NAZIRITE - an individual who had especially devoted himself to God or whose parents had especially devoted him to God. Typically a Nazirite would vow to abstain from cutting his hair, drinking alcohol, and coming in contact with the dead. By abstaining from these activities the individual would certainly be marked as different in his society. His long hair would be a physically distinguishing feature, his refusal to drink alcohol would make him stand out at weddings and feasts, and his refusal to come in contact with the dead prevented him from preparing his own family members for burial. Numbers 6:1-21 provides the regulations for a Nazirite including rites of purification in the event of defilement and the procedure for terminating the special dedication. Famous Nazirites in the Hebrew Bible include Samson (Judg. 13:1-14) and Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11). In the New Testament John the Baptist may have been a Nazirite (Luke 1:15) and Paul once took for himself a Nazirite vow (Acts 18:18, 21:22-26).