Numbers 6:7

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 Living Translation (NLT)Even if the dead person is their own father, mother, brother, or sister, they must not defile themselves, for the hair on their head is the symbol of their separation to God.

Context of Numbers 6:7

5‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. 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. 8All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord. 9‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.

Numbers 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 9:6Now there were certain men who were defiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron that day.
• Leviticus 21:1And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people,
• Ezekiel 44:25“They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves.
• 1 Corinthians 11:10For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of 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

• Fraternity
• Nazarite

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• John the Baptist
• Nazarite
• Port
• Purification
• Samson
• Separation
• Shave
• Sinai

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