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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Then Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, - and commanded him and said to him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
But, if, a vow or a freewill offering, be his sacrifice of oblation, in the day he bringeth near his sacrifice, shall it be eaten, and on the morrow, then may the remainder thereof, be eaten;
When, a man, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, or swear an oath to bind a bond upon his soul, he shall not break his word, - according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth, shall he do. And, when, a woman, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, and bind a bond, in the house of her father, in her youth; read more. and her father shall hear her vow or her bond which she bindeth upon her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her, then shall all her vows stand, and every bond which she hath bound upon her soul shall stand. But, if her father forbade her, in the day when he heard, none of her vows or her bonds which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand, - and, Yahweh, will pardon her, because her father forbade her. But, if she, belonged to a husband, when her vows were taken upon her, - or a rash utterance fell from her lips, wherewith she put a bond upon her soul; and her husband heard it, and on the day that he heard, he held his peace at her, then shall her vows stand and her bonds which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand, But if, on the day her husband heard, he forbade her, then shall he have made of none effect her vow that is upon her, or the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she put a head upon her soul, - and, Yahweh, I will pardon her. But as for the vow of a widow, or of a woman divorced, whatsoever she hath bound on her soul, shall stand against her. But, if in the house of her husband, she vowed, or bound a bond upon her soul. with an oath; and her husband heard, and held his peace at her, did not forbid her, then shall all her vows stand, and every bond which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand. But if her husband, did make, them, of none effect, on the day he heard, nothing which came forth out of her lips - of her vows, or of the bond of her soul, shall sand, - her husband, made it of none effect, and Yahweh, will pardon her: As for any vow, or any oath of binding, to humble ones soul, her husband, may make it stand, or, her husband, may make it of none effect.
Thou shalt not bring the wages of an unchaste woman, or the hire of a dog, into the house of Yahweh thy God for any vow, - for, an abomination unto Yahweh thy God, are they both.
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and said, - If thou wilt, deliver, the sons of Ammon into my hand,
And it came to pass, at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, and he fulfilled on her his vow which he had vowed, - she not having known man. And it became a statute, in Israel: -
Then did the men revere Yahweh with a great reverence, - and offered sacrifice to Yahweh, and vowed vows.
Paul, however, still further abiding a good many days with the brethren, bidding them adieu, set sail for Syria; and, with him, Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow.
This, then, do, which unto thee, we say: - We have four men who have a vow upon themselves.
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 will keep me in this way whereon, I, am going, and give me bread to eat and raiment to put on; and I come back in prosperity unto the house of my father, Then will Yahweh prove to be my God, - read more. And, this stone which I have put for a pillar, shall be the house of God, - And, of all which thou shalt give me, a tenth, will I tithe unto thee.
And Pharaoh said, Lo! many - now, are the people of the land, - and are ye to make them rest from their burdens?
Only the firstling which is born a firstling to Yahweh, among beasts, no man shall hallow it, - whether ox or sheep, unto Yahweh, it belongeth. But, if it be among the beasts that are unclean, then shall he ransom it by thine estimate, and add the fifth part of it thereunto, - but, if it is not redeemed, then shall it be sold by thine estimate. read more. Only no devoted thing which any man shall devote unto Yahweh, of all that belongeth to him, - of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be either sold or redeemed, - as to every devoted thing, most holy, it is unto Yahweh. As touching any one devoted, who may be devoted from among men he shall not be ransomed, - he must be, surely put to death.
And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel saying: This, is the thing which Yahweh hath commanded- When, a man, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, or swear an oath to bind a bond upon his soul, he shall not break his word, - according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth, shall he do.
When, a man, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, or swear an oath to bind a bond upon his soul, he shall not break his word, - according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth, shall he do.
