Numbers 6:18

Verse

Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head, take the hair, and put it on the fire under the peace offering.

American Standard Version (1901)

And the Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace-offerings.

Bible in Basic English

Then let his long hair, the sign of his oath, be cut off at the door of the Tent of meeting, and let him put it on the fire on which the peace-offerings are burning.

Free Bible Version

Then the Nazirites are to shave their heads at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. They shall take the hair from their heads that were dedicated, and place it on the fire under the peace offering.

King James (Authorized) Version

And 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.

One Unity Resource Bible

The Nazarite ·Consecrated· shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

Translation for Translators

‘After that, you must stand at the entrance of the Sacred Tent and shave off your hair. Then you must put that hair in the fire that is under the animal that has been sacrificed on the altar to maintain fellowship with me.

Unlocked Literal Bible

The Nazirite must shave his head indicating his separation to God at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He must take the hair from his head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of fellowship offerings.

Noah Webster Bible

World English Bible

The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

Young's Literal Translation

'And the Nazarite hath shaved (at the opening of the tent of meeting) the head of his separation, and hath taken the hair of the head of his separation, and hath put [it] on the fire which [is] under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings.

Context

The Nazirite Vow

¹⁷He shall also offer the ram as a peace offering to the LORD, along with the basket of unleavened bread. And the priest is to offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.¹⁸Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head, take the hair, and put it on the fire under the peace offering.¹⁹And the priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands of the Nazirite who has just shaved the hair of his consecration.

Summary

In Numbers 6:18, we see the conclusion of the Nazirite vow, where the individual who took the vow would shave off their consecrated hair at the entrance of the tent of meeting. This act symbolized the completion of their vow of dedication and separation to the Lord. The shaving of the hair signified the end of the period of consecration and a return to regular life. This verse highlights the importance of fulfilling vows made to the Lord and the significance of honoring commitments made in His name.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Shall take the hair - and put it in the fire - The hair was permitted to grow for this purpose; and as the Nazarite was a kind of sacrifice, offered to God through the whole term of his nazarate or separation, and no human flesh or blood could be offered on the altar of the Lord, he offered his hair at the conclusion of his separation, as a sacrifice - that hair which was the token of his complete subjection to the Lord, and which was now considered as the Lord's property. The Hindoos, after a vow, do not cut their hair during the term of their vow; but at the expiration of it they shave it off at the place where the vow was made. That the hair of the head was superstitiously used among different nations, we have already had occasion to remark; (See the notes on Lev 19:27); and that the Gentiles might have learned this from the Jews is possible, though some learned men think that this consecration of the hair to a deity was in use among the heathens before the time of Moses, and in nations who had no intercourse or connection with the Jews.