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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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New Living Translation

Numbers 6:18

"Then the Nazirites will shave their heads at the entrance of the Tabernacle. They will take the hair that had been dedicated and place it on the fire beneath the peace-offering sacrifice.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Fraternity;   Nazarite;   Scofield Reference Index - Bible Prayers;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Hair, the;   Nazarites;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Nazarite;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Nazirite;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Abstain, Abstinence;   Priest, Priesthood;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Nazarite;   Samson;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - John the Baptist;   Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Consecration;   Hair;   Nazirite;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Clean and Unclean;   Nazirite;   Numbers, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Nazirite;   Nazirite ;   Vote;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Nazarite ;   Vows;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nazarene;   Nazarites;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Naz'arite,;   Razor;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Samuel the Prophet;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Hair;   Head;   Nazirite;   Shaving;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ancestor Worship;   Blessing, Priestly;   Mishnah;   Nazarite;   Nazir;   Priestly Code;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The Nazir shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of shalom offerings.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
The Nazirite will shave off the hair of his consecrated head at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and he will take the hair of his consecrated head, and he will put it on the fire that is beneath the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
New Century Version
"‘The Nazirites must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and shave off their hair that they grew for their promise. The hair will be put in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
New English Translation
"‘Then the Nazirite must shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting and must take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire where the peace offering is burning.
Amplified Bible
'The Nazirite shall shave his dedicated head at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and take the dedicated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
New American Standard Bible
'The Nazirite shall then shave his consecrated head of hair at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and take the consecrated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Nazarite shall shaue the head of his consecration at the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, & shall take the heare of the head of his consecration, and put it in the fire, which is vnder the peace offring.
Legacy Standard Bible
The Nazirite shall then shave the head of hair for his Nazirite vow at the doorway of the tent of meeting and take the hair of his head of his Nazirite vow and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
Contemporary English Version
After that, you will stand at the entrance to the sacred tent, shave your head, and put the hair in the fire where the priest has offered the sacrifice to ask my blessing.
Complete Jewish Bible
The nazir will shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair removed from his consecrated head and put it on the fire under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
Darby Translation
And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his consecration at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his consecration, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offering.
Easy-to-Read Version
"The Nazirites must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. There they must shave off their hair that they grew as a dedication to the Lord. That hair will be put in the fire that is burning under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
English Standard Version
And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
George Lamsa Translation
And the Nazarite shall shave his head as a sign 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 offering.
Good News Translation
At the entrance of the Tent you nazirites shall shave off your hair and put it on the fire on which the fellowship offering is being burned.
Christian Standard Bible®
“The Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair from his head, and put it on the fire under the fellowship sacrifice.
Literal Translation
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 shall put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he shall shaue the heade of the absteyners abstinence before the dore of the Tabernacle of wytnesse, and shall take the heade heer of his abstinence, and cast it vpon the fyre that is vnder ye healthofferynge.
American Standard Version
And the Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace-offerings.
Bible in Basic English
Then let his long hair, the sign of his oath, be cut off at the door of the Tent of meeting, and let him put it on the fire on which the peace-offerings are burning.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Nazarite shal shaue the head of his consecration at the doore of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shal take the heere of the head of his consecration, and put it in the fire which is vnder the peace offeryng.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of his consecrated head, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace-offerings.
King James Version (1611)
And the Nazarite shal shaue the head of his separation, at the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and shall take the haire of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is vnder the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he that has vowed shall shave the head of his consecration by the doors of the tabernacle of witness, and shall put the hairs on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace-offering.
English Revised Version
And the Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
Berean Standard Bible
Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head, take the hair, and put it on the fire under the peace offering.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne the Nazarei schal be schauun fro the heer of his consecracioun, bifor the doore of the tabernacle of boond of pees; and the preest schal take hise heeris, and schal putte on the fier, which is put vndur the sacrifice of pesible thingis.
Young's Literal Translation
`And the Nazarite hath shaved (at the opening of the tent of meeting) the head of his separation, and hath taken the hair of the head of his separation, and hath put [it] on the fire which [is] under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings.
Update Bible Version
And the Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace-offerings.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
New King James Version
Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
New Life Bible
Then at the door of the meeting tent the Nazirite will cut off the hair that has been set apart for holy use. He is to take the hair and put it in the fire under the peace gifts.
New Revised Standard
Then the nazirites shall shave the consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair from the consecrated head and put it on the fire under the sacrifice of well-being.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then shall the Separate One shave, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, his head of separation, - and take the hair of his head of separation, and put upon the fire, which is under the peace-offering.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then shall the hair of the consecration of the Nazarite, be shaved off before the door of the tabernacle of the covenant: and he shall take his hair, and lay it upon the fire, which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
Revised Standard Version
And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
THE MESSAGE
"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.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'The Nazirite shall then shave his dedicated head of hair at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and take the dedicated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

