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Numbers 30

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Introduction to the Law of Vows 1–2

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. ​

Vows of an Unmarried Daughter 3–5

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. ​

Vows of a Married Woman and the Closing Summary 6–16

6
And if she bemarriedto 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. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Numbers 30

Verse 1

This is the thing — 'Thing' is davar, 'word', the same word as 'his word' in v.2, so the law introduced here concerns the spoken word. Moses speaks to 'the heads of the tribes', using matteh, a staff or branch and so a tribe, since each tribe had its head (Num 1:4).

Verse 2

he shall not break his word — 'Break' is chalal, to profane, the verb of Lev 19:12, 'neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God'. A vow (neder) or an oath (shevuah) ties the soul with a bond, and 'that which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform' (Deut 23:23). Eccl 5:5 says it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

Verse 3

bind herself by a bond — The 'bond' is issar, from asar, to tie or yoke. The noun is found only in this chapter, in ten verses. The first case is a young woman living 'in her father's house in her youth', still part of his household when she vows.

Verse 5

disallow her — Nu means to refuse or discourage; the same verb is 'discourage' in Num 32:7, 9. The father's answer must come 'in the day that he heareth', and then no part of the vow 'shall stand'. 'The LORD shall forgive her' uses salach, the verb of the pardon given for sin of ignorance in Num 15:25.

Verse 8

of none effect — Parar, to break or frustrate. What she 'uttered with her lips' is mibta, a rash word, which occurs only here and in v.6. It comes from the verb of Ps 106:33, where Moses 'spake unadvisedly with his lips'. The husband's refusal must also come 'on the day that he heard it'.

Verse 9

shall stand against her — 'Stand' is qum, the verb used of vows in vv.4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14. A widow (almanah) or a divorced woman (gerushah) has no father or husband in the house to disallow the vow, so it stands upon her just as a man's does in v.2.

Verse 12

whatsoever proceeded out of her lips — Motsa, a going out, is the word of Deut 23:23, 'That which is gone out of thy lips', and of the LORD's own pledge: 'nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips' (Ps 89:34). The husband acts 'on the day he heard them', and then 'the LORD shall forgive her'.

Verse 13

to afflict the soul — Anah nephesh, the words used for the day of atonement (Lev 23:32; Num 29:7). Here they name a vow of self-denial, like the fast in 'I humbled my soul with fasting' (Ps 35:13). Of every such vow 'her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void'.

Verse 14

he establisheth all her vows — 'Altogether hold his peace' repeats charash, to be silent. 'Establisheth' and 'confirmeth' are both qum in its causative form, the verb of 'stand' in vv.4–13, so that his silence 'from day to day' makes the vow stand. The silence is judged by 'the day that he heard them'.

Verse 15

he shall bear her iniquity — Nasa avon, to carry guilt, is the phrase for a person's own liability: the witness who does not speak 'shall bear his iniquity' (Lev 5:1), and Israel was told 'shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years' (Num 14:34). A husband who confirmed by silence and then annuls takes the guilt of the broken vow.

Verse 16

These are the statutes — Chuqqim, enactments, closing the chapter. It names two relationships, 'between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter', matching the cases of vv.3–5 and vv.6–15. The man's own vow (v.2) and the widow's and divorced woman's (v.9) stand without any such review.