◄ Numbers 6:1 ►
And the LORD said to Moses,
Study Bible
Again
The use of the word "again" signifies continuity and repetition in God's communication with Moses. It underscores the ongoing relationship and dialogue between God and His chosen leader. This word reminds us of the faithfulness of God in consistently guiding His people. In the Hebrew text, the word used here is "וַיְדַבֵּר" (vayedaber), which is often translated as "and spoke." This indicates a continuation of divine instruction, emphasizing that God's guidance is not a one-time event but a continual process.

the LORD
The term "LORD" is a translation of the Hebrew name "YHWH," often vocalized as Yahweh. This is the covenant name of God, revealing His eternal, self-existent nature. It is a reminder of God's unchanging character and His faithfulness to His promises. The use of this name in the context of the Nazirite vow, which follows in the chapter, highlights the holiness and separateness of God, which the Nazirite vow seeks to emulate.

said
The word "said" in Hebrew is "אָמַר" (amar), which conveys not just speaking but also commanding or declaring. This indicates that what follows is not merely a suggestion but a divine directive. It reflects the authority of God's word and the expectation of obedience from His people. In the context of Numbers, God's words are foundational for the community's life and worship.

to Moses
Moses is the central human figure in the Pentateuch, serving as the mediator between God and the Israelites. His role as a prophet and leader is crucial, as he conveys God's laws and instructions to the people. The mention of Moses here reinforces his unique position and the trust God places in him to communicate His will. Historically, Moses is seen as a type of Christ, foreshadowing the ultimate mediator between God and humanity. Moses' leadership and faithfulness are exemplary, reminding believers of the importance of obedience and dedication to God's calling.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who speaks directly to Moses, providing divine instructions and laws for the people of Israel.

2. Moses
The leader and prophet of Israel, chosen by God to deliver His people from Egypt and to mediate His laws and commandments to them.

3. Israelites
The chosen people of God, to whom the laws and instructions, including the Nazirite vow, are given.

4. Nazirite Vow
Although not explicitly mentioned in this verse, the context of Numbers 6 is the Nazirite vow, a special vow of dedication to the LORD, which involves specific regulations and commitments.
Teaching Points
Divine Communication
God speaks to His people through chosen leaders. Just as He spoke to Moses, God continues to communicate His will through Scripture and spiritual leaders today.

Commitment to Holiness
The Nazirite vow represents a call to holiness and separation for God's purposes. Believers are called to live lives set apart for God, reflecting His holiness in their daily conduct.

The Importance of Vows
Making vows or commitments to God is a serious matter. It requires careful consideration and a heart willing to follow through on promises made to the LORD.

Leadership and Responsibility
Moses' role as a mediator highlights the responsibility of spiritual leaders to faithfully convey God's instructions and guide others in their spiritual commitments.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does the communication between the LORD and Moses in Numbers 6:1 teach us about the nature of God's relationship with His people?

2. How does the concept of the Nazirite vow in Numbers 6 relate to the New Testament call for believers to live holy and set-apart lives?

3. In what ways can we apply the principles of the Nazirite vow to our own spiritual commitments and disciplines today?

4. How does the account of Samson in Judges 13 illustrate both the power and the challenges of living under a vow of dedication to God?

5. Reflecting on Acts 18, how can the practice of making vows or commitments to God be relevant for Christians today, and what precautions should we take when making such commitments?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 27
Discusses vows and dedications to the LORD, providing a broader context for understanding the significance of making vows in Israelite culture.

Judges 13
The account of Samson, who was a Nazirite from birth, illustrates the lifelong commitment and the power associated with the Nazirite vow.

Acts 18
Paul takes a vow, which may have been similar to the Nazirite vow, showing the continuation of vow practices into the New Testament era.
Sermons
The Temporary Vow of the Nazarite Symbolical of the Lifelong Vow of the ChristianE.S. Prout Numbers 6:1-8
A Faithful AbstainerNumbers 6:1-21
Dangerous Things to be AvoidedJ. Spencer.Numbers 6:1-21
Degrading Effects of DrinkJ. B. Gough.Numbers 6:1-21
Nazarite RulesDean Law.Numbers 6:1-21
Of the Vows of the Nazarites, and the Use Thereof to UsW. Attersoll.Numbers 6:1-21
Separated to the Service of GodW. Binnie Numbers 6:1-21
The Law of Vows (With Special Reference to the Nazarite)W. Roberts, M. A.Numbers 6:1-21
The NazariteLewis R. Dunn, D. D.Numbers 6:1-21
The Ordinance of NazariteshipC. H. Mackintosh.Numbers 6:1-21
The Vow of the NazariteW. Jones.Numbers 6:1-21
People
Aaron, Israelites, Moses, Naziriteship
Places
Sinai
Topics
Saying, Spake, Speaketh, Spoke
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Numbers 6:1-4

