Source Text: Judges 13:5
Target Text(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: The angel's announcement that Samson will be a "Nazirite to God from the womb" (נְזִיר אֱלֹהִים מִן־הַבֶּטֶן, nezir Elohim min-habeten) directly invokes the Nazirite legislation of Numbers 6:2-8, particularly the prohibition against cutting hair (מוֹרָה, morah) and contact with the dead. However, Samson's Nazirite status differs dramatically from Numbers 6: it is lifelong rather than temporary, imposed by divine decree rather than voluntary vow, and begins prenatally. The escalation from voluntary separation to divinely appointed consecration marks Samson as uniquely set apart for YHWH's service as Israel's deliverer, even as his later violations of the Nazirite code will demonstrate the tragedy of squandered consecration.