Reference: Vows
Easton
voluntary promises which, when once made, were to be kept if the thing vowed was right. They were made under a great variety of circumstances (Ge 28:1; 18-22; Le 7:16; Nu 30:2-13; De 23:18; Jg 11:30,39; 1Sa 1:11; Jon 1:16; Ac 18:18; 21:23).
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And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
And if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or voluntary, it shall be eaten the same day that he presented his sacrifice; on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten;
If a man vow a vow to Jehovah, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; according to all that hath gone out of his mouth shall he do. If a woman also vow a vow to Jehovah, and bind herself by a bond, in her father's house in her youth, read more. and her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall be silent at her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her father prohibited her in the day that he heard, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand; and Jehovah shall pardon her, because her father prohibited her. And if she have a husband, when she hath her vow upon her or ought that hath passed her lips wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her husband hear it and be silent at her in the day that he heareth it, then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband prohibit her on the day that he heareth it, and annul her vow which is upon her, and what hath passed her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul, then Jehovah shall pardon her. But the vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, everything wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand against her. And if she have vowed in her husband's house, or have bound her soul by an oath with a bond, and her husband have heard it, and been silent at her, and hath not prohibited her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband have expressly annulled them on the day that he heard them, then nothing of that which is gone out of her lips as to her vows or the bond on her soul, shall stand: her husband hath annulled them; and Jehovah will pardon her. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband can establish it, or her husband can annul it.
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog, into the house of Jehovah thy God for any vow; for even both these are an abomination to Jehovah thy God.
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand,
And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had made. She had never known a man. And it became a custom in Israel
And the men feared Jehovah exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, and made vows.
And Paul, having yet stayed there many days, took leave of the brethren and sailed thence to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow;
This do therefore that we say to thee: We have four men who have a vow on them;
Hastings
In common with most peoples of the ancient world, the making of vows was of frequent occurrence among the Israelites. The underlying idea in making a vow was to propitiate the Deity; this was done either by promising to do something for Him, or to please Him by the exercise of self-denial. Vows were made from a variety of motives: Jacob vows a vow according to which he will please Jahweh by becoming His worshipper, on condition that Jahweh will keep him safe during his journey and give him food and raiment (Ge 28:20-22). Jephthah vows to offer to Jahweh the first person he sees coming out of his house on his return from battle, provided he is victorious (Jg 11:30-31). Hannah vows that if Jahweh gives her a son, she will dedicate him to the service of God (1Sa 1:11). These cases are typical: in each something is promised to God, on condition that God will do something for him who makes the vow. But there was another class of vows which were of a more disinterested character; the most striking here would be the Nazirite vow, according to which a man undertook to lead a strenuously austere life, which was supposed to approximate to the simple life of the patriarchs; that was done out of protest against the current mode of life, which had been largely adopted from the Canaanites; indeed, the Nazirite vow implied, and was intended to be, a life of greater loyalty to Jahweh.
There are two words in Hebrew for a vow
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And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and keep me on this road that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and a garment to put on, and I come again to my father's house in peace then shall Jehovah be my God. read more. And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou wilt give me I will without fail give the tenth to thee.
And Pharaoh said, Behold the people of the land are now many, and ye wish to make them rest from their burdens.
Only the firstling which is offered as firstling to Jehovah among the cattle, that shall no man hallow, whether it be ox or sheep; it is Jehovah's. But if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall ransom it according to thy valuation, and shall add a fifth of it thereto; and if it be not redeemed, it shall be sold according to thy valuation. read more. Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man hath devoted to Jehovah of all that he hath, of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy to Jehovah. Nothing devoted, which shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed: it shall certainly be put to death.
And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This is what Jehovah hath commanded. If a man vow a vow to Jehovah, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; according to all that hath gone out of his mouth shall he do.
If a man vow a vow to Jehovah, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; according to all that hath gone out of his mouth shall he do.
