The angel's additional instruction—that Manoah's wife must avoid wine and fermented drink and must abstain from unclean foods—extends the dietary restrictions to the pregnant woman herself, suggesting that maternal behavior affects the child's consecration. The rule that the wife must also observe Nazirite restrictions during her pregnancy indicates that the child's holiness extends to and affects the mother, requiring her participation in the consecration. This extension of dietary rules to the pregnant woman suggests that Samson's separation to God encompasses the pregnant and nursing mother as well, making the household a space of consecration and separation. The restrictions on the mother create a shared experience of the child's dedicated status and suggest that the entire family becomes involved in the child's Nazirite vow.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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