Contextual Overview

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. "If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way, 3 they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins. 4 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. 5 "They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the Lord . Until the time of their vow has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow long. 6 And they must not go near a dead body during the entire period of their vow to the Lord . 7 Even if the dead person is their own father, mother, brother, or sister, they must not defile themselves, for the hair on their head is the symbol of their separation to God. 8 This requirement applies as long as they are set apart to the Lord . 9 "If someone falls dead beside them, the hair they have dedicated will be defiled. They must wait for seven days and then shave their heads. Then they will be cleansed from their defilement. 10 On the eighth day they must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

shave the head: The hair, which was permitted to grow for this purpose, was shaven off, as a token that the vow was accomplished. Numbers 6:5, Numbers 6:9, Acts 18:18, Acts 21:24, Acts 21:26

and put it: Luke 17:10, Ephesians 1:6

Reciprocal: Numbers 6:4 - separation

Cross-References

Genesis 6:9
This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.
Genesis 6:16
Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
Genesis 7:1
When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.
Genesis 7:7
He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives.
Genesis 7:13
That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives.
Genesis 17:4
"This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!
Genesis 17:7
"I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Genesis 17:21
But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year."
Isaiah 26:20
Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord 's anger has passed.
Hebrews 11:7
It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation, [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,.... The Targum of Jonathan is,

"and the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation without,''

without the tabernacle, the door of it, where the people assembled together; so that this was to be done publicly, that it might be known of all, and no offence taken at the Nazarite's drinking wine, and concerning himself for the dead, and attending funerals, for by this action it was known that his Nazariteship was at an end; and whereas the hair of the Nazarite was consecrated to the Lord by his vow, and this vow being punctually fulfilled, it was sacred, and to be presented to the Lord, and to be of no use and service to himself or others, and therefore to be all clean shaven off; for, as Maimonides z says, if two hairs only were left, nothing was done, and the command of shaving not kept:

and shall take the hair of the head of his separation; being cut off and shaved;

and put [it] in the fire which [is] under the sacrifice of the peace offerings; under the pot or cauldron, as the Targum of Jonathan, in which the ram for the peace offerings was boiled: this was done in the court of the women in later times, at the southeast of which was a chamber called the chamber of the Nazarites, where they bailed their peace offerings, and shaved their hair and cast it under the pot a; and this might not be put, as before observed, to any other use; if any of it was made use of in a sack that was made of hair cloth, we are told b that sack was to be burnt.

z Hilchot Nezirut, c. 8. sect. 6. a Misn. Middoth, c. 2. sect. 5. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 16. 1. b Misn. Orlah, c. 3. sect. 3.

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 6:18. Shall take the hair - and put it in the fire — The hair was permitted to grow for this purpose; and as the Nazarite was a kind of sacrifice, offered to God through the whole term of his nazarate or separation, and no human flesh or blood could be offered on the altar of the Lord, he offered his hair at the conclusion of his separation, as a sacrifice - that hair which was the token of his complete subjection to the Lord, and which was now considered as the Lord's property.

The Hindoos, after a vow, do not cut their hair during the term of their vow; but at the expiration of it they shave it off at the place where the vow was made.

That the hair of the head was superstitiously used among different nations, we have already had occasion to remark; (Leviticus 19:27;) and that the Gentiles might have learned this from the Jews is possible, though some learned men think that this consecration of the hair to a deity was in use among the heathens before the time of Moses, and in nations who had no intercourse or connection with the Jews.


 
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