Reference

Numbers 6:19

“And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven:”

And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.

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.

And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven:

And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.

This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the Lord for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Total Abstinence

This verse describes a ritual offering made by a Nazirite *after* the completion of their vow of separation, which included abstaining from wine and strong drink. It does not command or warn against wine or alcohol, nor does it present abstinence as an ideal. Instead, it details the final steps of a temporary, specific vow. The Nazirite's period of abstinence is *ending*, not being initiated or generally advocated.

Total Abstinence

Related Verses

Numbers 6:20

“And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.”

Leviticus 8:26

“And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder:”

Numbers 6:18

“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.”

Exodus 29:23

“And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord:”

Numbers 6:16

“And the priest shall bring them before the Lord, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering:”

Thematic Connections

Total Abstinence

Private Study Note

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