Numbers 6:5
5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
Does the vow of the Nazarite contradict Paul’s prohibition against long hair?
PROBLEM: Paul affirmed that it is against “nature” for men to have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14). But the vow of the Nazarite demanded that one not cut his hair.
SOLUTION: The general rule was for men not to dress like women (see comments on Deuteronomy 22:5), nor to wear long hair like women (see comments on 1 Corinthians 11:14). Any exception was born out of either perversity (e.g., homosexuality), necessity (health, safety), or special sanctity. The vow of the Nazarite falls into the latter category and is an exception that helps establish the rule. God wished to distinguish the sexes for purposes of social and moral propriety. However, a special vow of dedication to God involving long hair but not wearing women’s clothes would scarcely tend to violate the spirit of the divine design of keeping the sexes distinguishable. No one with evil intentions of confusing the sexes for perverse reasons would be making such a self- sacrificing spiritual vow.