Numbers 30:12

12 Soothly if the husband against-said anon, she shall not be holden guilty of the promise, for her husband against-said it anon, and the Lord shall be merciful to her. (But if her husband said against it at once, she shall not be held to the promise, for her husband said against it at once, and so the Lord shall be merciful to her.)

Numbers 30:12 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 30:12

But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he
heard them
Declaring they were contrary to his mind and will, he disapproved of them, and forbid the carrying them into execution:

then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or
concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand;
though her husband be dead, or she be divorced from him:

her husband hath made them void, and the Lord shall forgive her:
she will neither incur his displeasure for not fulfilling her vow, nor have any punishment inflicted on her: the Targum of Jonathan is,

``if her husband makes them void, and she knows it not and transgresses, it shall be forgiven her by the Lord.''

Numbers 30:12 In-Context

10 When a wife in her husband's house bindeth herself by a vow, and an oath (or with an oath),
11 if her husband heareth it, and is still, and against-saith not her promise, she shall yield, whatever thing she promised. (if her husband heareth of it, and is silent, and saith nothing against her promise, she shall yield whatever that she hath promised.)
12 Soothly if the husband against-said anon, she shall not be holden guilty of the promise, for her husband against-said it anon, and the Lord shall be merciful to her. (But if her husband said against it at once, she shall not be held to the promise, for her husband said against it at once, and so the Lord shall be merciful to her.)
13 If she avoweth, and bindeth herself by an oath, that she torment her soul by fasting, either by abstinence of other things, it shall be in the doom of her husband, that she do that, either do it not. (If she voweth, or bindeth herself with an oath, that she torment her soul with fasting, or by abstaining from other things, it shall be her husband who shall decide whether she must do it, or not.)
14 That if the husband heareth it, and he is still, and delayeth the sentence in[to] the tother day, she shall yield whatever thing she avowed and promised, for he was still, (and said not against it,) anon as he heard. (But if her husband heareth of it, and he is silent, and delayeth his judgement into the next day, she shall yield whatever that she hath vowed, or hath promised, for he was silent, and said nothing against it, as soon as he heard of it.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.