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Numbers Chapter
Thirty
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, Numbers 30:1 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, Numbers 30:3 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,
Numbers 30:6,
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, Numbers 30:9 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, Numbers 30:13.
Numbers 30:1 Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children
of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded:
YLT
1And Moses speaketh unto the
heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, `This [is] the thing which
Jehovah hath commanded:
And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes,.... Or the
princes of them, who could more easily be convened, and who used to meet on
certain occasions, and on whom it lay to see various laws put in execution:
concerning the children of Israel; how they ought to
conduct and behave in the following case, it being an affair which concerned
them all:
saying, this is the thing which the Lord hath commanded; relating to
vows. Aben Ezra is of opinion that this was delivered after the battle with
Midian, of which there is an account in the following chapter, and is
occasioned by what was said, to the tribes of Gad and Reuben, Numbers 32:24.
do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth; to which they
replied:
thy servants will do as my lord commandeth; upon which
the nature of a vow, and the manner of keeping it, are observed; but the
occasion of it rather seems to be what is said towards the close of the
foregoing chapter, Numbers 29:39, that
the various sacrifices there directed were to be offered in their season,
besides the vows and freewill offerings; and when these were ratified and
confirmed, and when null and void, and to be fulfilled or neglected, is the
principal business of this chapter.
Numbers 30:2 2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not
break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
YLT
2`When a man voweth a vow to
Jehovah, or hath sworn an oath to bind a bond on his soul, he doth not pollute
his word; according to all that is going out from his mouth he doth.
If a man vow a vow unto the Lord,.... Which must be in a
thing that is lawful to be done, which is not contrary to the revealed will and
mind of God, and which may tend to the glory of God, the honour of religion,
the service of the sanctuary, the good of a man's self or of his neighbour; or
in things purely indifferent, which may, or may not be done, without offence to
God or man; as that he will not eat such a thing for such a time, or he will do
this or the other thing, as Jarchi observes; who moreover says, that he may
forbid himself what is forbidden, and forbid what is free and lawful; but he
may not make free or lawful what is forbidden, that is, he may not vow to do a
thing which is contrary to the law of God, such a vow will not stand: and he
was to be of such an age before he could make a vow that would be valid;
according to the Targum of Jonathan, he must be thirteen years of age; it is
said in the MisnahF16Niddah, c. 5. sect. 6. ,"a son of twelve
years and one day, his vows are examined; a son of thirteen years and one day,
his vows are firm, and they examine the whole thirteenth year before that time;
although they say we know to whose name (or on whose account) we vow or
consecrate, their vow is no vow, nor their consecration no consecration; but
after that time, though they say we know not to whose name (or, on whose
account) we vow or consecrate, their vow is a vow, and their consecration a
consecration:"
or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; to his vow
adds an oath for the greater confirmation of it, and to lay himself under the
greater obligation to perform it:
he shall not break his word; or profane itF17לא יחל but punctually perform it; men
should be careful how they vow, and not rashly do it; but when they have vowed,
they ought to perform; see Ecclesiastes 5:4,
he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth; it is not in
his power to revoke his vow or make it null: the Misnic doctorsF18Negaim,
c. 5. sect. 5. say, a man can loose all vows, excepting his own. R. Judah says,
not the vows of his wife, nor those which are between her and others; that is,
as one of the commentatorsF19Bartenora in Misn. Negaim, c. 5. sect.
5. explains it, such vows which are not made to afflict, or respect not
fasting; but according to the Targum of Jonathan, though a man cannot loose his
vows, or free himself from them, yet the sanhedrim, or court of judicature,
can, or a wise man that is authenticated thereby, as Jarchi says, or three
private persons; but these are such traditions; which make void the commandment
of God, as our Lord complains, Matthew 15:1.
