1 And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.
2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
3 If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth;
4 And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
5 But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her.
6 And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;
7 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
8 But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her.
9 But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.
10 And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath;
11 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
12 But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her.
13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
15 But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity.
16 These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father's house.
1 And Moses H4872 spake H1696 unto the heads H7218 of the tribes H4294 concerning the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 saying, H559 This is the thing H1697 which the LORD H3068 hath commanded. H6680
2 If a man H376 vow H5087 a vow H5088 unto the LORD, H3068 or swear H7650 an oath H7621 to bind H631 his soul H5315 with a bond; H632 he shall not break H2490 his word, H1697 he shall do H6213 according to all that proceedeth H3318 out of his mouth. H6310
3 If a woman H802 also vow H5087 a vow H5088 unto the LORD, H3068 and bind H631 herself by a bond, H632 being in her father's H1 house H1004 in her youth; H5271
4 And her father H1 hear H8085 her vow, H5088 and her bond H632 wherewith she hath bound H631 her soul, H5315 and her father H1 shall hold his peace H2790 at her: then all her vows H5088 shall stand, H6965 and every bond H632 wherewith she hath bound H631 her soul H5315 shall stand. H6965
5 But if her father H1 disallow H5106 her in the day H3117 that he heareth; H8085 not any of her vows, H5088 or of her bonds H632 wherewith she hath bound H631 her soul, H5315 shall stand: H6965 and the LORD H3068 shall forgive H5545 her, because her father H1 disallowed H5106 her.
6 And if she had at all an husband, H376 when she vowed, H5088 or uttered H4008 ought out of her lips, H8193 wherewith she bound H631 her soul; H5315
7 And her husband H376 heard H8085 it, and held his peace H2790 at her in the day H3117 that he heard H8085 it: then her vows H5088 shall stand, H6965 and her bonds H632 wherewith she bound H631 her soul H5315 shall stand. H6965
8 But if her husband H376 disallowed H5106 her on the day H3117 that he heard H8085 it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, H5088 and that which she uttered H4008 with her lips, H8193 wherewith she bound H631 her soul, H5315 of none effect: H6565 and the LORD H3068 shall forgive H5545 her.
9 But every vow H5088 of a widow, H490 and of her that is divorced, H1644 wherewith they have bound H631 their souls, H5315 shall stand H6965 against her.
10 And if she vowed H5087 in her husband's H376 house, H1004 or bound H631 her soul H5315 by a bond H632 with an oath; H7621
11 And her husband H376 heard H8085 it, and held his peace H2790 at her, and disallowed H5106 her not: then all her vows H5088 shall stand, H6965 and every bond H632 wherewith she bound H631 her soul H5315 shall stand. H6965
12 But if her husband H376 hath utterly H6565 made them void H6565 on the day H3117 he heard H8085 them; then whatsoever proceeded H4161 out of her lips H8193 concerning her vows, H5088 or concerning the bond H632 of her soul, H5315 shall not stand: H6965 her husband H376 hath made them void; H6565 and the LORD H3068 shall forgive H5545 her.
13 Every vow, H5088 and every binding H632 oath H7621 to afflict H6031 the soul, H5315 her husband H376 may establish H6965 it, or her husband H376 may make it void. H6565
14 But if her husband H376 altogether H2790 hold his peace H2790 at her from day H3117 to day; H3117 then he establisheth H6965 all her vows, H5088 or all her bonds, H632 which are upon her: he confirmeth H6965 them, because he held his peace H2790 at her in the day H3117 that he heard H8085 them.
15 But if he shall any ways H6565 make them void H6565 after H310 that he hath heard H8085 them; then he shall bear H5375 her iniquity. H5771
16 These are the statutes, H2706 which the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 Moses, H4872 between a man H376 and his wife, H802 between the father H1 and his daughter, H1323 being yet in her youth H5271 in her father's H1 house. H1004
1 And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded.
2 When a man voweth a vow unto Jehovah, or sweareth an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
3 Also when a woman voweth a vow unto Jehovah, and bindeth herself by a bond, being in her father's house, in her youth,
4 and her father heareth her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father holdeth his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
5 But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and Jehovah will forgive her, because her father disallowed her.
6 And if she be `married' to a husband, while her vows are upon her, or the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul,
7 and her husband hear it, and hold his peace at her in the day that he heareth it; then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
8 But if her husband disallow her in the day that he heareth it, then he shall make void her vow which is upon her, and the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul: and Jehovah will forgive her.
9 But the vow of a widow, or of her that is divorced, `even' everything wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand against her.
10 And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath,
11 and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
12 But if her husband made them null and void in the day that he heard them, then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and Jehovah will forgive her.
