Num. 30:1–16 In a crisis people often make a vow: “If God delivers me from X, I promise to do Y.” There are many examples in the Bible (e.g., Gen. 28:20–22; 1 Sam. 1:11). There is a danger that when the crisis is over, the vow may not be fulfilled (see Deut. 23:21–23; Eccles. 5:4–6). These laws concern those few circumstances in which a person may be excused from fulfilling a vow.
Num. 30:1–2 When a man makes a vow (to do something like offer a sacrifice) or a pledge (to go without something), he shall not break his word.
Num. 30:3–9 Until she marries, a woman is under her father’s authority. If she makes a vow and her father objects, she will be forgiven for not carrying it out. If a woman under a vow gets married, her new husband can cancel her vow. Widows and divorcees are not subject to the authority of a father or a husband, so their vows are binding.
Num. 30:10–16 Vows a woman makes after marrying may be canceled by her husband as soon as he hears of them, but if he says nothing they are binding (v. 14). If he later objects to the vows, he—not his wife—will suffer the penalty for breaking them.
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The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
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