Numbers 6:19 (WEB)

Passage

The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the head of his separation;

Nearby Context

Numbers 6:17 He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering, and its drink offering.

Numbers 6:18 The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

Numbers 6:19 The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the head of his separation;

Numbers 6:20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. This is holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.

Numbers 6:21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows, and of his offering to Yahweh for his separation, besides that which he is able to get. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "priest", "shall", "take", "boiled", "shoulder", "unleavened", "cake", and "basket". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "priest" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "The Nazirite shall shave the head of..." into verse 20's "and the priest shall wave them for...", so "priest" and "shall" 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 "priest" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.