If a man vow a vow to Jehovah, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; according to all that hath gone out of his mouth shall he do. If a woman also vow a vow to Jehovah, and bind herself by a bond, in her father's house in her youth, read more. and her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall be silent at her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her father prohibited her in the day that he heard, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand; and Jehovah shall pardon her, because her father prohibited her. And if she have a husband, when she hath her vow upon her or ought that hath passed her lips wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her husband hear it and be silent at her in the day that he heareth it, then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband prohibit her on the day that he heareth it, and annul her vow which is upon her, and what hath passed her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul, then Jehovah shall pardon her.
When thou vowest a vow to Jehovah thy God, thou shalt not delay to perform it; for Jehovah thy God will certainly require it of thee, and it shall be sin in thee. But if thou forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. read more. What is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and do, as thou hast vowed to Jehovah thy God, the voluntary-offering that thou hast promised with thy mouth.
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand, then whoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the LORD's, and I will offer him up for a burnt offering."
And when he saw her, he rent his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me; for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow."
And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
It is a snare to a man rashly to say, It is hallowed, and after vows to make inquiry.
Yea, cursed be the deceiver, who hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing; for I am a great King, saith Jehovah of hosts, and my name is terrible among the nations.
But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, whatsoever it be by which received from me thou wouldest be profited:
And he said to them, Well do ye set aside the commandment of God, that ye may observe what is delivered by yourselves to keep.
Morish
The Israelites were not told to make vows, but if they voluntarily made them, God said they must conscientiously perform them. Man is ever ready to boast of his strength, not being conscious of his own weakness. Israel, on hearing the law, did not hesitate to say, "all that the Lord hath said we will do;" but they alas, miserably failed. The law made vows binding, and gave directions as to exceptional cases where it was impossible to perform them. Nu 30:2-14; De 23:21-23; Ps. 1:14; Ec 5:4-5; Na 1:15; etc.
The only instances of vows in the N.T. are those of Paul (or Aquila, as some judge) at Cenchrea, which is shrouded in mystery, and the four men at Jerusalem. Ac 18:18; 21:23. These were probably the vows of Nazariteship, by the head being shaven. According to the law the final shaving must be at the tabernacle or temple. Nu 6:18.
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And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his consecration at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his consecration, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offering.
If a man vow a vow to Jehovah, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; according to all that hath gone out of his mouth shall he do. If a woman also vow a vow to Jehovah, and bind herself by a bond, in her father's house in her youth, read more. and her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall be silent at her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her father prohibited her in the day that he heard, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand; and Jehovah shall pardon her, because her father prohibited her. And if she have a husband, when she hath her vow upon her or ought that hath passed her lips wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her husband hear it and be silent at her in the day that he heareth it, then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband prohibit her on the day that he heareth it, and annul her vow which is upon her, and what hath passed her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul, then Jehovah shall pardon her. But the vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, everything wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand against her. And if she have vowed in her husband's house, or have bound her soul by an oath with a bond, and her husband have heard it, and been silent at her, and hath not prohibited her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband have expressly annulled them on the day that he heard them, then nothing of that which is gone out of her lips as to her vows or the bond on her soul, shall stand: her husband hath annulled them; and Jehovah will pardon her. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband can establish it, or her husband can annul it. And if her husband be altogether silent at her from day to day, then he hath established all her vows or all her bonds which are upon her; he hath confirmed them, for he hath been silent at her in the day that he heard them.
When thou vowest a vow to Jehovah thy God, thou shalt not delay to perform it; for Jehovah thy God will certainly require it of thee, and it shall be sin in thee. But if thou forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. read more. What is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and do, as thou hast vowed to Jehovah thy God, the voluntary-offering that thou hast promised with thy mouth.
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings, that publisheth peace! Celebrate thy feasts, Judah, perform thy vows: for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
And Paul, having yet stayed there many days, took leave of the brethren and sailed thence to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow;
This do therefore that we say to thee: We have four men who have a vow on them;
Smith
Vows.
A vow is a solemn promise made to God to perform or to abstain from performing a certain thing. The earliest mention of a vow is that of Jacob.
