Numbers 6:4

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

King James Version
All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

Lexham English Bible
All the days of his separation you will not eat from anything that is made from the grapevine, from sour grapes to the skin of grapes.

New Century Version
While they are Nazirites, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, even the seeds or the skin.

New English Translation
All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.

Amplified Bible
'All the time of his separation he shall not eat anything produced from the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

New American Standard Bible
'All the days of his consecration he shall not eat anything that is produced from the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.

Geneva Bible (1587)
As long as his abstinence endureth, shall hee eat nothing that is made of the wine of the vine, neither the kernels, nor the huske.

Legacy Standard Bible
All the days of his Nazirite vow he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.

Contemporary English Version
not even the seeds or skins.

Complete Jewish Bible
As long as he remains a nazir he is to eat nothing derived from the grapevine, not even the grape-skins or the seeds.

Darby Translation
All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine, from the seed-stones, even to the skin.

Easy-to-Read Version
During that special time of dedication, they must not eat anything that comes from grapes. They must not even eat the seeds or the skins from grapes.

English Standard Version
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

George Lamsa Translation
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the skins even to the stones of raisins.

Good News Translation
As long as you are a nazirite, you shall not eat anything that comes from a grapevine, not even the seeds or skins of grapes.

Christian Standard Bible®
He is not to eat anything produced by the grapevine, from seeds to skin, during the period of his consecration.

Literal Translation
All the days of his separation he shall not eat from all that is made of the vine, from pressed grapes, even to the stem.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Morouer he shall eate nothinge that is made of the vyne tre, from the wyne cornels vnto the hulle.

American Standard Version
All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the kernels even to the husk.

Bible in Basic English
All the time he is separate he may take nothing made from the grape-vine, from its seeds to its skin.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
As long as his abstinence endureth, shall he eate nothyng that is made of the vine tree, or of the cornels, or of the huske of the grape.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
All the days of his Naziriteship shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the pressed grapes even to the grapestone.

King James Version (1611)
All the dayes of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels euen to the huske.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
all the days of his vow: he shall eat no one of all the things that come from the vine, wine from the grape-stones to the husk,

English Revised Version
All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the kernels even to the husk.

Berean Standard Bible
All the days of his separation, he is not to eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
alle dayes in whiche thei ben halewid bi a vow to the Lord; thei schulen not ete what euer thing may be of the vyner, fro a grape dried `til to the draf.

Young's Literal Translation
all days of his separation, of anything which is made of the wine-vine, from kernels even unto husk, he doth not eat.

Update Bible Version
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the kernels even to the husk.

Webster's Bible Translation
All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine-tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

World English Bible
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

New King James Version
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.

New Living Translation
As long as they are bound by their Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to eat or drink anything that comes from a grapevine—not even the grape seeds or skins.

New Life Bible
All the days he is set apart, he must not eat anything made from the grape-field, not even the seeds or the skins.

New Revised Standard
All their days as nazirites they shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All the days of his separation, of nothing that is made from the grapevine from the seeds even to the skin, shall he eat.

Douay-Rheims Bible
All the days that they are consecrated to the Lord by vow: they shall eat nothing that cometh of the vineyard, from the raisin even to the kernel.

Revised Standard Version
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.

Contextual Overview

¹ God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the People of Israel; tell them, If any of you, man or woman, wants to make a special Nazirite vow, consecrating yourself totally to God, you must not drink any wine or beer, no intoxicating drink of any kind, not even the juice of grapes—in fact, you must not even eat grapes or raisins. For the duration of the consecration, nothing from the grapevine—not even the seeds, not even the skin—may be eaten. ⁵ "Also, for the duration of the consecration you must not have your hair cut. Your long hair will be a continuing sign of holy separation to God . ⁶"Also, for the duration of the consecration to God , you must not go near a corpse. Even if it's the body of your father or mother, brother or sister, you must not ritually defile yourself because the sign of consecration to God is on your head. ⁸ "For the entire duration of your consecration you are holy to God . ⁹"If someone should die suddenly in your presence, so that your consecrated head is ritually defiled, you must shave your head on the day of your purifying, that is, the seventh day. Then on the eighth day bring two doves or two pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest will offer one for the Absolution-Offering and one for the Whole-Burnt-Offering, purifying you from the ritual contamination of the corpse. You resanctify your hair on that day and reconsecrate your Nazirite consecration to God by bringing a yearling lamb for a Compensation-Offering. You start over; the previous days don't count because your consecration was ritually defiled. ¹³"These are the instructions for the time set when your special consecration to God is up. First, you are to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then you will present your offerings to God : a healthy yearling lamb for the Whole-Burnt-Offering, a healthy yearling ewe for an Absolution-Offering, a healthy ram for a Peace-Offering, a basket of unraised bread made of fine flour, loaves mixed with oil, and crackers spread with oil, along with your Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings. The priest will approach God and offer up your Absolution-Offering and Whole-Burnt-Offering. He will sacrifice the ram as a Peace-Offering to God with the basket of unraised bread, and, last of all, the Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering. ¹⁸ "At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, shave off the hair you consecrated and put it in the fire that is burning under the Peace-Offering. ¹⁹"After you have shaved the hair of your consecration, the priest will take a shoulder from the ram, boiled, and a piece of unraised bread and a cracker from the basket and place them in your hands. The priest will then wave them before God , a Wave-Offering. They are holy and belong to the priest, along with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was offered. "Now you are free to drink wine. ²¹ "These are the instructions for Nazirites as they bring offerings to God in their vow of consecration, beyond their other offerings. They must carry out the vow they have vowed following the instructions for the Nazirite."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

separation: or, Nazariteship, Numbers 6:5, Numbers 6:8, Numbers 6:9, Numbers 6:12, Numbers 6:13, Numbers 6:18, Numbers 6:19, Numbers 6:21

vine tree: Heb. vine of the wine

Cross-References

Genesis 6:22
Noah did everything God commanded him to do.