13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day, then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he hath established them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
15 But if he shall make them null and void after that he hath heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.
16 These are the statutes, which Jehovah commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father's house.
1 And Moses speaketh unto the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, `This `is' the thing which Jehovah hath commanded:
2 `When a man voweth a vow to Jehovah, or hath sworn an oath to bind a bond on his soul, he doth not pollute his word; according to all that is going out from his mouth he doth.
3 `And when a woman voweth a vow to Jehovah, and hath bound a bond in the house of her father in her youth,
4 and her father hath heard her vow, and her bond which she hath bound on her soul, and her father hath kept silent at her, then have all her vows been established, and every bond which she hath bound on her soul is established.
5 `And if her father hath disallowed her in the day of his hearing, none of her vows and her bonds which she hath bound on her soul is established, and Jehovah is propitious to her, for her father hath disallowed her.
6 `And if she be at all to a husband, and her vows `are' on her, or a wrongful utterance `on' her lips, which she hath bound on her soul,
7 and her husband hath heard, and in the day of his hearing, he hath kept silent at her, then have her vows been established, and her bonds which she hath bound on her soul are established.
8 `And if in the day of her husband's hearing he disalloweth her, then he hath broken her vow which `is' on her, and the wrongful utterance of her lips which she hath bound on her soul, and Jehovah is propitious to her.
9 `As to the vow of a widow or cast-out woman, all that she hath bound on her soul is established on her.
10 `And if `in' the house of her husband she hath vowed, or hath bound a bond on her soul with an oath,
11 and her husband hath heard, and hath kept silent at her -- he hath not disallowed her -- then have all her vows been established, and every bond which she hath bound on her soul is established.
12 `And if her husband doth certainly break them in the day of his hearing, none of the outgoing of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, is established -- her husband hath broken them -- and Jehovah is propitious to her.
13 `Every vow and every oath -- a bond to humble a soul -- her husband doth establish it, or her husband doth break it;
14 and if her husband certainly keep silent at her, from day unto day, then he hath established all her vows, or all her bonds which `are' upon her; he hath established them, for he hath kept silent at her in the day of his hearing;
15 and if he doth at all break them after his hearing, then he hath borne her iniquity.'
16 These `are' the statutes which Jehovah hath commanded Moses between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, in her youth, `in' the house of her father.
1 And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This is what Jehovah hath commanded.
2 If a man vow a vow to Jehovah, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; according to all that hath gone out of his mouth shall he do.
3 If a woman also vow a vow to Jehovah, and bind herself by a bond, in her father's house in her youth,
4 and her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall be silent at her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
5 But if her father prohibited her in the day that he heard, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand; and Jehovah shall pardon her, because her father prohibited her.
6 And if she have a husband, when she hath her vow upon her or ought that hath passed her lips wherewith she hath bound her soul,
7 and her husband hear it and be silent at her in the day that he heareth it, then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
8 But if her husband prohibit her on the day that he heareth it, and annul her vow which is upon her, and what hath passed her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul, then Jehovah shall pardon her.
9 But the vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, -- everything wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand against her.
10 And if she have vowed in her husband's house, or have bound her soul by an oath with a bond,
11 and her husband have heard it, and been silent at her, and hath not prohibited her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
12 But if her husband have expressly annulled them on the day that he heard them, then nothing of that which is gone out of her lips as to her vows or the bond on her soul, shall stand: her husband hath annulled them; and Jehovah will pardon her.
13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband can establish it, or her husband can annul it.
14 And if her husband be altogether silent at her from day to day, then he hath established all her vows or all her bonds which are upon her; he hath confirmed them, for he hath been silent at her in the day that he heard them.
15 But if he in any way annul them after he hath heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.
16 These are the statutes, which Jehovah commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, in her youth in her father's house.
1 Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded.
2 When a man vows a vow to Yahweh, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
3 Also when a woman vows a vow to Yahweh, and binds herself by a bond, being in her father's house, in her youth,
4 and her father hears her vow, and her bond with which she has bound her soul, and her father holds his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond with which she has bound her soul shall stand.
5 But if her father disallow her in the day that he hears, none of her vows, or of her bonds with which she has bound her soul, shall stand: and Yahweh will forgive her, because her father disallowed her.
6 If she be [married] to a husband, while her vows are on her, or the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound her soul,
7 and her husband hear it, and hold his peace at her in the day that he hears it; then her vows shall stand, and her bonds with which she has bound her soul shall stand.
8 But if her husband disallow her in the day that he hears it, then he shall make void her vow which is on her, and the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound her soul: and Yahweh will forgive her.
9 But the vow of a widow, or of her who is divorced, [even] everything with which she has bound her soul, shall stand against her.
10 If she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath,
11 and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and didn't disallow her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond with which she bound her soul shall stand.
12 But if her husband made them null and void in the day that he heard them, then whatever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband has made them void; and Yahweh will forgive her.
