Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 4 · Chapter 30
CHAP. XXX.
1 The Lord commandeth that mens vowes or oathes be not prophaned, but kept. 3 Amaid in her fathers house, the father hath power to establish her vow, or to disanull it. 6 Likewise a married woman is in her husbands power, he may confirme or disanul. her vow, in the day that he heareth it. 9 But the vowes of a widow, or divorced woman, are to stand. 10 An explanation of the case betweene man and wife, concerning vowes or oathes.
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ANd Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes, concerning the sons of Israel, saying, This is the thing which Iehovah commanded. A man, when he shall vow a vow unto Iehovah, or sweare an oath to binde a bond upon his soule, he shall not prophane his word, he shall doe according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. And a woman, when she shall vow a vow unto Iehovah, and binde a bond in her fathers house in her youth: And her father heare her vow and her bond, which shee hath bound upon her soule, and her father shall hold his peace at her; then all her vowes shall stand, and every bond which shee hath bound upon her soule shall stand. But if her father disanull her in the day that he heareth, not any of her vowes or of her bonds which she hath bound upon her soule shall stand: and Iehovah will mercifully forgive her, because her father disallowed her. And if having shee have an husband, and her vowes be upon her, or the utterance of her lips, which she hath bound upon her soule; And her husband heare, and hold his peace at her in the day that hee heareth; then her vowes shall stand, & her bonds which shee hath bound upon her soule shall stand. But if in the day that her husband heareth he disallow her, then hee shall make void her vow which is upon her, and the utterance of her lips which she hath bound upon her soule; and Iehovah will mercifully forgive her. But the vow of a widow, and of her that is put away, whatsoever shee hath bound upon her soule shall stand upon her.
And if she vowed in her husbands house, or bound a bond upon her soule with an oath:
And her husband heard, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not; then all her vowes shall stand, and every bond which she hath bound upon her soule shall stand. But if her husband hath utterly made them void in the day that hee heard, whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vowes, or concerning the bond of her soule, shall not stand; her husband hath made them void, and Iehovah will mercifully forgive her. Every vow, and every oath of bond to afflict the soule, her husband may establish it, and her husband may make it void.
But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day, then hee establisheth all her vowes, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he establisheth them, because hee held his peace at her in the day that hee heard them. But if hee shall utterly make them void, after that hee hath heard them, then he shall beare her iniquitie. These are the statutes, which Iehovah commanded Moses, betweene a man and his wife, betweene a father and his daughter, in her youth, in her fathers house.
Annotations.
foreign Here beginneth the 42. Lecture of the Law: See Gen. 6. 9.
THE heads] that is, as the Greeke translateth, the Rulers (or Princes) of the Tribes. In the two former Chapters were lawes for necessary duties commanded: here followeth the law for voluntarie things, which people having by vow or oath taken upon them, were bound to performe. concerning the sonnes] or, to the sonnes of Israel; or as the Greeke joyneth it with the former, the Princes of the Tribes of the sonnes of Israel. It was spoken by Moses to the Princes, that by them it might be orderly communicated unto the people; as in Exod. 12. 3. 21. and 4. 29. also that the Governours should looke unto the people for the performance of their religious promises. the thing] Hebr. the word.
Vers. 2. a vow] a religious promise to the Lord. Of a vow, and how it differed from a voluntary gift, see the Annotations on Levit. 27. 2. and 7. 16. and of an oath, see the notes on Levit. 5. 1. 4. And that almes promised for the poore, is comprehended also under the name of vowes, is shewed on Deut. 23. 21. a bond upon his soule] that is, to binde his soule (or himselfe) with a bond▪ Hereupon is that manner of speech, Thy … are upon mee, O God, Psal. 56. 12. not vowe… his word] not violate or breake his promise, but shall have an holy care to keepe it. A like phrase is of prophaning a covenant, in Psal. 55. 20. and 89. 34. And as vowes might not be broken, so neither might they be delayed, Deut. 23. 21. all that proceedeth out of his mouth] that is, every word of his, as the phrase is opened in Luk. 4. 4. from Deut. 8. 3. This is to be understood of good and lawfull vowes, and such as are in a mans power to performe… for unpossible vowes are to be repented of, and wicked vowes or oathes are not to be kept, but broken, Act. 23. 21. &c.
Vers. 3. and binde a bond] to wit, upon her soule, as …n vers. 4. that is, bound her selfe with a bond. And, may …re be used for Or (as it is often, and as the Greeke here translateth, or determine a determination) to imply either a vow to sanctifie any thing to the Lord, or a bond to restraine her selfe from something, as by afflicting her soule, or absteinance, as in vers. 13. in her fathers house] shee abiding there, and being under his power. The Hebrewes (as Sol. Iarchi on this place) by house, doe understand power, saying, under the power of her father, though she be not in his house. in her youth] youth differeth from childhood, for in her youth she understandeth what a vow is, whereof in child-hood she is ignorant. The Hebrew Canons hauehave limited the time both for men and women, t…us: A young man that is a sonne of twelve yeares and one day, and a young woman that is a daughter of eleven yeares and one day, which doe sweare or vow, either vowes of binding (or restreint,) or vowes of sanctifying (any thing to the Lord.) they doe examine them, and ask questions of them. If they know to whose name they have vowed, &c. then their vowes are stablished: but if they know not, then is there nothing in their vowes or words. And this examination is necessary all that yeare, which is the twelfth yeare for a young maid, and the thirteenth yeare for a young man. Before this time, although they say, we know to whose name we have vowed, their vowes are no vowes. But after this time, when the sonne is a sonne of thirteene yeares and one day; and the daughter is a daughter of twelve yeares and one day; although they say, we know not to whose name we have vowed; their words are established, and their vowes are vowes, &c. And this is the time of vowes spoken of in every place: for as much as they are come to the yeares of great (or aged) persons, their vowes are stablished. Maimon. tom. 3. Treat. of Vowes, chap. 11. sect. 1, 3, 4.
