Numb. vi. 21. This is the law of the Nazarite who hath voiced, and of his offering unto the Lord for his separation.
THE Nazarites, in the best times of the Jewish state, were eminently pious. God himself declares concerning them, that " they were purer than snow, and whiter than milkV The very order itself was instituted by divine appointment, on purpose that they might be blessings to the nation, and preserve the tone of piety and morals from decay. It was a
a Lam. iv. 7.
favour to that people that " God raised up of their sons for prophets ;" nor was it less so, that he raised up of their " young men for NazaritesV Some, as Samson and John the Baptist, were separated by God himself even from their mother's womb ; and the express order was given, that from their very birth they should drink no wine, and that no razor should come upon their headc. Others perhaps, like Samuel, might be consecrated by their parents from the wombd. But, in general, the separation of themselves to be Nazarites was altogether voluntary and for a fixed time. The custom continued even to the apostolic age. St. Paul himself seems to have completed the vow of Nazariteship at Cenchrea6: and when there were four men performing it at Jerusalem, he, in order to remove prejudice from the minds of those who thought him adverse to the law of Moses, united himself with them, bearing part of the charges at- tendant on that vow, and conforming himself in every thing to the prescribed ritual f. The law respecting them is contained in the chapter now before us : and, agreeably to the arrangement made for us in our -text, we shall consider it as containing,
I. Their vows —
The particulars of their vow are here minutely detailed :
[They separated themselves for a season to an extraordi- nary course of attendance upon God. During that season they were not to touch any wine, or grapes either moist or dried. They were not to cut their hair, or to approach any dead body, or to mourn even for a father or a mother g. If, by any unfore- seen accident, a person should fall down dead near them, or a corpse be brought nearly into contact with them, they were to shave their head, and offer both a burnt-offering and a sin- offering (to atone for the pollution they had contracted), and were to begin again the term of their separation, the whole that had passed having been rendered null and voidh.]
The design of it, though not expressly declared in Scripture, yet may without difficulty be ascertained —
b Amos ii. 11. c Judg. xiii. 4, 5, 7, 14. Luke i. 15.
d 1 Sam. i. 11. e Acts xviii. 18. f Acts xxi. 23,24.
e ver. 2—8. *> ver. 9—12.