).

2.5 — Luke 1:13–15 — Wine and Strong Drink He Shall Not Drink

13 But the messenger said to him: Do not fear, Zekaryah (Zacharias), because your supplication has been heard; and your wife Elisheva (Elisabeth) shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Yochanan (John). 14 And he shall be to you joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Master, and wine [G3631] and strong drink [G4608] he shall not drink, and he shall be filled with the Ruach HaQodesh even from the belly of his mother.

📖 σίκερα (strong drink) is the Hebrew שכר written in Greek letters. “From the belly of his mother” — compare נזיר אלהים יהיה הנער מן הבטן (Judg 13:5).

2.6 — Psalm 69:19–21 — For My Thirst, Vinegar (Heb. 69:20–22)

19 You, you have known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor; before you are all my adversaries. 20 Reproach has broken my heart, and I am sick; and I waited for pity, and there was none; and for comforters, and I found none. 21 And they gave in my food gall [h7219], and for my thirst they gave me vinegar [h2558] to drink.

📖 חמץ — the vinegar of Num 6:3.

2.7 — Matthew 26:26–29 — Until That Day

26 And while they were eating, Yahusha (Jesus), having taken bread and having blessed, broke, and having given to the disciples, said: Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And having taken a cup and having given thanks, he gave to them, saying: Drink from [the cup], all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the release of sins. 29 And I say to you, I will not drink from now of this fruit of the vine [G288] until that day when I drink the same new with you in the kingdom of my Father.

📖 Compare Num 6:20: ואחר ישתה הנזיר יין, “and after, the Nazir shall drink wine.”

2.8 — Matthew 27:33–34 — Wine Mixed with Gall

33 And having come to a place called Golgotha, which is called Place of a Skull [G2898], 34 they gave him wine [G3631] to drink mixed with gall [G5521]; and having tasted, he would not drink.

2.9 — John 19:28–30 — He Received the Vinegar

28 After this, Yahusha (Jesus), knowing that all things have now been finished [G5055], that the scripture might be fulfilled, says: I thirst. 29 A vessel full of vinegar [G3690] was set there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop and brought to his mouth. 30 When therefore Yahusha (Jesus) had received the vinegar, he said: Finished. And having bowed the head [G2776], he handed over the spirit.

📖 ὄξος (vinegar) is the Septuagint's word for חמץ in Num 6:3 and Ps 69:21 (LXX 68:22).

3. Shimshon (Samson), a Nazir of Alahym from the Belly

The one Nazir in the narrative books whose vow is described in the terms of Numbers 6: no razor, no wine, no defiled thing.

3.1 — Judges 13:2–5 — No Razor upon His Head

2 And there was one man from Tsor'ah (Zorah), from the family of the Dani (Danites), and his name was Manoach (Manoah); and his wife was barren, and had not borne. 3 And the messenger of Yahuah appeared to the woman, and said to her: Behold now, you are barren and have not borne; and you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 And now, guard yourself, I pray, and do not drink wine and strong drink, and do not eat any defiled thing; 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son, and a razor [h4177] shall not come up upon his head; because a Nazir [h5139] of Alahym the lad shall be from the belly, and he shall begin to save Aleph/Tav–Yisra'al (Israel) from the hand of the Pelishtim (Philistines).

📖 מורה (h4177) is a different word for razor from תער (h8593) in Num 6:5. על־ראשו — “upon his head.”

3.2 — Judges 13:15–20 — Why Do You Ask for My Name?

15 And Manoach (Manoah) said to the messenger of Yahuah: Let us detain Aleph/Tav you [/Vav/Kaf] [h853], I pray, and we shall make to your face a kid of the goats. 16 And the messenger of Yahuah said to Manoach (Manoah): If you detain me, I will not eat of your bread; and if you will make an ascending-offering to Yahuah, you shall offer her up. For Manoach (Manoah) did not know that he was the messenger of Yahuah. 17 And Manoach (Manoah) said to the messenger of Yahuah: Who is your name? That when your words come, we may honor you. 18 And the messenger of Yahuah said to him: Why is this, that you ask for my name, and he is miraculous [h6383]? 19 And Manoach (Manoah) took Aleph/Tav–the kid of the goats [h1423] and Aleph/Tav–the food-offering [h4503], and offered up upon the rock to Yahuah; and working a miracle [h6381] to do, and Manoach (Manoah) and his wife were seeing. 20 And there was, in the ascending of the flame from upon the altar toward the heavens, and the messenger of Yahuah ascended in the flame of the altar; and Manoach (Manoah) and his wife were seeing, and they fell [h5307] upon their faces to the ground.

