Meaning of NAZIRITE

"separated, consecrated (to God)."
Man or woman who was set apart for God. The Nazirite, a probably very ancient Hebrew institution, was regulated by the law of Moses (Num. 6).

The Nazarite consecrated himself to God for a certain period, but he did not withdraw from social life. His life was not necessarily ascetic. The Law prohibited the Nazirite, during the duration of his vow, from consuming wine, fermented beverages, and any product of the vine.

Since the time of the nomadic patriarchs, the vine symbolized sedentary existence, culture, to which one could indulge, but which distanced one from primitive simplicity. As long as his consecration lasted, the Nazarite was not to cut his hair: this bore witness that he had consecrated his body and its strength to the God who had given it to him.

Long hair was a symbol of power and abundant vitality (cf. 2 Sam. 14:25-26). Cutting one's hair was a sign of mourning and desolation (Jer. 7:29; Is. 22:12; Mik. 1:16).

Finally, it was forbidden for the Nazarite to defile himself by touching any corpse, even if it was a close relative. At the end of his vow, the one who had made it presented himself to the priest, offered the prescribed sacrifices, cut off his hair and burned it. From then on he could drink wine (Num. 6: 1-21).

Certain Nazirites were consecrated from birth or even before and for their entire lives. For example, Samson (Judg. 13:4, 5), Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11, 28). Samson broke not only the rules of the Nazirite but also others.

In the time of Amos there were perverse people who induced the Nazarites to violate his vow and to drink wine (Am. 2: 11-12). After the return from exile the number of Nazirites increased (1 Mac. 3:49; Wars 2:15, 1).

John the Baptist was, from his birth, consecrated to the Nazirite (Lk. 1:15). It is likely that the prophetess Anna would have made this vow (Luke 2:36, 37).

Paul's friends apparently advised him to pay the expenses involved in ending the Naziriteship of four men. Thus, they wanted to avoid any mutiny that could be caused by his last visit to Jerusalem (Acts 21: 20-26).

The well-off people sometimes subsidized the expenses that the poor Nazarites had to bear for the observance of the prescriptions of the Law.