Numbers 6:3

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

1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. “If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way, they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins. 4As long as they are bound by their Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to eat or drink anything that comes from a grapevine—not even the grape seeds or skins. 5“They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the Lord. Until the time of their vow has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow long.

Numbers 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• He shall separateנָזַרnâzar · be a NazariteH5144
• from wineיַ֫יִןyayin · wineH3196
• and strong drinkשֵׁכָרshêkâr · strong drinkH7941
• and shall drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
• no vinegarחֹ֫מֶץchômets · vinegarH2558
• any liquorמִשְׁרָהmishrâh · juiceH4952
• of grapesעֵנָב‛ênâb · grapeH6025
• nor eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• moistלַחlach · freshH3892
• or driedיָבֵשׁyâbêsh · dryH3002

Cross-references for Numbers 6:3

• Leviticus 10:9“You and your descendants must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink before going into the Tabernacle. If you do, you will die. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation.
• Judges 13:14She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.”
• Proverbs 31:4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol.
• Jeremiah 35:6but they refused. “No,” they said, “we don’t drink wine, because our ancestor Jehonadab son of Recab gave us this command: ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine.
• Amos 2:12“But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’
• Luke 1:15for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
• Luke 7:33For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’
• Luke 21:34“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,
• Ephesians 5:18Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
• 1 Thessalonians 5:22Stay away from every kind of evil.
• 1 Timothy 5:23Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.

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

• Abstinence, Total
• Food
• Fraternity
• Nazarite
• Prohibition
• Vinegar
• Wine

In the dictionaries

• strong drink
• John the Baptist
• Leaven
• Nazarite
• Port
• Samson
• Separation
• Shave
• Sinai
• Wine

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