Numbers 6 · Verse 5

Numbers 6:5

All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
Numbers 6:5, King James Version

Numbers 6:5 in other translations

BSBFor the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall pass over his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.
WEB“‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to the LORD. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
ASVAll the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in which he separateth himself unto Jehovah, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
YLT‘All days of the vow of his separation a razor doth not pass over his head; till the fulness of the days which he doth separate to Jehovah he is holy; grown up hath the upper part of the hair of his head.
DARBYAll the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head; until the days be fulfilled, that he hath consecrated himself to Jehovah, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
BBEAll the time he is under his oath let no blade come near his head; till the days while he is separate are ended he is holy and his hair may not be cut.
WebsterAll the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days shall be fulfilled, in which he separateth himself to the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

What does Numbers 6:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 6:2-8

Nu 6:1-22. The Law of the Nazarite in His Separation. 2-8. When either man or woman ... shall vow a vow of a Nazarite--that is, "a separated one," from a Hebrew word, "to separate." It was used to designate a class of persons who, under the impulse of extraordinary piety and with a view to higher degrees of religious improvement, voluntarily renounced the occupations and pleasures of the world to dedicate themselves…

Read the full comment on Numbers 6:2-8 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 There shall no razor come upon his head - The vow of the Nazarite consisted in the following particulars: - 1. He consecrated himself in a very especial and extraordinary manner to God. 2. This was to continue for a certain season, probably never less than a whole year, that he might have a full growth of hair to burn in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offering, Num 6:18. 3. During the time of his separation, or nazarate, he drank no wine nor strong drink; nor used any vinegar formed from any inebriating liquor, nor ate the flesh or dried grapes, nor tasted even the kernels or husks of any thing that had grown upon the vine. 4. He never shaved his head, but let his hair grow, as the proof of his being in this separated state, and under vows of peculiar austerity. 5. He never touched any dead body, nor did any of the last offices, even to his nearest kin; but was considered as the priests, who were wholly taken up with the service of God, and regarded nothing else. 6. All the days of his separation he was holy, Num 6:8. During the whole time he was to be incessantly employed in religious acts.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 6:1-21

The word Nazarite signifies separation. Some were appointed of God, before their birth, to be Nazarites all their days, as Samson and John the Baptist. But, in general, it was a vow of separation from the world and devotedness to the services of religion, for a limited time, and under certain rules, which any person might make if they pleased. A Nazarite is spoken of as well known; but his obligation is brought to a…

Read the full comment on Numbers 6:1-21 →

Numbers 6:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כָּל\־kol-allH3605
יְמֵי֙ye.Mei[the] days ofH3117
נֶ֣דֶרNe.der[the] vow ofH5088
נִזְר֔וֹniz.RoNazirite vow hisH5145
תַּ֖עַרTa.'ara razorH8593
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
יַעֲבֹ֣רya.'a.Vorit will passH5674
עַל\־'al-overH5921
רֹאשׁ֑וֹro.Shohead hisH7218
עַד\־'ad-untilH5704
מְלֹ֨אתme.Lotare completedH4390
הַיָּמִ֜םhai.ya.Mimthe daysH3117
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834
יַזִּ֤ירya.Zirhe will be a NaziriteH5144
לַיהוָה֙la.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
קָדֹ֣שׁka.DoshholyH6918
יִהְיֶ֔הyih.Yehhe will beH1961
גַּדֵּ֥לga.Delhe will make growH1431
פֶּ֖רַעPe.ra'[the] lock[s] ofH6545
שְׂעַ֥רse.'Ar[the] hair ofH8181
רֹאשֽׁוֹ\׃ro.Shohead hisH7218

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 6:5

  • 1 Samuel 1:11

    And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

  • Judges 13:5

    For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

  • Judges 16:17

    That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

  • Judges 16:19

    And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

  • Lamentations 4:7-8

    Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

  • 1 Corinthians 11:10-15

    For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
razor.
Jud 13:5; 16:17,19; 1Sa 1:11; La 4:7,8; 1Co 11:10-15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 6:4

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

  • Numbers 6:5

    All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

  • Numbers 6:6

    All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no dead body.

Read all of Numbers 6

Numbers 6:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Todo el tiempo del voto de su nazareato no pasará navaja sobre su cabeza, hasta que sean cumplidos los días de su apartamiento á Jehová: santo será; dejará crecer las guedejas del cabello de su cabeza.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Pendant tous les jours du vœu de son nazaréat, le rasoir ne passera pas sur sa tête; jusqu’à l’accomplissement des jours pour lesquels il s’est séparé pour être à l’ Éternel, il sera saint; il laissera croître les boucles des cheveux de sa tête.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Alle die Tage des Gelübdes seiner Absonderung soll kein Schermesser über sein Haupt gehen; bis die Tage erfüllt sind, die er sich für Jehova absondert, soll er heilig sein; er soll das Haar seines Hauptes frei wachsen lassen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Omni tempore separationis suæ novacula non transibit per caput ejus usque ad completum diem, quo Domino consecratur. Sanctus erit, crescente cæsarie capitis ejus.