Numbers 30:3 3 “Or if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house
in her youth,
YLT
3`And when a woman voweth a
vow to Jehovah, and hath bound a bond in the house of her father in her youth,
If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord,.... Who has
not passed thirteen years, as the Targum of Jonathan:
and bind herself by a
bond; lay herself under obligation to perform her vow by an oath:
being in her father's house; unto the twelfth year, as the same Targum; that
is, that is under his care, tuition, and jurisdiction, whether she literally,
or properly speaking, is in the house or no at the time she vows; so Jarchi
interprets it of her being in the power of her father, though not in his house,
she being not at age to be at her own disposal, but at his: wherefore it is
added:
in her youth; which, as the same writer explains it,
signifies that she is"neither a little one, nor at age; for a little one's
vow is no vow, and one at age is not in the power of her father to make void
her vow: who is a little one? our Rabbins say, one of eleven years of age and
one day, her vows are examined, whether she knows on whose account she vows and
consecrates, or devotes anything; one vows a vow that is twelve years and one
day old, there is no need to examine them.'He seems to refer to a passage in
the MisnahF20Niddah, c. 5. sect. 6. ,"a daughter of eleven
years and one day, her vows are examined; a daughter of twelve years and one
day, her vows are firm, but they are to be examined through the whole twelfth
year.'
Numbers 30:4 4 and her father hears her vow and the agreement by which
she has bound herself, and her father holds his peace, then all her vows shall
stand, and every agreement with which she has bound herself shall stand.
YLT
4and her father hath heard
her vow, and her bond which she hath bound on her soul, and her father hath
kept silent at her, then have all her vows been established, and every bond
which she hath bound on her soul is established.
And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound
her soul,.... Her vow, which is binding upon her, or her vow and an oath
annexed to it; which makes it still more strongly binding; and this he hears
himself, or it is reported to him by others: and her father shall hold his
peace at her; shall not reprove her for it, nor contradict her in it: then all
her vows shall stand; be they what, or as many as they may:
and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand; his silence
being to be interpreted as approving of them, and consenting to them.
Numbers 30:5 5 But if her father overrules her on the day that he
hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself
shall stand; and the Lord will release her, because her
father overruled her.
YLT
5`And if her father hath
disallowed her in the day of his hearing, none of her vows and her bonds which
she hath bound on her soul is established, and Jehovah is propitious to her,
for her father hath disallowed her.
But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth,....
Disapproves of her vow, and expresses his dislike of it, and declares it null
and void; which, if done at all, is to be done on the same day he hears it, and
not on another day, as Aben Ezra observes; not the day following, and much less
on a third or fourth day, &c. and it might be done on a sabbath dayF21Misn.
Sabbat, c. 24. sect. 5. :
not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she bound her soul,
shall stand; but become null and void, she being at the control of her
father, and having nothing in her own power, and at her own disposal, to vow or
consecrate, but wholly in the power and at the disposal of her father:
and the Lord shall forgive her; the breach of her vow,
it shall not be imputed to her as a sin:
because her father disallowed her; so that it was no fault
of hers that it was not fulfilled; though she might be blameworthy to make one,
without previously obtaining his consent, and making it rashly without his
previous knowledge, she not being at her own hands; and in this respect may be
said to be forgiven by the Lord, which supposes some fault committed.
Numbers 30:6 6 “If indeed she takes a husband, while bound by her vows
or by a rash utterance from her lips by which she bound herself,
YLT
6`And if she be at all to a
husband, and her vows [are] on her, or a wrongful utterance [on] her lips,
which she hath bound on her soul,
And if she had at all an husband with whom she vowed,.... Or
"when her vows were upon her"F23ונדריה
עליה , was either betrothed or married to a man:
or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; uttered
anything, either with or without premeditation, either with thought and
deliberation, or rashly and imprudently, as the word signifies, yet in such a
manner that it was binding upon her.
Numbers 30:7 7 and her husband hears it, and makes no response
to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her agreements
by which she bound herself shall stand.