Vers. 4. hold his peace at her] or, keepe silence at it: though hee doe not by words app…v, yet by silence hee seemeth to consent, therefore her vow standeth firme. shall stand] that is, shall be stable, firme and sure; as the field which Abraham bought, was said to stand, when by sale it was made sure, Gen. 23. 17. 20. So ones counsell or word is said to stand, when it abideth firme, Prov. 19. 21. Esay 14. 24. and 40. 8. Ier. 44. 29.
Vers. 5. disallow her] or, disallow (nulli…e) it, to wit, her vow: so after. the day that he heareth] whether it be in the day that she vowed, or many daies after that her father heareth of it. If she vow and wait many daies, and afterward her father or her husband heare of it, then hee may breake it in the day that he he…reth, &c. as it is said, In the day that he heareth, and not in the day that shee voweth onelyonly. Maimony in Vowes, chap. 12. sect. 16. will mercifully forgive her] in Greeke, will purge (or cleanse) her: her sin in vowing, (when she was not in her owne power, but in her fathers) shall be forgiven: but she may not performe her vow, which by her fathers authoritie is disanulled. So for her husband in like fort, vers. 12.
Vers. 6. if having she have a h…sband] Hebr. if being she be to a man; that is, … at all maried. or the utterance of her lips] or pronunciation; that which she hath pronounced, or distinctly uttered, to wit, by oath; as appeaseth by the word Or, which distinguisheth it from her vowes: and by that which followeth, which she hath bound upon her soule, that is, by oath, as in vers. 2. and 10. So the pronouncing with the lips, is joyned with swearing, in Lev. 5. 4 and Chazkuni here saith, the pronunciation is not (meant) but of an oath.
Vers. 8. he disallow her] or, disallow it, that is, signifie his disallowance of her vow or oath. The Hebrewes say, A man maketh void, or establisheth the words of his wife, or of his daughter in any language, although she know it not; for it is not of necessity that the woman should heare the making void, or the establishmēt, &c. He that maketh void the words of his daughter, or of his wife, it is necessary that he utter it with his lips; and if he make it void in his heart (only) hee doth not make it void: Maim. in Vowes, chap. 13. sect. 1. 7.
Vers. 9. put away] to wit, from her husband, as is expressed in Levit. 21. 7. that is, divorced. shall stand] she is to performe her vow; and this (as the Hebrewes thinke) though she be afterward maried. As, A woman which hath no husband, and which is not under her fathers power, if she say, Loe (such) flesh be unlawfull to me after thirty daies, and she be married within thirty dayes; although at the time when the vow beginneth, shee be under the power of a husband, he cannot make it void; because at the time of the vow (making) she was not under his power. And of this it is said (in Num. 30. 9.) But the vow of a widow, and of her that is put away, &c. Maim. in Vowes, chap. 13. sect. 16.
Vers. 10. in her husbands house] after that shee is married, and in her husbands power. But what if shee were betrothed onelyonly, and remained yet in her fathers house? Of this case the Hebrewes say, A maid that is betrothed, none can make ther vow void, but her father and her husband joyntly together. And if the one of them alone doe make it void, it is not made void. If her espoused husband die, she returneth into the power of her father: and whatsoever she voweth, her father may make void, as before her espousals. If her father die after that she is betrothed, and she make a vow after his death, her husband cannot make it void; for an husband maketh not the vowes of his wife void, untill shee be come into the wedding chamber, (or married.) Maim. in Vowes, chap. 11. sect. 9, 10.
Vers. 11. shall stand] shee is to keepe her vow, though after her husbands death. A young woman, whom her father hath given in mariage, if she become a widow, or be divorced after mariage, loe she is as an Orphan whiles her father liveth, and her father cannot make her vowes of none effect, although she be yet but a young woman. Maim. ibidem, sect. 25.
Vers. 12. hath utterly made them void] or, hath any waies made them void; Hebr. making void hath made them void: so in vers. 15.
Vers. 13. oath of bond] that is, binding oath, or bond confirmed with an oath. to afflict the soule] by abstenance, fasting, &c. See the notes on Levit. 16. 29. This seemeth to be added for amplification, rather than limitation or restraint: howbeit, the Hebrewes from hence gather, that although the father may disanull all his daughters vowes, of what sort soever, yet the husband hath not power to disanull the vowes of his wife, vnlesse they be of this sort, to wit, vowes or bonds to afflict the soule, &c. Sol. Iarchi on Numb. 30. and Maimony in Vowes, chap. 12. sect. 1. may establish it] or, may make it stand, shall confirme it. Some understand these words to be a commandement, and translate thus, Let her husband establish it, or let her husband make it void, to wit, out of hand, and let him not deferre it till afterward.
Vers. 14. altogether hold his peace] Hebr. holding his peace shall hold his peace, (or keepe silence.) from day to day] and doe not disanull it the same day that he heareth it.
Vers. 15. shall utterly make them void] or, shall any waies make them of none effect: see this phrase in vers. 12. shall beare her iniquitie] that is, shall beare the punishment of her iniquitie; God will require her sinne at his hand. From hence wee learne (saith Sol. Iarchi) that he which is a cause of scandall (or offence) unto his neighbour, shall cone in his stead unto all punishments.