God’s Word Translation
Numbers 6:7
7Even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister dies, they must not make themselves unclean by going near them. Nazarites show their vow to God with their long hair.
Numbers 6:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.
- New International Version (NIV)Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.
Context of Numbers 6:7
5“As long as they are under the Nazirite vow, no razor may touch their heads. During the entire time that they are dedicated to the Lord as Nazirites, they will be holy. They must let their hair grow long. 6While they are dedicated to the Lord as Nazirites, they must never go near a dead body. Even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister dies, they must not make themselves unclean by going near them. Nazarites show their vow to God with their long hair. 8As long as they are Nazirites, they will be holy to the Lord. 9“Someone might suddenly drop dead next to a Nazirite and make the Nazirite’s hair unclean. Seven days later he must shave his head in order to be declared clean.
Read all of Numbers 6Numbers 6:7 word by word
לְאָבִ֣יו וּלְאִמּ֗וֹ לְאָחִיו֙ וּלְאַ֣חֹת֔וֹ לֹא־יִטַּמָּ֥א לָהֶ֖ם בְּמֹתָ֑ם כִּ֛י נֵ֥זֶר אֱלֹהָ֖יו עַל־רֹאשֽׁוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- He shall not make himself uncleanטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
- for his fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- or for his motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
- for his brotherאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
- or for his sisterאָחוֹת'âchôth · sisterH269
- when they dieמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- because the consecrationנֵ֫זֶרnezer nêzer · consecration: Nazirite vowH5145
- of his Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- upon his headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
Cross-references for Numbers 6:7
- Numbers 9:6But there were some men who had become unclean from touching a dead body, and they couldn’t celebrate the Passover that day. They came to Moses and Aaron
- Leviticus 21:1The Lord spoke to Moses, “Tell the priests, Aaron’s sons: None of you should become unclean by touching one of your relatives who has died.
- Ezekiel 44:25“ ‘A priest must not make himself unclean by going near a dead body. But a priest may become unclean if the dead person is his father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister.
- 1 Corinthians 11:10Therefore, a woman should wear something on her head to show she is under ⌞someone’s⌟ authority, out of respect for the angels.
Commentaries on Numbers 6:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7The consecration of his God is upon his head - Literally, The separation of his God is upon his head; meaning his hair, which was the proof and emblem of his separation. Now as the hair of the Nazarite was a token of his subjection to God through all the peculiarities of his nazarate, a woman, who is married, is considered as a Nazarite for life, i. e., separated from all others, and joined to one husband who is her lord; hence St. Paul, probably alluding…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. 6-8Touching dead bodies made people ceremonially unclean (9:6–10). Priests could only touch the dead bodies of close relatives (Leviticus 21:1–4). But Nazirites could not touch any dead body at all.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 6:7
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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