YLT
7and her husband hath heard,
and in the day of his hearing, he hath kept silent at her, then have her vows
been established, and her bonds which she hath bound on her soul are
established.
And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day
that he heard it,.... The vow she made, and by his silence consented to it:
then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her
soul shall stand; or she be under obligation to perform them.
Numbers 30:8 8 But if her husband overrules her on the day that he
hears it, he shall make void her vow which she took and what she uttered
with her lips, by which she bound herself, and the Lord will release her.
YLT
8`And if in the day of her
husband's hearing he disalloweth her, then he hath broken her vow which [is] on
her, and the wrongful utterance of her lips which she hath bound on her soul,
and Jehovah is propitious to her.
But if her husband disallow her on the day that he heard it,.... Expresses
his dislike of it; and this he does as soon as he hears it, at least that same
day; according to the JewsF24Leo Modena's History of Rites, &c.
par. 2. c. 4. , within the space of twenty four hours:
then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she
uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect; by
contradicting it, and forbidding the performance of it; or however by declaring
to her, or to others, that it is not agreeable to his mind and will that it
should be fulfilled:
and the Lord shall forgive her; excuse her performance
of the vow, and not impute sin to her on that account, nor punish for the
breach of it, she being under the cover of her husband, and obliged to submit
to his will. According to Jarchi, the Scripture speaks of a woman that vows to
be a Nazarite; her husband hears and makes it void; but she does not know it,
and transgresses her vow, and drinks wine, and is defiled with the dead, so
that she has need of forgiveness, though it is made void; and if vows made
void, he adds, have need of pardon, much more those that are not.
Numbers 30:9 9 “Also any vow of a widow or a divorced woman, by which
she has bound herself, shall stand against her.
YLT
9`As to the vow of a widow
or cast-out woman, all that she hath bound on her soul is established on her.
But every vow of a widow,.... The Scripture
speaks, as Jarchi says, of a widow from marriage, or that has been married, but
a widow from espousals (or that has been only espoused), the husband dead, the
power is transmitted, and returns to the father; and with respect to such a
case, it is said in the MisnahF25Nedarim, c. 10. sect. 2. "if
the father (of such a betrothed person) dies, the power is not transmitted to
the husband; but if the husband dies, the power is transmitted to the father;
in this case, greater is the power of a father than of an husband; in others,
greater is the power of an husband than of a father, because an husband makes
void (the vow of) one at age, but a father does not make void (the vow of) such
an one:"
and of her that is divorced: from her husband on some
account or another; now in each of these cases, the one being loosed from the
law of her husband by death, and the other by a bill of divorce, if they vowed:
the vows wherewith they have bound their souls shall stand against
her; against either of them, they having none over them to disapprove
of, contradict, and make void their vows.
Numbers 30:10 10 “If she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself
by an agreement with an oath,
YLT
10`And if [in] the house of
her husband she hath vowed, or hath bound a bond on her soul with an oath,
And if she vowed in her husband's house,.... Before
his death, in his lifetime, or before divorced: the Targum of Jonathan adds, by
way of explanation, "and not at age for marriage", understanding it
of a betrothed, and not a married person; but Jarchi says, the Scripture speaks
of a married one, which seems most likely:
or bound her soul by a bond with an oath; to fulfil her
vow, to abstain from this, or to do that or the other thing.
Numbers 30:11 11 and her husband heard it, and made no response
to her and did not overrule her, then all her vows shall stand, and
every agreement by which she bound herself shall stand.
YLT
11and her husband hath heard,
and hath kept silent at her -- he hath not disallowed her -- then have all her
vows been established, and every bond which she hath bound on her soul is
established.
And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and
disallowed her not,.... Heard her make her vow, and bind it with an oath, and was
silent at it, which was consenting to it, and did not contradict her, nor show
any displeasure or resentment at her on account of it; the Targum of Jonathan
adds,"and died before she was at age;'but what follows held good equally
of one that was at age for marriage, and actually married to him:
then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound
her soul shall stand; be ratified and confirmed, and she be under obligation to make
them good.
