Numbers 30

1 And he spake to the princes of the lineages of the sons of Israel, This is the word, which the Lord commanded, (And he spoke to the leaders of the tribes of the Israelites, and said, This is what the Lord commanded,)

2 If any of men maketh a vow to the Lord, either bindeth himself by an oath, he shall not make void, or false, his word, but he shall fulfill all thing that he promised. (If anyone maketh a vow to the Lord, or bindeth himself with an oath, he shall not make his word void, or false, but he shall fulfill everything that he promised.)

3 If a woman that is in the house of her father, and is yet in the age of a young damsel, avoweth anything, either bindeth herself by an oath (or bindeth herself with an oath),

4 (and) her father knoweth the avow, that she promised, and the oath, by which she bound her soul, and he is still, she shall be guilty of that oath, if she break it; whatever thing she promised, and swore, she shall fulfill in work. (and her father knoweth of the vow, which she promised to do, or the oath, with which she hath bound her soul, and he is silent, she shall be bound by that oath, if she break it, and whatever thing that she hath promised, or hath sworn, to do, she shall fulfill it, or shall do it.)

5 Forsooth if her father against-said (it), anon as he heard (as soon as he heard it), both (her) vows, and her oaths shall be (made) void, and she shall not be holden bound to the promise, for her father against-said it.

6 If she hath an husband, and she avoweth anything, and a word going out of her mouth (or with a word going out of her mouth), (at) once bindeth her soul with an oath,

7 in what day her husband heareth this, and against-saith it not, she shall be guilty, or bound, to that vow; she shall yield, whatever thing she promised. (from the day that her husband heareth of it, and saith nothing against it, she shall be bound by that vow; she shall yield whatever thing that she hath promised.)

8 But if the husband heareth it, and anon against-saith (it), and maketh void all her promises, and (the) words by which she bound her soul, the Lord shall be merciful to her. (But if her husband heareth of it, and at once saith against it, and maketh void all of her promises, or the words with which she bound her soul, then the Lord shall be merciful to her.)

9 A widow, and a woman forsaken of her husband, shall yield, whatever thing they avow. (Regarding a widow, or a woman forsaken by her husband, both shall yield whatever thing they have vowed.)

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.)

15 Soothly if her husband against-said her avow, and her oath, after that he knew thereof, he shall bear his wickedness. (But if her husband saith against her vow, or her oath, sometime after that he hath learned of it, he shall bear her wickedness, that is, the penalty for not fulfilling the vow.)

16 These be the laws, which the Lord ordained to Moses, betwixt the husband and the wife, (and) betwixt the father and the daughter, which is yet in the age of a young damsel, or that yet dwelleth in her father's house unmarried.

Numbers 30 Commentary

Chapter 30

Vows to be kept. (1,2) The cases wherein vows might be released. (3-16)

Verses 1-2 No man can be bound by his own promise to do what he is already, by the Divine precept, forbidden to do. In other matters the command is, that he shall not break his words, through he may change his mind.

Verses 3-16 Two cases of vows are determined. The case of a daughter in her father's house. When her vow comes to his knowledge, it is in his power either to confirm it or do it away. The law is plain in the case of a wife. If her husband allows her vow, though only by silence, it stands. If he disallows it, her obligation to her husband takes place of it; for to him she ought to be in subjection, as unto the Lord. The Divine law consults the good order of families. It is fit that every man should bear rule in his own house, and have his wife and children in subjection; rather than that this great rule should be broken, or any encouragement be given to inferior relations to break those bonds asunder, God releases the obligation even of a solemn vow. So much does religion secure the welfare of all societies; and in it the families of the earth have a blessing.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 30

Mention being made, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, of vows to be performed to the Lord, besides the sacrifices directed to; here some account is given of them, and men are charged to fulfil, and not break them, Nu 30:1,2 but as to women, if a maid, being in her father's house, made a vow in his hearing, and he silent at it, her vow stood; but if he disapproved of it, it was null and void, Nu 30:3-5 and so a wife, when she vowed a vow in the hearing of her husband, and he said not ought against it, it was valid; but if he objected to it, it stood for nothing, Nu 30:6-8, likewise a widow, or one divorced, that made a vow in her husband's house, before he died, or she was put away from him, and he did not contradict it, it remained in force and to be fulfilled; but if he made it void, it stood not, and she was forgiven, Nu 30:9-12 it being in an husband's power to confirm or make null a vow or oath, made by his wife to afflict her soul; but if he made any void after he heard them, and had been silent, he himself was to bear her iniquity, Nu 30:13-16.