When, a man, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, or swear an oath to bind a bond upon his soul, he shall not break his word, - according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth, shall he do. And, when, a woman, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, and bind a bond, in the house of her father, in her youth; read more. and her father shall hear her vow or her bond which she bindeth upon her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her, then shall all her vows stand, and every bond which she hath bound upon her soul shall stand. But, if her father forbade her, in the day when he heard, none of her vows or her bonds which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand, - and, Yahweh, will pardon her, because her father forbade her. But, if she, belonged to a husband, when her vows were taken upon her, - or a rash utterance fell from her lips, wherewith she put a bond upon her soul; and her husband heard it, and on the day that he heard, he held his peace at her, then shall her vows stand and her bonds which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand, But if, on the day her husband heard, he forbade her, then shall he have made of none effect her vow that is upon her, or the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she put a head upon her soul, - and, Yahweh, I will pardon her.
When thou shalt vow a vow unto Yahweh thy God, thou shalt not delay to make it good, - for Yahweh thy God would, require, it of thee, and it should be in thee sin. But, if thou refrain from vowing, it shall not be in thee sin. read more. That which goeth forth out of thy lips, thou must observe and do, - according as thou didst vow unto Yahweh thy God the free-will, offering of which thou didst speak with thy mouth.
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and said, - If thou wilt, deliver, the sons of Ammon into my hand, then shall it be, that, whosoever cometh forth out of the doors of my house, to meet me, when I return successful, from the sons of Ammon, shall belong unto Yahweh, and I will offer him up, as an ascending-sacrifice.
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said - Alas! my daughter, Thou hast, brought me low, Even, thou, hast come to be among them who trouble me, - Yet, I, opened wide my mouth unto Yahweh, and cannot go back.
And she vowed a vow, and said - Yahweh of hosts! If thou wilt, look, upon the humiliation of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man-child, then will I give him unto Yahweh, all the days of his life, and no, razor, shall come upon his head.
It is a snare to a man, that he should rashly cry Holy! and, after making vows, to reflect!
But accursed is he that defraudeth, who, when there is in his flock a male, yet voweth and sacrificeth a corrupt thing to the Lord, for, a great king, am I, saith Yahweh of hosts, and, my Name, is revered among the nations.
But, ye, say - Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother - A gift! Whatsoever, out of me, thou mightest be profited,
And he was saying to them - Well, do ye set aside the commandment of God, that, your own tradition, ye may observe;
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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Then shall the Separate One shave, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, his head of separation, - and take the hair of his head of separation, and put upon the fire, which is under the peace-offering.
When, a man, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, or swear an oath to bind a bond upon his soul, he shall not break his word, - according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth, shall he do. And, when, a woman, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, and bind a bond, in the house of her father, in her youth; read more. and her father shall hear her vow or her bond which she bindeth upon her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her, then shall all her vows stand, and every bond which she hath bound upon her soul shall stand. But, if her father forbade her, in the day when he heard, none of her vows or her bonds which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand, - and, Yahweh, will pardon her, because her father forbade her. But, if she, belonged to a husband, when her vows were taken upon her, - or a rash utterance fell from her lips, wherewith she put a bond upon her soul; and her husband heard it, and on the day that he heard, he held his peace at her, then shall her vows stand and her bonds which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand, But if, on the day her husband heard, he forbade her, then shall he have made of none effect her vow that is upon her, or the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she put a head upon her soul, - and, Yahweh, I will pardon her. But as for the vow of a widow, or of a woman divorced, whatsoever she hath bound on her soul, shall stand against her. But, if in the house of her husband, she vowed, or bound a bond upon her soul. with an oath; and her husband heard, and held his peace at her, did not forbid her, then shall all her vows stand, and every bond which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand. But if her husband, did make, them, of none effect, on the day he heard, nothing which came forth out of her lips - of her vows, or of the bond of her soul, shall sand, - her husband, made it of none effect, and Yahweh, will pardon her: As for any vow, or any oath of binding, to humble ones soul, her husband, may make it stand, or, her husband, may make it of none effect. But if her husband do hold his peace, at her, from day to day, then shall he cause all her vows to stand, or all her bonds which are upon her, - cause them to stand, because he held his peace at her, on the day when he heard.