Numbers 30:12 12 But if her husband truly made them void on the day he
heard them, then whatever proceeded from her lips concerning her vows or
concerning the agreement binding her, it shall not stand; her husband has made
them void, and the Lord will release her.
YLT
12`And if her husband doth
certainly break them in the day of his hearing, none of the outgoing of her
lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, is established --
her husband hath broken them -- and Jehovah is propitious to her.
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 30:13 13 Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her soul,
her husband may confirm it, or her husband may make it void.
YLT
13`Every vow and every oath
-- a bond to humble a soul -- her husband doth establish it, or her husband
doth break it;
Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul,.... By
fasting, as Aben Ezra observes; as when a vow was made, or a person bound
herself by an oath to abstain from such and such food, or to fast on such a
day; to keep a fast which was not appointed, to set apart a day for fasting,
besides the grand and general fast on the day of atonement: Jarchi from hence
gathers, that a man only makes vows of afflicting the soul, or vows of fasting;
but this is not said by way of limitation and restriction, but by way of
amplification and illustration, giving a particular instance, by which others
may be judged of:
her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void, just as he
pleased; and this power an husband had, to prevent confusion in the family, and
trouble in the affairs of it, by vowing abstinence from such and such food, or
from such and such liquor, and the like; and to prevent running into expenses
he was not able to answer, by vowing and dedicating, this and the other to holy
uses, for sacrifices, and repairs of the temple, and the like.
Numbers 30:14 14 Now if her husband makes no response whatever to her
from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all the agreements that bind
her; he confirms them, because he made no response to her on the day that he
heard them.
YLT
14and if her husband
certainly keep silent at her, from day unto day, then he hath established all
her vows, or all her bonds which [are] upon her; he hath established them, for
he hath kept silent at her in the day of his hearing;
But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day today,.... Said not
one word to her day after day, neither on the day he heard her vow, nor the day
following:
then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are
upon her; by his silence:
he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her, in the day
that he heard them; for not to contradict them was to confirm them.
Numbers 30:15 15 But if he does make them void after he has heard them,
then he shall bear her guilt.”
YLT
15and if he doth at all break
them after his hearing, then he hath borne her iniquity.'
But if he shall any ways make them void, after that he hath heard
them,.... Some way or other expressing his dislike of them; not at the
time he heard them, but some time afterwards; one day after, as the Targum of
Jonathan:
then he shall bear his iniquity: be accountable for the
breach of the vow, the sin shall be reckoned to him, and he shall bear the
punishment of it, because he ought to have declared is disapprobation of it
sooner; and it may be, his doing it when he did was only in a spirit of
contradiction, or through covetousness; and it would have been more advisable
to have let the vow stand, and therefore acted a criminal part, and so was
answerable for it; the Targum of Jonathan explains it,"her husband or her
father shall bear her iniquity,'supposing her not to be at age: Aben Ezra gives
the reason of it, because she is in his power.
Numbers 30:16 16 These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father
and his daughter in her youth in her father’s house.
YLT
16These [are] the statutes
which Jehovah hath commanded Moses between a man and his wife, between a father
and his daughter, in her youth, [in] the house of her father.
These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses between a
man and his wife,.... Relating to vows made by the wife, and confirmed or
disannulled by the husband: Aben Ezra adds, if she is at age or in puberty,
understanding it of a married and not a betrothed wife:
between the father and his daughter; if she is not at age, as
the same writer observes; for if she is at age he has nothing to do with her
vows:
being yet in her youth; not at age,
being not twelve years and one day old:
in her father's house; in his power and
jurisdiction, and at his disposal, and so could make her vows void or firm, as
he pleased: this power of ratifying or disannulling vows an husband had over
his wife, and a father over his daughter, to prevent imprudent and extravagant
vows, and the too frequent use of them, the consequences of which might be bad
in families.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》