In the Hebrew Bible, a nazirite or a nazarite ( Nāzīr) is a man or woman who voluntarily took a vow which is described in . This vow required the nazirite to:
Abstain from wine and all other grape products, such as vinegar and grapes
Refrain from cutting the hair on his head
Not to become ritually impure by contact with corpses or graves, even those of family members.
After following these requirements for a designated time period (which would be specified in the individual's vow), the nazirite would offer a specific animal sacrifice; along with it, the nazirite's hair was to be shorn and burned.
The nazirite is described as being "holy" and "holy unto God"; yet at the same time, he or she must bring a sin offering. This has led to divergent approaches to the nazirite in the Talmud, and later authorities, with some viewing the nazirite as an ideal, and others viewing the nazirite as a sinner.
Etymology
"Nazirite" comes from the Hebrew word nazir meaning "consecrated" or "separated", and may be ultimately derived from a root meaning "to vow", similar to Hebrew nadar. The word nazir is also sometimes used to refer to a prince, who fills a special position of secular power, and the cognate word nezer can refer to either the state of being a nazirite, or else to a physical crown.
Hebrew Bible
Laws
Besides the basic laws to be followed during the nazirite period, Numbers 6 describes in detail the sacrifices to be offered at the conclusion of the period.
The nazirite would make three offerings: a lamb as a burnt offering, a ewe as a sin offering, a ram as a peace offering; as well as three additional offerings (a basket of unleavened bread, a grain offering, and a drink offering) to accompany the peace offering. He would also shave his head in the outer courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem, and place the hair on the same fire as the peace offering. The text is unclear whether this refers to the fire on the altar, or a cooking fire.
If the nazirite had accidentally become impure by touching a corpse during the nazirite period, he must offer a different offering, and restart the nazirite period from the beginning.
Mentions
In addition to the nazirite laws, there are a few other mentions of nazirites in the Hebrew Bible.
The prophet Amos condemned the Israelites for their failure to respect the nazirite vow: And I raised up some of your sons as prophets and some of your young men as nazirites... And you gave the nazirites to drink wine, and you commanded the prophets saying, "Do not prophesy."
The Rechabites were a group mentioned in the Bible who avoided wine, similar to nazirites.
The Septuagint uses a number of terms to translate the 16 uses of nazir in the Hebrew Bible, such as "he who vowed" ( ) or "he who was made holy" ( ) etc. It is left untranslated and transliterated in Judges 13:5 as nazir ().
Samson and Samuel
Two prominent Biblical individuals who were nazirites, or similar to nazirites, were Samson (), and Samuel (). For both, their status was lifelong (unlike the nazirites described in Numbers 6). Both were born of previously barren mothers and entered into their vows through either his mothers' oath (as in the case of Samuel), or a divine command to his mother (in the case of Samson), rather than by their own volition. These vows required Samson and Samuel to live devout lives, yet in return they received extraordinary gifts: Samson possessed strength and ability in physical battle against the Philistines, while Samuel became a prophet.
While Samson was explicitly commanded to be a nazirite (), the word "nazirite" was not used regarding Samuel, rather he was "given to the Lord" and forbidden to cut his hair ().