What Were the Laws for a Nazarite? What Made Them Special or Separate?
In Numbers Chapter 6, there is a detailed “Law for a Nazarite.” In addition to traditional Torah-observant Laws, it discusses in detail the importance of remaining sober and keeping the hair “antennas” long. Leviticus is filled with similar Law regarding food, hair and even abstaining from tattoos!
You shall not eat any meat with the blood. You shall not practice divination nor soothsaying. You shall not round off the hairline of your heads, nor trim the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 19: 26-2728
Samson
Judges 13:5-7 and 24 detail how Samson (of Samson and Delilah fame) was a “Nazarite” and his mother was instructed to follow the Nazarite Laws to stay clean and holy during her pregnancy. He literally gains his strength by growing his beard and hair long and abiding by the clean food and drink Law:
But he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite (נְזִ֥יר ) to G*D from the womb to the day of his death.’”
Judges 13:7 NASB (Regarding Nazarite, Samson)
And then lo and behold – the temptress, Delilah, shows up. Oh well… Interesting choice of words used in this scripture” “He was annoyed to death.” The annoyance which he ALLOWED to let a hold of him is what allowed for his demise. While certainly we learn from this story that his strength ULTIMATELY was in the Lord, not in his hair… It is also instructional on other levels, to abide by G*D’s designs for our body temple. And to not let anyone annoy us to death!
And it came about, when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death. So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to G*D from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.”
Judges 16:16-17 NASB
Nazarenes are described in other books of the bible…
Her consecrated ones (Nazarites) were purer than snow, They shined more than milk; They were more ruddy in body than pearls of coral, Their form was like lapis lazuli.”
Lamentations 4:7 NASB
Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, And some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is this not so, you sons of Israel?” declares the LORD.”
Amos 2:11 NASB
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