Numbers 30: Vows, and the word of a father or a husband
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What happens?
Moses tells the heads of the tribes what Yahweh has commanded about vows: a man who makes a vow or swears an oath to Yahweh must do all he has said. A young woman living in her father's house is held to her vow if her father hears of it and says nothing, but not if he forbids it on the day he hears of it, and the same is true of a married woman and her husband. The vow of a widow or a divorced woman stands, and if a husband cancels his wife's vows after he has heard them, he carries her guilt.
Who is speaking?
Moses speaks to the heads of the tribes in verses 1 to 15, passing on what Yahweh has commanded. These are Moses' words, so no verse in this chapter is in gold. Verse 16 is the narrator's closing line. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded.
In plain English: Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the Israelites, saying, "This is what Yahweh has commanded (literally: this is the word that Yahweh has commanded):
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2When a man vows a vow to Yahweh, 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.
In plain English: When a man makes a vow to Yahweh, or swears an oath to bind himself (literally: his soul) with a pledge, he must not break his word (or: must not make his word common). He must do everything he has said (literally: all that has gone out of his mouth).
The Hebrew words: "Vow" is neder, which the dictionary gives as "a promise (to God)". "Oath" is shevuah, "something sworn". "Bond" is issar, which the dictionary gives as "an obligation or vow (of abstinence)". "Break" is chalal, which the dictionary gives as "to profane", and also "to break (one's word)".
How it is translated: This Bible says a form of "vow" in all 57 verses that use neder. Issar is in only 10 verses of the Bible, all in this chapter: this Bible says "pledge" or "pledges" in 6 and "bond" in 3.
What changes: Read as "a vow of abstinence", the pledge is a promise to go without something. speaks of a pledge "to afflict the soul". Read as "profane", a man who does not keep his vow treats his own word as common, not holy.
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3“Also, when a woman vows a vow to Yahweh and binds herself by a pledge, being in her father’s house, in her youth,
In plain English: "When a woman makes a vow to Yahweh and binds herself with a pledge while she is young and living in her father's house,
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4and her father hears her vow and her pledge with which she has bound her soul, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge with which she has bound her soul shall stand.
In plain English: and her father hears of her vow and the pledge she has bound herself with, and says nothing to her, then all her vows will stand, and every pledge she has bound herself with will stand.
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5But if her father forbids her in the day that he hears, none of her vows or of her pledges with which she has bound her soul, shall stand. Yahweh will forgive her, because her father has forbidden her.
In plain English: But if her father forbids her (or: holds her back) on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or pledges that she has bound herself with will stand. Yahweh will forgive her, because her father has forbidden her.
The Hebrew word: "Forbids" is nu, which the dictionary gives as "to refuse, forbid, dissuade, or neutralize".
What changes: Read as "dissuade", the father talks her out of the vow. Read as "neutralize", he makes it of no effect. Either way, verse 5 says the vow does not stand.
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6“If she has a husband, while her vows are on her, or the rash utterance of her lips with which she has bound her soul,
In plain English: "If she has a husband (or: if she marries), while her vows are on her, or a rash promise from her lips that she has bound herself with,
The Hebrew word: "Rash utterance" is mivta, which the dictionary gives as "a rash utterance (hasty vow)". It is in only 2 verses of the Bible: this one and .
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7and her husband hears it, and says nothing to her in the day that he hears it; then her vows shall stand, and her pledges with which she has bound her soul shall stand.
In plain English: and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows will stand, and the pledges she has bound herself with will stand.
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8But if her husband forbids her in the day that he hears it, then he makes void her vow which is on her and the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound her soul. Yahweh will forgive her.
In plain English: But if her husband forbids her on the day he hears of it, he cancels (literally: breaks) the vow that is on her and the rash promise of her lips that she has bound herself with. Yahweh will forgive her.
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9“But the vow of a widow, or of her who is divorced, everything with which she has bound her soul shall stand against her.
In plain English: "But the vow of a widow, or of a divorced woman, everything she has bound herself with, will stand against her (will be binding on her).
Good to know: For a widow or a divorced woman the text names no father or husband who can cancel the vow: it stands.
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10“If she vowed in her husband’s house or bound her soul by a bond with an oath,
In plain English: "If she made a vow in her husband's house, or bound herself with a pledge by an oath,
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11and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her and didn’t disallow her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge with which she bound her soul shall stand.
In plain English: and her husband heard of it and said nothing to her and did not forbid her, then all her vows will stand, and every pledge she bound herself with will stand.
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12But if her husband made them null and void in the day that 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. Yahweh will forgive her.
In plain English: But if her husband cancelled them on the day he heard of them, then nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or the pledge she bound herself with, will stand. Her husband has cancelled them. Yahweh will forgive her.
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13Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
In plain English: Every vow, and every sworn pledge to afflict herself (literally: to afflict the soul; or: to humble herself), her husband may confirm (literally: make stand), or her husband may cancel.
Good to know: "To afflict the soul" uses the same words as the day in . Many readers take it to mean a vow to go without food.
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14But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges which are on her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her in the day that he heard them.
In plain English: But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her pledges that are on her. He has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard of them.
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15But if he makes them null and void after he has heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.”
In plain English: But if he cancels them after he has heard of them, then he will carry her guilt (or: bear her punishment)."
The Hebrew word: "Iniquity" is avon, which the dictionary gives as "perversity, i.e. (moral) evil". In Numbers this Bible says "iniquity" in 8 of the 9 verses that use it.
What changes: Read as "bear her punishment", the husband takes on what would have come on her for the broken vow. uses the same words, "bear his iniquity".
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16These are the statutes which Yahweh commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father’s house.
In plain English: These are the rules that Yahweh commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter while she is young and living in her father's house.
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