📖 פלאי (v.18) and ומפלא (v.19) — the root פלא of יפלא in Num 6:2 (“when he shall work a miracle to vow”); ומפלא is the same Hiphil stem as יפלא.

📖 ויפלו (v.20) — the verb of Num 6:12, “the days, the first ones, shall fall.”

3.3 — Judges 14:5–6, 8–9 — The Vineyards of Timnah (Timnath) and the Body of the Lion

5 And Shimshon (Samson) went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah (Timnath), and they came to the vineyards [h3754] of Timnah (Timnath); and behold, a young lion of lions roared to meet him. 6 And the Ruach of Yahuah rushed upon him, and he cleaved him as one cleaves the kid, and nothing was in his hand; and he did not tell his father and his mother Aleph/Tav that which he had done. 8 And after days he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see Aleph/Tav the fallen carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees in the body [h1472] of the lion, and honey. 9 And he scraped him into his palms and went on, walking and eating; and he went to his father and to his mother and gave to them, and they ate; and he did not tell them that from the body of the lion he had scraped the honey.

📖 Num 6:4 withholds all that is made from the vine; Num 6:6 withholds the Nazir from a dead soul. Judg 14:5 brings Shimshon (Samson) to the vineyards; Judg 14:8–9 takes honey from the גוית (body) of the lion.

3.4 — Judges 16:15–17 — If I Am Shaved

15 And she said to him: How can you say, I love you, and your heart is not with me? These three times you have mocked in me, and have not told me in what your strength is great. 16 And there was, when she pressed him with her words all the days, and urged him, and his soul was shortened to death, 17 that he told to her Aleph/Tav–all his heart, and said to her: A razor has not come up upon my head, because a Nazir of Alahym I am from the belly of my mother; if I am shaved [h1548], then my strength will turn aside from me, and I shall be weak, and be as all the Adam.

📖 גלחתי — גלח, the verb of Num 6:9, 18, 19.

3.5 — Judges 16:19–22 — The Hair Began to Sprout

19 And she made him sleep upon her knees, and called for a man, and she shaved Aleph/Tav–the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength turned aside from upon him. 20 And she said: Pelishtim (Philistines) upon you, Shimshon (Samson)! And he awoke from his sleep, and said: I will go out as time upon time, and shake myself. And he did not know that Yahuah had turned aside from upon him. 21 And the Pelishtim (Philistines) seized him, and bored out Aleph/Tav–his eyes, and brought down Aleph/Tav him [/Vav] [h853] to Azzah (Gaza), and bound him with bronze fetters; and he was grinding in the house of the prisoners. 22 And the hair [h8181] of his head began to sprout [h6779], as when he was shaved.

3.6 — 1 Samuel 1:9–11 — Channah's (Hannah's) Vow

9 And Channah (Hannah) rose up after eating in Shiloh and after drinking; and Eli the priest was sitting upon the seat by the doorpost of the temple of Yahuah. 10 And she was bitter of soul, and prayed upon Yahuah, and weeping she wept. 11 And she vowed a vow [h5088], and said: Yahuah of hosts, if you will indeed look upon the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Aleph/Tav–your handmaid, and will give to your handmaid a seed of men, then I will give him to Yahuah all the days of his life, and a razor shall not come up upon his head.

📖 ותדר נדר — the verb and noun of לנדר נדר in Num 6:2. כל ימי (all the days of) — the phrase that opens Num 6:4, 5, 6, 8.

4. The Name upon Them

Aharon (Aaron) and his sons speak three lines over the sons of Yisra'al (Israel): bless and guard, face shining and grace, face lifted and peace. Then “they shall set Aleph/Tav–my name upon the sons of Yisra'al (Israel)” (v.27).

4.1 — Psalm 67:1–2 — Cause His Face to Shine (Heb. 67:2–3)

1 Alahym be gracious to us [h2603], and bless us [h1288]; cause his face to shine [h215] Aleph/Tav us [/Nun/Vav] [h853]. Selah. 2 To know in the earth your way, in all nations your salvation [h3444].

📖 יחננו ויברכנו יאר פניו אתנו — the verbs of Num 6:24–25 with the suffix נו (us), and the suffixed form אתנו.

4.2 — Psalm 80:1–3 — Cause Your Face to Shine (Heb. 80:2–4)

1 Shepherd of Yisra'al (Israel), give ear, you who lead Yoseph (Joseph) as the flock; you who sit upon the keruvim (cherubims), shine forth. 2 To the face of Ephrayim (Ephraim) and Binyamin (Benjamin) and Menasheh (Manasseh), stir up Aleph/Tav–your might, and come for salvation for us. 3 Alahym, turn us back, and cause your face to shine [h215], and we shall be saved [h3467].

