WATCHMAN33
Nazirites with uncut hair stand before the tabernacle as Aaron raises his hands to bless the gathered people in warm light.
KING JAMES VERSION

NUMBERS 6

Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.

CHAPTER VISUAL

Numbers 6 — The Nazirite is set apart by a special vow, and Aaron speaks the LORD’s blessing over Israel.

About this illustration

The voluntary separation of the Nazirite and the priestly blessing conclude the chapter in one reverent scene. No divine body is shown; radiant light suggests favor without visualizing God.

Scripture basis: Numbers 6:1–27
  1. 1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
  2. 2Speak 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:
  3. 3He 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.
  4. 4All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
  5. 5All 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.
  6. 6All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.
  7. 7He 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.
  8. 8All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.
  9. 9And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.
  10. 10And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
  11. 11And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day.
  12. 12And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.
  13. 13 And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
  14. 14And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings,
  15. 15And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings.
  16. 16And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering:
  17. 17And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.
  18. 18And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
  19. 19And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven:
  20. 20And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.
  21. 21This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.
  22. 22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
  23. 23Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
  24. 24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
  25. 25The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
  26. 26The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
  27. 27And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom

EXPLORE THE MESSAGE

Related Watchman 33 Resources

Archaeological Evidence

ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArtifact
Late seventh or early sixth century BC

Ketef Hinnom Silver Scrolls

Two tiny silver amulets from a Jerusalem burial repository preserve the divine name and wording closely parallel to the Priestly Blessing, documenting the use of biblical language in late First Temple-period devotion.

Numbers 6:22–27 · Exodus 20:6 · Deuteronomy 7:9
Open evidence file
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
Hasmonean-period manuscript

The Rule of Blessings (1QSb)

A damaged Hebrew blessing collection copied with the Community Rule invokes covenant members, priests, and a future Prince of the Congregation through language drawn from Numbers, Isaiah, Psalms, and royal tradition.

Numbers 6:22–27 · Isaiah 11:1–5 · Psalms 72:1–14
Open evidence file
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
Late second century AD

Chester Beatty Biblical Papyrus VI: Numbers and Deuteronomy

Rahlfs 963 is a second-century Greek papyrus codex that joined Numbers and Deuteronomy, preserving a large but badly damaged early Christian witness to the Pentateuch.

Numbers 6:22–27 · Deuteronomy 6:4–9 · Deuteronomy 32:1–14
Open evidence file