Numbers 6:7

He must not defile himself even ¹  for his father or his mother or his brother or his sister if they die, ²  because the separation ³  for ⁴  his God is on his head.

biblegateway Num 6:7

Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head.

biblegateway Num 6:7

‘He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.

biblegateway Num 6:7

even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister has died. They must not defile the hair on their head, because it is the symbol of their separation to God.

biblegateway Num 6:7

Even if it's the body of your father or mother, brother or sister, you must not ritually defile yourself because the sign of consecration to God is on your head.

SABDAweb Num 6:7

He may not make himself unclean for his father or his mother, his sister or his brother, if death comes to them; because he is under an oath to keep himself separate for God.

bibleoremus Num 6:7

Even if their father or mother, brother or sister, should die, they may not defile themselves; because their consecration to God is upon the head.

biblegateway Num 6:7

‘He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.

biblegateway Num 6:7

He must not defile himself even ¹  for his father or his mother or his brother or his sister if they die, ²  because the separation ³  for ⁴  his God is on his head.

¹ tn The vav (ו) conjunction at the beginning of the clause specifies the cases of corpses that are to be avoided, no matter how painful it might be.

² tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffixed subjective genitive – “in the dying of them” – to form the adverbial clause of time.

² sn The Nazirite would defile himself, i.e., ruin his vow, by contacting their corpses. Jesus’ hard saying in Matt 8:22, “let the dead bury their own dead,” makes sense in the light of this passage – Jesus was calling for commitment to himself.

³ tn The word “separation” here is metonymy of adjunct – what is on his head is long hair that goes with the vow.

⁴ tn The genitive could perhaps be interpreted as possession, i.e., “the vow of his God,” but it seems more likely that an objective genitive would be more to the point.