Numbers 6:4

6:4 All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine, from seed ¹  to skin. ² 

Numbers 20:5

20:5 Why ³  have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring us to ⁴  this dreadful place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink!”

[6:4]  ¹ tn This word also is rare, occurring only here.

[6:4]  ² sn Here is another hapax legomenon, a word only found here. The word seems linked to the verb “to be clear,” and so may mean the thin skin of the grape. The reason for the strictness with these two words in this verse is uncertain. We know the actual meanings of the words, and the combination must form a merism here, meaning no part of the grape could be eaten. Abstaining from these common elements of food was to be a mark of commitment to the Lord. Hos 3:1 even denounces the raisin cakes as part of a pagan world, and eating them would be a violation of the oath.

[20:5]  ³ tn Heb “and why.”

[20:5]  ⁴ tn Here also the infinitive construct (Hiphil) forms the subordinate clause of the preceding interrogative clause.