Numbers 6:3

6:3 he must separate 1  himself from wine and strong drink, he must drink neither vinegar 2  made from wine nor vinegar made from strong drink, nor may he drink any juice 3  of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 

Numbers 6:20

6:20 then the priest must wave them as a wave offering 5  before the Lord; it is a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the raised offering. 6  After this the Nazirite may drink 7  wine.’

1 tn The operative verb now will be the Hiphil of נָזַר (nazar); the consecration to the Lord meant separation from certain things in the world. The first will be wine and strong drink – barley beer (from Akkadian sikaru, a fermented beer). But the second word may be somewhat wider in its application than beer. The Nazirite, then, was to avoid all intoxicants as a sign of his commitment to the Lord. The restriction may have proved a hardship in the daily diet of the one taking the vow, but it spoke a protest to the corrupt religious and social world that used alcohol to excess.

2 tn The “vinegar” (חֹמֶץ, homets) is some kind of drink preparation that has been allowed to go sour.

3 tn This word occurs only here. It may come from the word “to water, to be moist,” and so refer to juice.

4 tn Heb “dried” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

5 sn The ritual of lifting the hands filled with the offering and waving them in the presence of the Lord was designed to symbolize the transfer of the offering to God in the sight of all. This concludes the worshiper’s part; the offering now becomes the property of the priest – his priest’s due (or “raised/heave offering”).

6 sn The “wave offering” may be interpreted as a “special gift” to be transferred to the Lord, and the “heave offering” as a “special contribution” to God – the priest’s due. These two offerings have also inspired a good deal of study.

7 tn The imperfect tense here would then have the nuance of permission. It is not an instruction at this point; rather, the prohibition has been lifted and the person is free to drink wine.