Genesis 11:4
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let's make ourselves famous so we won't be scattered here and there across the Earth."

Deuteronomy 3:11
Og king of Bashan was the last remaining Rephaite. His bed, made of iron, was over thirteen feet long and six wide. You can still see it on display in Rabbah of the People of Ammon.

1 Samuel 17:4
A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree,.... Of its leaves, branches, and fruit, especially the latter, put into any sort of food, or infused into any liquor, or mixed with any sauce for food: the days or time of separation were according as the vow was made, for a shorter or longer time; though the Jews t say, where the vow is, absolutely expressed, it is always to be understood of thirty days, during which time the Nazarite was not to eat or drink of any composition that had anything the vine in it:

from the kernels even to the husk; the Jews u are divided about the two words here used, which of them signifies the outermost part of the grape, and which the innermost; Ben Gersom agrees with us, but it matters not much who are in the right, since both are forbidden: by this part of the law, the people of God, who are spiritual Nazarites, are taught to live temperately and soberly, and to abstain from all appearance of sin: it is pretty remarkable what the Jews w say, that when the son of David comes, it will be free for a Nazarite to drink wine on sabbath days and festivals, though not on week days; from whence it appears, they seem to be conscious of a change of the ceremonial law in his days.

t Misn. Nazir, c. 1. sect. 3. & c. 6. sect. 3. u Misn. Nazir, c. 6. sect. 2. Aben Ezra in loc. w T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 43. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The law of the Nazarite is appropriately added to other enactments which concern the sanctity of the holy nation. That sanctity found its highest expression in the Nazarite vow, which was the voluntary adoption for a time of obligations to high and strict modes of self-dedication resembling, and indeed in some particulars exceeding, those under which the priests were placed. The present enactments do not institute a new kind of observance, but only regulate one already familiar to the Israelites Numbers 6:2.

Numbers 6:2

A Nazarite - Strictly, Nazirite. This term signifies “separated” i. e., as the words following show, “unto God.” It became a technical term at an early date; compare Judges 13:5, Judges 13:7; Judges 16:17.

Numbers 6:3

Liquor of grapes - i. e. a drink made of grape-skins macerated in water.

Numbers 6:4

From the kernels even to the husk - A sour drink was made from the stones of unripe grapes; and cakes were also made of the husks Hosea 3:1. This interdict figures that separation from the general society of men to which the Nazarite for the time was consecrated.

Numbers 6:5

Among the Jews the abundance of the hair was considered to betoken physical strength and perfection (compare 2 Samuel 14:25-26), and baldness was regarded as a grave blemish (compare Leviticus 21:20 note, Leviticus 13:40 ff; 2 Kings 2:23; Isaiah 3:24). Thus, the free growth of the hair on the head of the Nazarite represented the dedication of the man with all his strength and powers to the service of God.

Numbers 6:7

The consecration of his God - i. e. the unshorn locks: compare Leviticus 25:5 note, where the vine, left during the Sabbatical year untouched by the hand of man, either for pruning or for vintage, is called simply a “Nazarite.”

The third rule of the Nazarite interdicted him from contracting any ceremonial defilement even under circumstances which excused such defilement in others: compare Leviticus 21:1-3.

Numbers 6:9-12

Prescriptions to meet the case of a sudden death taking place “by him” (i. e. in his presence). The days of the dedication of the Nazarite had to be recommenced.

Numbers 6:13

When the days of his separation are fulfilled - Perpetual Nazariteship was probably unknown in the days of Moses; but the examples of Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist, show that it was in later times undertaken for life. Again, Moses does not expressly require that limits should be assigned to the vow; but a rule was afterward imposed that no Nazarite vow should be taken for less than thirty days. To permit the vow to be taken for very short periods would diminish its solemnity and estimation.

Numbers 6:14, Numbers 6:15

The sin-offering (compare the marginal references), though named second, was in practice offered first, being intended to expiate involuntary sins committed during the period of separation. The burnt-offering (Leviticus 1:10 ff) denoted the self-surrender on which alone all acceptableness in the Nazarite before God must rest; the peace-offerings (Leviticus 3:12 ff) expressed thankfulness to God by whose grace the vow had been fulfilled. The offerings, both ordinary and additional, required on the completion of the Nazarite vow involved considerable expense, and it was regarded as a pious work to provide the poor with the means of making them (compare Acts 21:23 ff; Acts 1:0 Macc. 3:49).

Numbers 6:18

Shave the head - As the Nazarite had during his vow worn his hair unshorn in honor of God, so when the time was complete it was natural that the hair, the symbol of his vow, should be cut off, and offered to God at the sanctuary. The burning of the hair “in the fire under the sacrifice of the peace offering “represented the eucharistic communion with God obtained by those who realised the ideal which the Nazarite set forth (compare the marginal reference).

Numbers 6:20

The priest shall wave them - i. e. by placing his hands under those of the Nazarite: compare Leviticus 7:30.

Numbers 6:21

Beside that that his hand shall get - The Nazarite, in addition to the offerings prescribed above, was to present free-will offerings according to his possessions or means.