Numbers 6:20
The priest shall then wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. This is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the wave offering and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
The priest shall then wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.

The boiled shoulder of the ram and the unleavened bread were presented to the LORD as part of the Nazirite’s concluding sacrifice. By waving them before the LORD, the priest acknowledged that the offering belonged first to God before it was assigned for priestly use.

Exo 29:24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons…
Lev 7:30 With his own hands he is to bring the food offerings…
Lev 9:21 but he waved the breasts and the right thigh…

This is a holy portion for the priest,

What had been offered to the LORD was set apart as sacred food for the priest. The Lord provided for those who served at the tabernacle through designated portions of the sacrifices.

Num 18:8-11 Then the LORD said to Aaron, “Behold, I have put you…
Lev 2:3 The remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron…
Deu 18:3 This shall be the priests’ share from the people…

in addition to the breast of the wave offering and the thigh that was presented.

The priest received these portions along with the breast and thigh already assigned from the peace offering. The ordered distribution of the sacrifice honored both the holiness of the offering and the priestly service established by God.

Lev 7:34 I have taken from the sons of Israel the breast…
Exo 29:27 Consecrate for Aaron and his sons the breast of the wave…
Num 18:18 And their meat belongs to you, just as the breast…

After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

With the required offerings completed, the Nazirite’s period of separation ended. He could return to ordinary life, including the use of wine, having fulfilled the vow made to the LORD.

Amo 2:11-12 I raised up prophets from your sons and Nazirites…
Jdg 13:14 She must not eat anything that comes from the vine,…
Luk 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Nazirite
An individual who has taken a special vow of consecration to the LORD, abstaining from wine, cutting hair, and avoiding contact with the dead.

2. Priest
A mediator between God and the people, responsible for performing the wave offering and other sacrificial duties.

3. Wave Offering
A ritual act where offerings are presented and waved before the LORD, symbolizing dedication and consecration.

4. Heave Offering
A portion of the sacrifice lifted up as an offering to God, often given to the priests for their sustenance.

5. LORD (YHWH)
The covenant name of God, to whom the offerings and vows are dedicated.
Teaching Points
Holiness and Dedication
The Nazirite vow exemplifies a life set apart for God. Believers are called to live holy lives, dedicated to the LORD in all aspects.

Role of the Priest
The priest's role in mediating offerings points to Jesus Christ, our ultimate High Priest, who intercedes for us and sanctifies our offerings.

Symbolism of Offerings
The wave and heave offerings symbolize giving our best to God. Christians are encouraged to offer their lives as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

Completion of Vows
The completion of the Nazirite vow, marked by the ability to drink wine again, signifies the fulfillment of a period of consecration. It reminds believers of the importance of fulfilling commitments made to God.

Community and Support
The offerings provided for the priests highlight the importance of supporting those who serve in ministry, ensuring they have the resources needed to fulfill their calling.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of the Nazirite vow challenge us to consider areas of our lives that need greater dedication to God?

2. In what ways can we support those in ministry today, similar to how the offerings supported the priests?

3. How does understanding Jesus as our High Priest enhance our appreciation of the sacrificial system described in the Old Testament?

4. What are some modern-day equivalents of a "wave offering" that we can present to God in our daily lives?

5. How can we ensure that we fulfill the commitments and vows we make to God, and what steps can we take to remain faithful in our spiritual journey?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 7:30-34
Discusses the wave and heave offerings, providing context for the priestly portions and their significance.

Judges 13:5
Relates to the Nazirite vow, as seen in the life of Samson, who was consecrated as a Nazirite from birth.

1 Samuel 1:11
Hannah's vow for her son Samuel, which reflects the Nazirite dedication to the LORD.

Acts 18:18
Paul’s Nazirite vow, showing the continuation of this practice in the New Testament.