📖 The line repeats in v.7 and v.19 (Heb. 80:8, 80:20).

4.3 — Psalm 4:4–6 — Lift Up the Light of Your Face (Heb. 4:5–7)

4 Tremble, and do not sin; say in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5 Sacrifice sacrifices of righteousness, and trust to Yahuah. 6 Many are saying: Who will show us good? Lift up [h5375] upon us the light [h216] of your face, Yahuah.

📖 נסה is written for נשא (lift up), the verb of Num 6:26; אור (light) is the noun of יאר in Num 6:25.

4.4 — Deuteronomy 28:8–10 — The Name Called upon You

8 Yahuah shall command with you Aleph/Tav–the blessing in your barns and in all the sending of your hand; and he shall bless you in the land which Yahuah your Alahym is giving to you. 9 Yahuah shall raise you up to him for a sanctified people, as he swore to you, when you shall guard Aleph/Tav–the commandments of Yahuah your Alahym, and walk in his ways; 10 and all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name [h8034] of Yahuah is called upon you, and they shall fear from you.

4.5 — Revelation 22:1–4 — His Face and His Name

1 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, going forth from the throne of Alahym and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of her street, and on this side and on that side of the river, a tree of life, making twelve fruits, yielding fruit according to each month; and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations. 3 And every curse shall be no more; and the throne of Alahym and of the Lamb shall be in her, and his servants shall serve him; 4 and they shall see his face [G4383], and his name [G3686] [shall be] upon their foreheads.

📖 Face and name — the two nouns of Num 6:25–27.

4.6 — Isaiah 9:2–6 — His Name Shall Be Called Miracle (Heb. 9:1–5)

2 The people walking in the darkness have seen a great light; those dwelling in the land of the shadow of death, light has shone upon them. 3 You have multiplied the nation; to him you have made great [h1431] the joy; they rejoice to your face as the joy in the harvest, as men exult in their dividing of spoil. 4 For Aleph/Tav–the yoke of his burden, extending to [Vav/] Aleph/Tav the staff of his shoulder, the rod of the one pressing in him, you have shattered as the day of Midyan (Midian). 5 For every boot of the trampler in tumult, and garment rolled in bloods, and she shall be for burning, food of fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and he shall call his name [h8034] Miracle [h6382], Counselor [h3289], Mighty Al, Father of eternity, Prince of peace.

📖 פלא (h6382) — the noun of the root of יפלא in Num 6:2 and פלאי in Judg 13:18. KJV: “Wonderful, Counsellor.”

4.7 — Matthew 1:18–21 — You Shall Call His Name Yahusha (Jesus)

18 And the birth of Yahusha (Jesus) Messiah was thus: his mother Miryam (Mary) having been betrothed to Yoseph (Joseph), before they came together she was found having in the belly from the Ruach HaQodesh. 19 And Yoseph (Joseph) her husband, being righteous and not willing to make her a public example, purposed to put her away secretly. 20 But as he thought on these things, behold, a messenger of the Master appeared to him in a dream, saying: Yoseph (Joseph), son of David, do not fear to take Miryam (Mary) your wife; for that which is begotten in her is from the Ruach HaQodesh. 21 And she shall bear a son, and you shall call his name [G3686] Yahusha (Jesus) [G2424]; for he shall save [G4982] his people from their sins.

📖 יהושע (h3091) — יה (Yah) + the root ישע (h3467, save), the verb of Ps 80:3 (4.2): “Yah saves.”

4.8 — Revelation 19:11–16 — A Name Written upon His Thigh

11 And I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he that sits upon him called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 And his eyes as a flame of fire, and upon his head many diadems; having a name [G3686] written that no one knows except himself; 13 and clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and his name is called the Word of Alahym. 14 And the armies in the heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white, clean. 15 And out of his mouth goes forth a sharp sword, that with her he may strike the nations; and he shall shepherd them with a rod of iron; and he treads the winepress of the wine of the fury of the wrath of Alahym the Almighty. 16 And he has upon the garment and upon his thigh [G3382] a name written: King of kings and Master of masters.

📖 The thigh falls in Num 5:21, 22, 27 (ירכך נפלת); here a name is written upon the thigh. Compare Judg 13:18 (3.2): “Why is this, that you ask for my name?” Many diadems upon his head — compare the נזר upon the head of the Nazir (Num 6:7).

📖 “Master of masters” (KJV “Lord of lords”) renders κύριος κυρίων.