The Fourth Book of Moses, Called Numbers

Chapter 30

Vows are not to be broken, 1, 2. The exceptions of a maid's vows, 3-5; of a wife's, 6-8; of a widow's, or her who is divorced, 9-16.

1 And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded. 2 If a man vows a vow to the LORD 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 "If a woman also vows a vow to the LORD 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 disallows 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 the LORD shall forgive her because her father disallowed her.

6 "And if she had a husband when she vowed or uttered anything from her lips with which 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 with which 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 with which she bound her soul of no effect. And the LORD shall forgive her.

9 "But every vow of a widow and of her who is divorced, with which 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 did not disallow her, then all her vows shall stand and every bond with which she bound her soul shall stand. 12 But if her husband has utterly made them void on the day 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 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 holds his peace at her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her bonds which are upon her. He confirms them because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. 15 But if he at all makes them void after he has 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.

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - Numbers, Chapter 30[➚]

Notes

[v.2] - Quoted in Matthew 5:33.

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