Numbers 6:3

Hebrew Bible

2 “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them, ‘When someone—either a man or a woman—takes a special vow, to take a vow as a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 3 he must separate himself from wine and strong drink; he must drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from strong drink, nor may he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.

Judges 14:10

Hebrew Bible

9 He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he returned to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion’s carcass. 10 Then Samson’s father accompanied him to Timnah for the marriage. Samson hosted a party there, for this was customary for bridegrooms to do. 11 When the Philistines saw he had no attendants, they gave him 30 groomsmen who kept him company.

 Notes and References

"... God’s faithfulness in saving his ‘people’ is clear but Samson’s unfaithfulness is alarming. Samson succeeds in breaking just about every parts of his Nazirite vow to God: he drinks alcohol (Judges 14:5, 10; compare Numbers 6:3); he touches the carcass of a dead animal (14:8; compare Numbers 6:6–8); and lastly he allows his hair to be cut (Judges 16:15–22; compare Numbers 6:5–6). Furthermore, he is regularly in contact with the inhabitants of the country, which was forbidden from the beginning (2:1–5; 3:6). The only time that God’s spirit apparently left him was when his hair was cut off ..."

le Roux, Magdel 'To See or not to See, That is the Question': Judges 13-16 (pp. 1-9) Pharos Journal of Theology, Vol. 101, 2020

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