Vows in general are also mentioned in the book of Job,
The law therefore did not introduce, but regulated the practice of, vows. Three sorts are mentioned: 1, vows of devotion; 2, vows of abstinence; 3, vows of destruction.
1. As to vows of devotion, the following rules are laid down: A man might devote to sacred uses possessions or persons, but not the first-born of either man or beast, which was devoted already.
(a) If he vowed land, he might either redeem it or not Levi 25,27. (b) Animals fit for sacrifice if devoted, were not to be redeemed or changed,
persons devoted stood thus: devote either himself, his child (not the first-born) or his slave. If no redemption took place, the devoted person became a slave of the sanctuary: see the case of Absalom.
Otherwise he might be redeemed at a valuation according to age and sex, on the scale given in
Among general regulations affecting vows the following may be mentioned: (1) Vows were entirely voluntary but once made were regarded as compulsory.
(2) If persons In a dependent condition made vows as (a) an unmarried daughter living in her father's house, or (b) a wife, even if she afterward became a widow the vow, if (a) in the first case her father, or (b) in the second her husband, heard and disallowed it, was void; but,if they heard without disallowance, it was to remain good.
(3) Votive offerings arising from the produce of any impure traffic were wholly forbidden.
De 23:18
2. For vows of abstinence, see CORBAN.
See Corban
3. For vows of extermination ANATHEMA and
See Anathema
It seems that the practice of shaving the head at the expiration of a votive period was not limited to the Nazaritic vow.
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And Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had made his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el; but the name of that city was Luz at the first. read more. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and keep me on this road that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and a garment to put on, and I come again to my father's house in peace then shall Jehovah be my God. And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou wilt give me I will without fail give the tenth to thee.
I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, where thou vowedst a vow to me. Now arise, depart out of this land, and return to the land of thy kindred.
And if it be a beast whereof men bring an offering unto Jehovah, all that they give of such unto Jehovah shall be holy.
Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man hath devoted to Jehovah of all that he hath, of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy to Jehovah.
If a man vow a vow to Jehovah, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; according to all that hath gone out of his mouth shall he do. If a woman also vow a vow to Jehovah, and bind herself by a bond, in her father's house in her youth, read more. and her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall be silent at her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her father prohibited her in the day that he heard, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand; and Jehovah shall pardon her, because her father prohibited her. And if she have a husband, when she hath her vow upon her or ought that hath passed her lips wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her husband hear it and be silent at her in the day that he heareth it, then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband prohibit her on the day that he heareth it, and annul her vow which is upon her, and what hath passed her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul, then Jehovah shall pardon her. But the vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, everything wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand against her. And if she have vowed in her husband's house, or have bound her soul by an oath with a bond, and her husband have heard it, and been silent at her, and hath not prohibited her, then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband have expressly annulled them on the day that he heard them, then nothing of that which is gone out of her lips as to her vows or the bond on her soul, shall stand: her husband hath annulled them; and Jehovah will pardon her. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband can establish it, or her husband can annul it. And if her husband be altogether silent at her from day to day, then he hath established all her vows or all her bonds which are upon her; he hath confirmed them, for he hath been silent at her in the day that he heard them. But if he in any way annul them after he hath heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity. These are the statutes, which Jehovah commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, in her youth in her father's house.
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog, into the house of Jehovah thy God for any vow; for even both these are an abomination to Jehovah thy God.
When thou vowest a vow to Jehovah thy God, thou shalt not delay to perform it; for Jehovah thy God will certainly require it of thee, and it shall be sin in thee.
For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode in Geshur in Syria, saying, If Jehovah shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve Jehovah.
and that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be confiscated, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion, for I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass; and thou shalt beat in pieces many peoples; and I will devote their gain to Jehovah, and their substance to the Lord of the whole earth.
And Paul, having yet stayed there many days, took leave of the brethren and sailed thence to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow;
take these and be purified with them, and pay their expenses, that they may have their heads shaved; and all will know that of those things of which they have been informed about thee nothing is true; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, keeping the law.