Berean Standard Bible
Numbers 6:3
3he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins.
Numbers 6:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
- New International Version (NIV)they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.
- English Standard Version (ESV)he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
- New King James Version (NKJV)he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins.
Context of Numbers 6:3
1And the LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4All the days of his separation, he is not to eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. 5For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch 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.
Read all of Numbers 6Numbers 6:3 word by word
מִיַּ֤יִן וְשֵׁכָר֙ יַזִּ֔יר חֹ֥מֶץ יַ֛יִן וְחֹ֥מֶץ שֵׁכָ֖ר לֹ֣א יִשְׁתֶּ֑ה וְכָל־מִשְׁרַ֤ת עֲנָבִים֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁתֶּ֔ה וַעֲנָבִ֛ים לַחִ֥ים וִיבֵשִׁ֖ים לֹ֥א יֹאכֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
- he is to abstainנָזַרnâzar · be a NazariteH5144
- from wineיַ֫יִןyayin · wineH3196
- and strong drinkשֵׁכָרshêkâr · strong drinkH7941
- He must notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
- drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- vinegarחֹ֫מֶץchômets · vinegarH2558
- anyכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- grapeעֵנָב‛ênâb · grapeH6025
- juiceמִשְׁרָהmishrâh · juiceH4952
- or eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- freshלַחlach · freshH3892
- or raisinsיָבֵשׁyâbêsh · dryH3002
Cross-references for Numbers 6:3
- Leviticus 10:9“You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.
- Judges 13:14She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
- Proverbs 31:4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
- Jeremiah 35:6“We do not drink wine,” they replied, “for our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us, ‘Neither you nor your descendants are ever to drink wine.
- Amos 2:12“But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
- Luke 1:15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
- Luke 7:33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
- Luke 21:34But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- Ephesians 5:18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22Abstain from every form of evil.
- 1 Timothy 5:23Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
Commentaries on Numbers 6:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3No vinegar of wine, etc. - חמץ chomets signifies fermented wine, and is probably used here to signify wine of a strong body, or any highly intoxicating liquor. Dr. Lightfoot supposes that the Leper being the most defiled and loathsome of creatures, was an emblem of the wretched, miserable state of man by the fall; and that the Nazarite was the emblem of man in his state of innocence. Wine and grapes are here particularly forbidden to the Nazarite because…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-21Verses 1-21 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4The law required priests to avoid drinking wine before serving in the Tent of Meeting (Leviticus 10:9). The Nazirite vow allowed non-Levites to extend this rule. They avoided wine everywhere, at all times, and anything from a grapevine.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-222-8. 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 unreservedly to the divine service. The vow might be taken by either sex, provided they had…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 6:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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