Numbers 6:9 (DBY)

Passage

And if any one die unexpectedly by him suddenly, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day shall he shave it.

Nearby Context

Numbers 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; for the consecration of his God is upon his head.

Numbers 6:8 All the days of his separation he is holy to Jehovah.

Numbers 6:9 And if any one die unexpectedly by him suddenly, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day shall he shave it.

Numbers 6:10 And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

Numbers 6:11 And the priest shall offer one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead person; and he shall hallow his head that same day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "unexpectedly", "suddenly", "hath", "defiled", "head", "consecration", "shall", and "shave". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "unexpectedly" and "suddenly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "All the days of his separation he..." into verse 10's "And on the eighth day he shall...", so "unexpectedly" and "suddenly" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "unexpectedly" and "suddenly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.