NAZARITE, more properly NAZIRITE (1n.1 CSr6t..1 TN, fern. MT?), Sept. paripaibs, Etilabcevor, and inqao-ttevos, Vulg. Nazaneus), one, not of the Aaronic order, who bound himself or herself by a vow to priestly abstinence and purity, either tem porarily or for the whole life.
t. Name and its signification.—The etymology and signification of are matter of dispute. The more general opinion is that is from 11), to be separated, Niph. to separate oneself, to abstain, and denotes one separated, i. e., for the service of God. But against this derivation it is urged that (1.) It is impossible to explain in a natural manner many passages in which the word 111 is used on the theory that its primary meaning is separation, abstinence, consecration. Thus, e. g., the vine is called (Lev. xxv. 5, I I), the very word which denotes Nazarite; and, on the supposition that it denotes to be separated, it is very difficult to say why this term is applied to vines alone, and why it is not also used of the produce of trees or the field; and (2.) The word ill unquestionably de notes diadem, cro-am (Gen. xlix. 26; Exod. xxix. 6; xxxix. 3o; Lev. viii. 9; xxi. 12; 2 Sam. i. to; 2 Kings xi. 12; 2 Chron. xxiii.• Zech. ix. 16, al.) Now, if we admit that the idea of crown is the primary and not the secondary one, and ac cordingly take 1N11 (passive participle) to denote the crowned one, the meaning which it is admitted to have in the very first passage in which it is em ployed (Gen. xlix. 26, with Dent. xxxiii. 16; Lam. iv. 7, 8), all the difficulties vanish. The Nazarite is the crowned one, because, as we are told in Num. vi. 7, he hasthe crown of God upon his head' (inn y 1+;61.1 "in), evidently referring to his distinguishing badge of the freely growing and pro fuse mass of hair, which was considered an orna ment (2 Sam. xiv. 25, 26), and which he was not allowed to cut off (Num. vi. 5), because therein his vow chiefly consisted (Judg. xii. 5); and this is confirmed by Num. vi. 9, where it said, if he defiled (111) t'lin) his head diadem he is to shave his head.' Hence also the signification of ornamental hair, long hair (Jer. vii. 29 with Num. vi. 19). Whilst the vine again, laden with fruit, is called Nazarite, or more probably L e., the crowned (Lev. xxv. 5, I because in its uncut state, when its head is covered with grapes and foliage, it is as much adorned with a diadem as the head of the Nazarite with the abundant hair, just as we call the foliage of a tree its crown. Besides the vine hills rising in the different parts of Palestine, and resembling heads covered with hair, may have suggested this figure to the Oriental mind, since the summits of mountains are called their heads in Hebrew (Gen. viii. 5; Exod. xvii. 9, to; xix. 20; Amos i. 2), and the foliage is not unfrequently compared to the hair or wool (rron) of animals (Ezek. xvii. 3, 22; xxxi. 3, to, 14; Saalschiitz,
Das Alosaische Mee/at., 15S).
2. What constituted a Nazarite. —The special vow whereby one bound himself to be a Nazarite 11)) involved the following three things : He is to—i. Abstain from wine and strong drink— or as Onkelos, who renders VS by run innn rl-an, and the ancient Jewish canons will have it, from old and new wine—vinegar made of wine or strong drink ; liquor of grapes ; grapes either moist or dried ; and, in fact, from every production of the vine—even from the very stones and skin of the vine. According to the Jewish canons, how ever, strong drink made of dates, or such like, is lawful for the Nazarite' (Maimonides, Hilchoth Nezirnth, v. 1). ii. Refrain from cutting the hair off his head during the whole period of his Nazarite ship. And, iii. Avoid every contact with the dead, even if his parents, or brothers, or sisters were to die during his Nazariteship. If he was accidentally defiled by death suddenly occurring on his premises, he was obliged to observe the legal purification of seven days (comp. Num. xix. 14) ; cut off his hair on the seventh day—which in this case was not burnt but buried (lifishna Temura, vi. 4; and Maimonides, in loco) ; bring on the eighth day two turtle-doves or two young pigeons to the priest— one for a sin-offering and the other for a burnt offering ; hallow his head, offer a lamb of the first year as a trespass-offering, renew his vow, and begin again his Nazariteship, as the days which had passed since the commencement of his vow were lost through this interruption (Num. vi. 1-12). As the Mosaic law says nothing about the formality of the Nazarite vow, and as all other declarations were binding wherever and whenever made (Dent. xxiii. 24), we must accept the ancient Jewish canons that the vow was made in private, and that it was bind ing even if a man or woman simply said, Behold, I am a Nazarite !' or repeated, I also become one,' when hearing any one else make this declaration (111ishna, Nazir, i. 3; iii. 1; iv. 1). A father could make a vow for his son before he was thirteen years of age, but not a mother for hers (Num. xxx. 8 ; Sota, iii. 8 ; Nazir, iii. 6). A man had the power to disannul his wife's vow (Nazir, iv. 1 ; Maimonides, Hilchoth Areziruth,ii. 17), but not his slave's, and in case he did prohibit him to perform it, be was bound to fulfil it as soon as he was set at liberty (Nazir, ix. t). Men and women who, after taking the Nazarite vow, cut their hair or plucked it off with their hands, or defiled themselves by wilfully coming in contact with dead bodies, or partook of wine, received forty stripes (Nazir, iv. 3 ; Mai monides, Rilchoth Nezir, v. 2, 6, 8, II). So rigid were the regulations, that the Nazarite was not al lowed to comb his hair lest some of it might be torn out, but he was permitted to smooth it with his hands (Nizzir, vi. 3).