A Nazarite or Nazirite refers to one who voluntarily took a vow described in Numbers 6:1–21.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD. ...” (Num. 6: 1-2).  The term “nazarite” comes from the Hebrew word, “nazir” meaning “consecrated” or “separated.”

Alfred Edersheim commented: “The law concerning the Nazarite vow (Num. 6: 1) seems to imply, that it had been an institution already existing at the time of Moses, which was only further defined and regulated by him.  The name, as well as its special obligations, indicate its higher bearing.  For the term Nasir is evidently derived from nazar, to separate, and ‘the vow of a Nazarite’ was to separate himself unto Jehovah (Num. 6: 2).”

Unlike normal vows, which entailed the offering of some material thing or possession, the Nazarite vow required the devotee to consecrate himself through a voluntary period of self separation for some special service.  If a Nazarite were to inadvertently break his vow at any time, he would have to begin all over again.

Conditions

“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.  All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.   All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.  All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.  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.   All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD” (Num. 6: 3-8).
Those under the Nazarite vow were prohibited from :

o Drinking wine and every product of the vine

Having consecrated themselves to God and His service, they must abstain from wine so that they might be examples of temperance and mortification.  They must not gratify the desires of the body, but keep it under subjection; they must not drink, lest they err through wine (Prov. 31: 5; Isa. 28: 7) and forget the law.

o Cutting their hair and shaving their beards

This prohibition reflected their renouncement of all kinds of sensual pleasures and delights, and their resolve to live a self-denying life.  To show his grief over King David’s misfortune, Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth, trimmed not his beard (II Sam. 19: 24). 

“Some observe that long hair is spoken of as a badge of subjection (I Cor. 11: 5); so that the long hair of the Nazarites denoted their subjection to God, and their putting themselves under his dominion.  By this, they were known to all that met them to be Nazarites, and so it commanded respect” – Matthew Henry.

o Touching a dead body

The Nazarite must not go near a dead body, even that of his nearest relation because “the consecration of his God is upon his head.”  He must moderate his affections even to his dearest ones on earth lest his grief over their loss affect his joy in God and submission to His will.

Duration

There are no records relating to the rites and rituals of taking the Nazarite vow.  The Talmud tells us that all that was needed was for one to express the wish to be a Nazarite.  “Thus if one said, ‘I will be it! or, I will be a beautiful one!’ -  with reference to the long hair - or made any similar allusion, he had legally taken upon him the vow.  If taken for an indefinite period, or without express declaration of the time, the vow lasted for thirty days, which was the shortest possible time for a Nazarite”  (“The Mishnah Regulations” - A. Edersheim). 

“The Pentateuch makes provision for the Nazarite vow being taken by either men or women, though the Old Testament does not record a single instance of a female Nazarite.  Further, it provides only for the taking of the vow for a limited time, that is, for the case of the ‘Nazarite of days.’  No period of duration is mentioned in the Old Testament, but the Mishna, in dealing with the subject, prescribes a period of 30 days, while a double period of 60 or even a triple one of 100 days might be entered on” (ISBE).     
 (… to be continued)          

 - Pastor