Numbers 30 - Vows

Vows

1 [a]Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the Lord commands: 

2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

3 “When a young woman still living in her father’s household makes a vow to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge 

4 and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. 

5 But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the Lord will release her because her father has forbidden her.

6 “If she marries after she makes a vow or after her lips utter a rash promise by which she obligates herself 

7 and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her, then her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. 

8 But if her husband forbids her when he hears about it, he nullifies the vow that obligates her or the rash promise by which she obligates herself, and the Lord will release her.

9 “Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be binding on her.

10 “If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath 

11 and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. 

12 But if her husband nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges that came from her lips will stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the Lord will release her. 

13 Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself.[b] 

14 But if her husband says nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears about them. 

15 If, however, he nullifies them some time after he hears about them, then he must bear the consequences of her wrongdoing.”

16 These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living at home.

Footnotes:

1. Numbers 30:1 In Hebrew texts 30:1-16 is numbered 30:2-17.
2. Numbers 30:13 Or to fast

Observation Questions

When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, must he do everything he said? (verse 2)

What must happen for a young woman's pledge to stand if she is still living in her father's household? (verse 3-5)

If she marries after she has made a vow and her husband forbids her when he hears about it, will the Lord release her? (verse 8)

Will any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman be binding on her? (verse 9)

What happens if a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her? (verse 10-11)

May her husband confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself? (verse 13)

What happens if her husband nullifies them some time after he hears about them? (verse 15)

Thoughts

Matthew 5:33-37 

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 

But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 

Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." - Jesus Christ

Then where do marriage vows come from? 

http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1549/BCP_1549.htm