Numbers 6:4

6:4 All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine, from seed ¹  to skin. ² 

Numbers 22:16

22:16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor: ‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming ³  to me.

Numbers 30:6

Vows Made by Married Women

30:6 “And if she marries a husband while under a vow, ⁴  or she uttered ⁵  anything impulsively by which she has pledged herself,

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¹ tn This word also is rare, occurring only here.

² sn Here is another hapax legomenon, a word only found here. The word seems linked to the verb “to be clear,” and so may mean the thin skin of the grape. The reason for the strictness with these two words in this verse is uncertain. We know the actual meanings of the words, and the combination must form a merism here, meaning no part of the grape could be eaten. Abstaining from these common elements of food was to be a mark of commitment to the Lord. Hos 3:1 even denounces the raisin cakes as part of a pagan world, and eating them would be a violation of the oath.

³ tn The infinitive construct is the object of the preposition.

⁴ tn Heb “and her vows are upon her.” It may be that the woman gets married while her vows are still unfulfilled.

⁵ tn The Hebrew text indicates that this would be some impetuous vow that she uttered with her lips, a vow that her husband, whether new or existing, would not approve of. Several translate it “a binding obligation rashly uttered.”