13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows, or all her bonds, which are on her: he has established them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
15 But if he shall make them null and void after that he has heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.
16 These are the statutes, which Yahweh commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father's house.
1 So Moses gave the children of Israel all these directions as the Lord had given him orders.
2 And Moses said to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, This is the order of the Lord.
3 When a man takes an oath to the Lord, or gives an undertaking having the force of an oath, let him not go back from his word, but let him do whatever he has said he will do.
4 If a woman, being young and under the authority of her father, takes an oath to the Lord or gives an undertaking;
5 If her father, hearing of her oath or the undertaking she has given, says nothing to her, then all her oaths and every undertaking she has given will have force.
6 But if her father, hearing of it, makes her take back her word, then the oaths or the undertakings she has given will have no force; and she will have forgiveness from the Lord, because her oath was broken by her father.
7 And if she is married to a husband at the time when she is under an oath or an undertaking given without thought;
8 If her husband, hearing of it, says nothing to her at the time, then the oaths she made and the undertakings she gave will have force.
9 But if her husband, hearing of it, makes her take it back, then the oath she made and the undertaking she gave without thought will have no force or effect, and she will have the Lord's forgiveness.
10 But an oath made by a widow or one who is no longer married to her husband, and every undertaking she has given, will have force.
11 If she made an oath while she was under the authority of her husband,
12 And her husband, hearing of it, said nothing to her and did not put a stop to it, then all her oaths and every undertaking she gave will have force.
13 But if her husband, on hearing of it, made them without force or effect, then whatever she has said about her oaths or her undertaking has no force: her husband has made them without effect, and she will have the Lord's forgiveness.
14 Every oath, and every undertaking which she gives, to keep herself from pleasure, may be supported or broken by her husband.
15 But if the days go on, and her husband says nothing whatever to her, then he is giving the support of his authority to her oaths and undertakings, because at the time of hearing them he said nothing to her.
16 But if at some time after hearing of them, he makes them without force, then he is responsible for her wrongdoing.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Numbers 30
Commentary on Numbers 30 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 30
Nu 30:1-16. Vows Are Not to Be Broken.
1. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded—The subject of this chapter relates to vowing, which seems to have been an ancient usage, allowed by the law to remain, and by which some people declared their intention of offering some gift on the altar or abstaining from particular articles of meat or drink, of observing a private fast, or doing something to the honor or in the service of God, over and above what was authoritatively required. In Nu 29:39, mention was made of "vows and freewill offerings," and it is probable, from the explanatory nature of the rules laid down in this chapter, that these were given for the removal of doubts and difficulties which conscientious persons had felt about their obligation to perform their vows in certain circumstances that had arisen.
2. If a man vow a vow unto the Lord—A mere secret purpose of the mind was not enough to constitute a vow; it had to be actually expressed in words; and though a purely voluntary act, yet when once the vow was made, the performance of it, like that of every other promise, became an indispensable duty—all the more because, referring to a sacred thing, it could not be neglected without the guilt of prevarication and unfaithfulness to God.
he shall not break his word—literally, "profane his word"—render it vain and contemptible (Ps 55:20; 89:34). But as it would frequently happen that parties would vow to do things which were neither good in themselves nor in their power to perform, the law ordained that their natural superiors should have the right of judging as to the propriety of those vows, with discretionary power to sanction or interdict their fulfilment. Parents were to determine in the case of their children, and husbands in that of their wives—being, however, allowed only a day for deliberation after the matter became known to them; and their judgment, if unfavorable, released the devotee from all obligation [Nu 30:3-8].
3. If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth—Girls only are specified; but minors of the other sex, who resided under the parental roof, were included, according to Jewish writers, who also consider the name "father" as comprehending all guardians of youth. We are also told that the age at which young people were deemed capable of vowing was thirteen for boys and twelve for girls. The judgment of a father or guardian on the vow of any under his charge might be given either by an expressed approval or by silence, which was to be construed as approval. But in the case of a husband who, after silence from day to day, should ultimately disapprove or hinder his wife's vow, the sin of non-performance was to be imputed to him and not to her [Nu 30:15].
9. every vow of a widow—In the case of a married woman, who, in the event of a separation from her husband, or of his death, returned, as was not uncommon, to her father's house, a doubt might have been entertained whether she was not, as before, subject to paternal jurisdiction and obliged to act with the paternal consent. The law ordained that the vow was binding if it had been made in her husband's lifetime, and he, on being made aware of it, had not interposed his veto [Nu 30:10, 11]; as, for instance, she might have vowed, when not a widow, that she would assign a portion of her income to pious and charitable uses, of which she might repent when actually a widow; but by this statute she was required to fulfil the obligation, provided her circumstances enabled her to redeem the pledge. The rules laid down must have been exceedingly useful for the prevention or cancelling of rash vows, as well as for giving a proper sanction to such as were legitimate in their nature, and made in a devout, reflecting spirit.