     4404   food
     4436   drinking, abstention
     4438   eating
     4458   grape
     4536   vinegar
     5707   male and female
     5773   abstinence, discipline

Numbers 6:1-8

     5794   asceticism
     8223   dedication
     8270   holiness, set apart

Numbers 6:1-20

     5155   hair

Numbers 6:1-21

     4544   wine
     5741   vows

Library
Separation to God.
NUMB. VI. 1-21. THE INSTITUTION OF THE ORDER OF NAZARITES. The first twenty-one verses of Numb. vi. give us an account of the institution and ordinances of the order of Nazarites. And let us note at the outset that this institution, like every other good and perfect gift, came from above; that GOD Himself gave this privilege--unasked--to His people; thereby showing His desire that "whosoever will" of His people may be brought into closest relationship to Himself. It was very gracious of GOD to permit …
James Hudson Taylor—Separation and Service

Tenth Day. Holiness and Separation.
I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. And ye shall be holy unto me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from other people that ye should be Mine.'--Lev. xx. 24, 26. 'Until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy.... All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord.'--Num. vi. 5, 8. 'Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered without the …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Of the Duties which we are to Perform after Receiving the Holy Communion, Called Action or Practice.
The duty which we are to perform after the receiving of the Lord's Supper is called action or practice, without which all the rest will minister to us no comfort. The action consists of two sorts of duties:---First, Such as we are to perform in the church, or else after we are gone home. Those that we are to perform in the church are either several from our own souls, or else jointly with the congregation. The several duties which thou must perform from thine own soul are three:--First, Thou must …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

These Things, My Brother Aurelius, Most Dear unto Me...
38. These things, my brother Aurelius, most dear unto me, and in the bowels of Christ to be venerated, so far as He hath bestowed on me the ability Who through thee commanded me to do it, touching work of Monks, I have not delayed to write; making this my chief care, lest good brethren obeying apostolic precepts, should by lazy and disobedient be called even prevaricators from the Gospel: that they which work not, may at the least account them which do work to be better than themselves without doubt. …
St. Augustine—Of the Work of Monks.

The Worship of the Synagogue
One of the most difficult questions in Jewish history is that connected with the existence of a synagogue within the Temple. That such a "synagogue" existed, and that its meeting-place was in "the hall of hewn stones," at the south-eastern angle of the court of the priest, cannot be called in question, in face of the clear testimony of contemporary witnesses. Considering that "the hall of hew stones" was also the meeting-place for the great Sanhedrim, and that not only legal decisions, but lectures …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Peace
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. I Pet 1:1. Having spoken of the first fruit of sanctification, assurance, I proceed to the second, viz., Peace, Peace be multiplied:' What are the several species or kinds of Peace? Peace, in Scripture, is compared to a river which parts itself into two silver streams. Isa 66:12. I. There is an external peace, and that is, (1.) (Economical, or peace in a family. (2.) Political, or peace in the state. Peace is the nurse of plenty. He maketh peace in thy borders, …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
(at Jerusalem. Probably b.c. 6.) ^C Luke I. 5-25. ^c 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa [a Jewish proselyte, an Idumæan or Edomite by birth, founder of the Herodian family, king of Judæa from b.c. 40 to a.d. 4, made such by the Roman Senate on the recommendation of Mark Antony and Octavius Cæsar], a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course [David divided the priests into twenty-four bodies or courses, each course serving in rotation one week in the temple …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Things to be Meditated on as Thou Goest to the Church.
1. That thou art going to the court of the Lord, and to speak with the great God by prayer; and to hear his majesty speak unto thee by his word; and to receive his blessing on thy soul, and thy honest labour, in the six days past. 2. Say with thyself by the way--"As the hart brayeth for the rivers of water, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, even for the living God: When shall I come and appear before the presence of God? For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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