just who.t the diadem on the mitre was to "perfect law of liberty," itwae only possible the high priest, what the sacred chrism we.s to secure thoroughness and consistency at to the sons of Aaron. Both of these are called by the word fl8U7' (Exod. x:ru:. 6 ; Levit. x.xi. 12), from the same root as 'IIIUir, It was =z. the cost of introducing much that wae arbi- and destined to pass away. Something r must always be tolerated in the moral thought by some of the Jewish doctors that education of children. The day1 that wesa in these three particulars-the untouched before ehall be lost. Literally, "shall growth of the hair, the abstinence from the fall." Septuagint, aAoyo, iaovra,, "shall fruit of the vine (cf. Gen. ix. 20), and the not be counted." seclusion from the dead-the separated life of Ver. 13.-When the days of his separation the N e.zirite reproduced the unfallen life of are fulfilled. The original law contemplated man in paradise. This may have had some only a vow for o. certain period, longer or foundation in fact, but the true explanation shorter. All the Nazirites, however, of whom of the three rules is rather to be found in the we read in Scripture were lifelong N azirites: spiritual truth they teach in a simple and Samson (Judges xiii. 5), Samuel (1 Sam. i. forcible way. He who has a holy ambition 11), John the Baptist (Luke i. 15). In all to please God must (1) devote to God the these cases, however, the vow wa.s mado for whole forces of his being, undiminished by them before their birth. Hegesippus (in any wont and use of the world ; (2) abstain Euseb. ii. 23) tells us that James, the Lord's not only from pleasures which are actually brother, was a N azirite : " He did not drink dangerous, but from such as have any savour wine nor strong drink, and no razor came on of more.I evil about them ; (3) subordinate his his head." most sacred private feelings to the great pur- Ver. 14.-Re shall o1Fer his o1Fering. Th is pose of his life. offering included all the four ordinary sacri- Ver. 9. If any man clie very suddenly by fices-the sin offering, the burnt offering, the him. ''?V• in his presence, or neighbourhood, peace offering, and the meat offering. For eo that, having hastened to his assistance, he the meaning of these see Levit. iv., i., iii., ii. found himaelf in contact with a corpse. This Ver. 15.-A basket of unleavened bread case is mentioned particularly, because it was . . . anointed with oil. Required for every the only one in which simple humanity or sacrifice of thanksgiving, as this was (Levit. mere accident would be likely to infringe vii. 12). And their meat o:trering, and their upon the vow. In the day of hie cleansing, drink -01Feringa, i. e. the gifts of meal, oil, on the seventh day. This appears to be an and wine which belonged to burnt offerings anticipation of the law given below (eh. xix. and peace offerings (see below, eh. xv. 3, sqq. ). 11); but that law may have only sanctioned Ver. 18.-Shall take the hair of the head the existing custom. Shall he shave it. of his separation, and shall put it in the Because "the consecration of his God upon lire which is under the sacri.11.ce of the peace his head" wa.s desecrated by the pollution of o:treringa. It is not said, nor intended, that death, it must, therefore, be made away with the hair was offered to God as o. sacrifice. If nnd begun over again. so, it would have been burnt with the burnt Ver. 10.-Two turtles, or two young offering which represented the self-dedication pigeon,. The same offerings had been pre- of the worshipper. It had been holy to t.he scribed for those defiled by divers unclean- Lord, growing uncut all the days of the vow. oesses in Levit. xv. (cf. Levit. xii. 8). The vow was now nt nn end; the last solemn Ver. 11.-For that he Binned by the dead. act of sacrifice, the r.eacc offering, which This is one of the cases in which the law completed all, nnd typified that fearless and seemed to tench plainly that an outward, thankful communion with God which is the accidenta!J and involuntary defilement was end of all religion, wo.s now going on ; it was sin, and had need to be atoned for. The fitting that the ho.ir which must now be opposite principle was declared by our Lord sl1om, but could not ho disposed of in any (Mark vii. 18-23). Tho Septuagint has here ordinary way, shoulu be burnt upon the the strange reading ,r,pi wv ijpapr• ,rtp1 rijc altar of God. In the tire, i. e. on the ,S,ux;;,. Shall hallow hia head. By dedi- brazen altar. In later days it seems to hove cating again to God the free growth of his been done in a room assigned to the Nnzirites hair. in the court of the women : another devin- Ver. 12.-For a tre1pa11 o1Fering. Rather, tion from the original law. "for a guilt offering." Hebrew, asham (see Ver. 19.-The 1odden shoulder, or boiled Levit. v.). Tho asham always implied guilt, shoulder; the left. The right, or heave ilven though it might be purely legal, nnd it shoulder, was already the priest's, according wa.s to be offered in this case in acknow- to the general rule (Levit. vii. 32). That the ledgment of the offence involved in the in- other shoulder was also "waved" andaccopted voluntary breach of vow. In the education by God as his l/ortion, to be consumed in his r,,f conscience, _o_n. ___anything lower than the name by tho pnest, was a further token of th 41\ THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [Cff, VI. 1-21,
gracious ncccptanec of the self-dedication of h vowed hig offering unto the Lord in the Nuirite, nn,l of the fulness of eucharlstic rdance with his consectation," i. 6. these communion into which he had entered with a~ the offerings which, as a Nazirite, he is bis God. bound to make. Beside that his hand shall Ver. 20.-shall wave them. By putting get. Litetally, "grasp." If he can afford his hands ander the hands of the Nazirite. or can procure anything more as a free-will On the symbolism of this see Levit. vii. offering, he may well do so. In later days Drink wine. Perhaps at the sacrificial :fuast. it becamo customary for richer people to Ver. 21.-Thia ia the law of the Jru:&rite defray for their poorer brethren the cost of who h&th vowed, and of his o1l'ering. "And their sa.crifices (Josephus, • Ant.,' xix. 6, 1 ; of" are not in the text. We should probably a.nd cf. Acts xxi. 24), read, "This is the law of the Nazirite who