H5139 — נָזִיר (nâzîyr)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5139
Original: נָזִיר
Transliteration: nâzîyr
Pronunciation: naw-zeer'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: From נָזַר (nâzar, H5144) — to hold aloof, set apart, consecrate; cognate with נֶזֶר (nezer, H5145, "consecration/crown")
Occurrences: 16 in OT (16 unique verses across 7 books)
First Occurrence: Gen 49:26 — "...on the crown of the head of him that was separate (nâzîyr) from his brethren"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Or נָזִר nâzir; from H5144; separate, i.e. consecrated (as prince, a Nazirite); hence (figuratively from the latter) an unpruned vine (like an unshorn Nazirite): — Nazarite (by a false alliteration with Nazareth), separate(-d), vine undressed.

The noun carries two distinct semantic fields: (1) a person consecrated to YHWH through specific abstentions, and (2) an untrimmed/undressed vine — both sharing the root idea of being left untouched.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
Nazarite / a Nazarite / the Nazarite / of the Nazarite / of a Nazarite / for Nazarites / the Nazarites / Her Nazarites	12	75.0%
vine undressed / of thy vine undressed / in it of thy vine undressed	3	18.8%
separated / of him that was separate	1	6.2%

The KJV reserves "Nazarite" for contexts involving the vow (Num 6, Jdg 13, Lam 4, Amos 2), translates with "vine undressed" for the agricultural sense (Lev 25), and uses "separate/separated" for the patriarchal blessing (Gen 49, Deut 33).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Numbers	6	0.47
Judges	3	0.49
Leviticus	2	0.23
Amos	2	1.37
Genesis	1	0.07
Deuteronomy	1	0.10
Lamentations	1	0.65

Numbers 6 is the legislative core (6 of 16 occurrences). Judges provides the narrative illustration (Samson). Amos and Lamentations are prophetic. The patriarchal blessings (Gen 49:26, Deut 33:16) use the word in a broader "distinguished/separated one" sense applied to Joseph. Leviticus 25 uses it agriculturally for untrimmed vines.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Nazirite under Vow — Consecrated Person (legislative)¶

The central usage: a person who has taken the formal vow of separation unto YHWH, governed by the triple abstention (wine, razor, corpse contact). - Num 6:2 — "When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD" - Num 6:13 — "And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle" - Num 6:18 — "And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation" - Num 6:21 — "This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation"

2. The Nazirite from Birth — Lifelong Consecration (narrative)¶

Samson's status as a Nazirite from the womb, announced by the angel of the LORD. Unlike the voluntary, temporary vow of Numbers 6, this is prenatal and permanent. - Jdg 13:5 — "for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb" - Jdg 13:7 — "for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death" - Jdg 16:17 — "I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me"

3. The Nazarite as Prophetic Symbol — Purity and Judgment¶

Prophetic references to Nazarites as examples of consecrated purity within the nation, and the national sin of corrupting them. - Lam 4:7 — "Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire" - Amo 2:11 — "And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD" - Amo 2:12 — "But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not"

4. The Distinguished/Separated One — Patriarchal Blessing¶

Applied to Joseph as the one "separated" or distinguished among his brothers — using the word in its broader etymological sense rather than the technical Nazirite-vow sense. - Gen 49:26 — "they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren" - Deu 33:16 — "let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren"

5. The Untrimmed Vine — Agricultural Metaphor¶

The vine left uncut during sabbatical and jubilee years. The shared root idea with the Nazirite is being left untouched — as the Nazirite's hair is unshorn, so the sabbatical vine is unpruned. - Lev 25:5 — "That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed" - Lev 25:11 — "ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
רֹאשׁ (rôʼsh)	H7218	5× (31%)	"head" — the locus of the vow (unshorn hair); also "crown of the head" in patriarchal blessings
נֶזֶר (nezer)	H5145	4× (25%)	cognate "consecration/separation" — "the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation (nezer)"
בֶּטֶן (beṭen)	H990	3× (19%)	"womb" — "Nazarite from the womb" (Samson passages)
גָּלַח (gâlach)	H1548	3× (19%)	"shave" — the ritual act at vow completion or defilement
יַיִן (yayin)	H3196	3× (19%)	"wine" — the primary forbidden substance; also the sin of corrupting Nazarites (Amos 2:12)
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrâʼêl)	H3478	3× (19%)	"Israel" — addressee of legislation; national identity in prophetic passages
יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh)	H3068	4× (25%)	"LORD" — the one to whom the Nazirite is separated
בֵּן (bên)	H1121	4× (25%)	"son/child" — "children of Israel," also "child shall be a Nazarite"

The collocational profile maps onto the Nazirite vow's three pillars: head/hair (rôʼsh + gâlach), wine abstention (yayin), and the consecration itself (nezer), with the Samson narratives adding the prenatal dimension (beṭen).

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5144 נָזַר (nâzar) — root verb: to hold aloof, separate, consecrate. See H5144-nazar.md.
H5145 נֶזֶר (nezer) — noun: consecration, crown, diadem; the state/symbol of the separation (unshorn locks; priestly/royal crown)
H4502 מִנְּזָר (minnᵉzâr) — noun: crowned one / princely guard (Nah 3:17)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
בָּדַל (bâdal)	H914	"separate"	bâdal = divide/distinguish (light from darkness, clean from unclean — general); nâzîyr = a person consecrated through specific vow abstentions
קָדוֹשׁ (qâdôwsh)	H6918	"holy/consecrated one"	qâdôwsh = holy in a general sense (saints, God himself); nâzîyr = specifically one under a Nazirite vow with concrete physical markers
פָּרַד (pârad)	H6504	"separate"	pârad = break apart, scatter, divide physically; nâzîyr = devotional/vow-based separation with no spatial sense

Semantic Domains¶

[002004001009013] Vow — neighbors include אָלָה (H423 "oath/curse"), אסר (H631 "bind"), אִסָּר (H632 "binding obligation"), בְּרִית (H1285 "covenant")
[001002007005] Leaders — neighbors include אָדוֹן (H113 "lord/master"), אַדִּיר (H117 "mighty one")
[001002004001] Plants — captures the agricultural "unpruned vine" sense

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occ / PMI	Notes
εὔχομαι (eúchomai) G2172	6× / PMI 7.35	"to pray/vow" — the LXX translates the Nazirite concept through its vow-nature rather than transliterating
εὐχή (euchḗ) G2171	5× / PMI 6.64	"vow/prayer" — noun complement to εὔχομαι; renders the Nazirite as "one under a vow"
ξυράω (xyráō) G3587	3× / PMI 7.66	"to shave" — collocational, from the ritual completion of the vow
κεφαλή (kephalḗ) G2776	5× / PMI 4.52	"head" — collocational, from the unshorn-hair requirement
ἁγιάζω (hagiázō) G37	3× / PMI 4.87	"to make holy/sanctify" — renders the consecrative dimension
οἶνος (oînos) G3631	3× / PMI 4.64	"wine" — collocational, from the abstention requirement

The LXX does not transliterate ναζιραῖος consistently but translates the concept functionally, primarily through the εὔχομαι/εὐχή word group (vow language). No single Greek word serves as a dominant bridge equivalent. This fractured mapping reflects the Nazirite institution's lack of a direct Hellenistic parallel.