Hebrews 7:26-28
Highlights Jesus as our High Priest, who fulfills and surpasses the priestly roles and offerings.
A Faithful AbstainerNumbers 6:1-21
Dangerous Things to be AvoidedJ. Spencer.Numbers 6:1-21
Degrading Effects of DrinkJ. B. Gough.Numbers 6:1-21
Nazarite RulesDean Law.Numbers 6:1-21
Of the Vows of the Nazarites, and the Use Thereof to UsW. Attersoll.Numbers 6:1-21
Separated to the Service of GodW. Binnie Numbers 6:1-21
The Law of Vows (With Special Reference to the Nazarite)W. Roberts, M. A.Numbers 6:1-21
The NazariteLewis R. Dunn, D. D.Numbers 6:1-21
The Ordinance of NazariteshipC. H. Mackintosh.Numbers 6:1-21
The Vow of the NazariteW. Jones.Numbers 6:1-21
The Regulations for Observance of the Nazarite's VowD. Young Numbers 6:3-21
People
Aaron, Israelites, Moses, Naziriteship
Places
Sinai
Topics
Belong, Breast, Drink, Holy, Nazirite, Offered, Offering, Presented, Priest, Thigh, Wave, Waved, Wine
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Numbers 6:20

     4436   drinking, abstention
     5140   breasts
     5190   thigh

Numbers 6:1-20

     5155   hair

Numbers 6:1-21

     4544   wine
     5741   vows

Numbers 6:13-20

     4530   unleavened bread

Numbers 6:17-20

     4418   bread

Library
Separation to God.
NUMB. VI. 1-21. THE INSTITUTION OF THE ORDER OF NAZARITES. The first twenty-one verses of Numb. vi. give us an account of the institution and ordinances of the order of Nazarites. And let us note at the outset that this institution, like every other good and perfect gift, came from above; that GOD Himself gave this privilege--unasked--to His people; thereby showing His desire that "whosoever will" of His people may be brought into closest relationship to Himself. It was very gracious of GOD to permit
James Hudson Taylor—Separation and Service

Tenth Day. Holiness and Separation.
I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. And ye shall be holy unto me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from other people that ye should be Mine.'--Lev. xx. 24, 26. 'Until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy.... All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord.'--Num. vi. 5, 8. 'Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered without the
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Of the Duties which we are to Perform after Receiving the Holy Communion, Called Action or Practice.
The duty which we are to perform after the receiving of the Lord's Supper is called action or practice, without which all the rest will minister to us no comfort. The action consists of two sorts of duties:---First, Such as we are to perform in the church, or else after we are gone home. Those that we are to perform in the church are either several from our own souls, or else jointly with the congregation. The several duties which thou must perform from thine own soul are three:--First, Thou must
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

These Things, My Brother Aurelius, Most Dear unto Me...
38. These things, my brother Aurelius, most dear unto me, and in the bowels of Christ to be venerated, so far as He hath bestowed on me the ability Who through thee commanded me to do it, touching work of Monks, I have not delayed to write; making this my chief care, lest good brethren obeying apostolic precepts, should by lazy and disobedient be called even prevaricators from the Gospel: that they which work not, may at the least account them which do work to be better than themselves without doubt.
St. Augustine—Of the Work of Monks.

The Worship of the Synagogue
One of the most difficult questions in Jewish history is that connected with the existence of a synagogue within the Temple. That such a "synagogue" existed, and that its meeting-place was in "the hall of hewn stones," at the south-eastern angle of the court of the priest, cannot be called in question, in face of the clear testimony of contemporary witnesses. Considering that "the hall of hew stones" was also the meeting-place for the great Sanhedrim, and that not only legal decisions, but lectures
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Peace
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. I Pet 1:1. Having spoken of the first fruit of sanctification, assurance, I proceed to the second, viz., Peace, Peace be multiplied:' What are the several species or kinds of Peace? Peace, in Scripture, is compared to a river which parts itself into two silver streams. Isa 66:12. I. There is an external peace, and that is, (1.) (Economical, or peace in a family. (2.) Political, or peace in the state. Peace is the nurse of plenty. He maketh peace in thy borders,
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
(at Jerusalem. Probably b.c. 6.) ^C Luke I. 5-25. ^c 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa [a Jewish proselyte, an Idumæan or Edomite by birth, founder of the Herodian family, king of Judæa from b.c. 40 to a.d. 4, made such by the Roman Senate on the recommendation of Mark Antony and Octavius Cæsar], a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course [David divided the priests into twenty-four bodies or courses, each course serving in rotation one week in the temple
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Things to be Meditated on as Thou Goest to the Church.
1. That thou art going to the court of the Lord, and to speak with the great God by prayer; and to hear his majesty speak unto thee by his word; and to receive his blessing on thy soul, and thy honest labour, in the six days past. 2. Say with thyself by the way--"As the hart brayeth for the rivers of water, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, even for the living God: When shall I come and appear before the presence of God? For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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