When thou shalt vow a vow unto Yahweh thy God, thou shalt not delay to make it good, - for Yahweh thy God would, require, it of thee, and it should be in thee sin. But, if thou refrain from vowing, it shall not be in thee sin. read more. That which goeth forth out of thy lips, thou must observe and do, - according as thou didst vow unto Yahweh thy God the free-will, offering of which thou didst speak with thy mouth.
When thou vowest a vow unto God, do not defer to pay it, for there is no pleasure in dullards, - what thou vowest, pay! Better that thou shouldest not vow, - than vow, and not pay.
Lo! upon the mountains, The feet of one, who bringeth Good Tidings! who publisheth Prosperity! Celebrate, O Judah, thy pilgrim festivals, fulfil thy vows, for, not again, any more, shall the Abandoned One, pass through thee, he hath been wholly cut off.
Paul, however, still further abiding a good many days with the brethren, bidding them adieu, set sail for Syria; and, with him, Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow.
This, then, do, which unto thee, we say: - We have four men who have a vow upon themselves.
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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So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone which he halt lint for his pillow, and put it for a pillar, - and poured out oil upon the top thereof; and called the name of that place - Beth-el, - nevertheless, Luz, was the name of the city, aforetime. read more. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, - If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way whereon, I, am going, and give me bread to eat and raiment to put on; and I come back in prosperity unto the house of my father, Then will Yahweh prove to be my God, - And, this stone which I have put for a pillar, shall be the house of God, - And, of all which thou shalt give me, a tenth, will I tithe unto thee.
I, am the GOD of Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow to me a vow, - Now, rise, go forth out of this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
And if it be a beast whereof men may bring near an oblation unto Yahweh, all that whereof aught is given to Yahweh, shall be holy.
Only no devoted thing which any man shall devote unto Yahweh, of all that belongeth to him, - of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be either sold or redeemed, - as to every devoted thing, most holy, it is unto Yahweh.
When, a man, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, or swear an oath to bind a bond upon his soul, he shall not break his word, - according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth, shall he do. And, when, a woman, shall vow a vow unto Yahweh, and bind a bond, in the house of her father, in her youth; read more. and her father shall hear her vow or her bond which she bindeth upon her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her, then shall all her vows stand, and every bond which she hath bound upon her soul shall stand. But, if her father forbade her, in the day when he heard, none of her vows or her bonds which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand, - and, Yahweh, will pardon her, because her father forbade her. But, if she, belonged to a husband, when her vows were taken upon her, - or a rash utterance fell from her lips, wherewith she put a bond upon her soul; and her husband heard it, and on the day that he heard, he held his peace at her, then shall her vows stand and her bonds which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand, But if, on the day her husband heard, he forbade her, then shall he have made of none effect her vow that is upon her, or the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she put a head upon her soul, - and, Yahweh, I will pardon her. But as for the vow of a widow, or of a woman divorced, whatsoever she hath bound on her soul, shall stand against her. But, if in the house of her husband, she vowed, or bound a bond upon her soul. with an oath; and her husband heard, and held his peace at her, did not forbid her, then shall all her vows stand, and every bond which she hath bound upon her soul, shall stand. But if her husband, did make, them, of none effect, on the day he heard, nothing which came forth out of her lips - of her vows, or of the bond of her soul, shall sand, - her husband, made it of none effect, and Yahweh, will pardon her: As for any vow, or any oath of binding, to humble ones soul, her husband, may make it stand, or, her husband, may make it of none effect. But if her husband do hold his peace, at her, from day to day, then shall he cause all her vows to stand, or all her bonds which are upon her, - cause them to stand, because he held his peace at her, on the day when he heard. And, if he, do make them of none effect, after that he hath heard them, then shall he bear her iniquity. These are the statutes which Yahweh commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, in her youth in the house of her father.
Thou shalt not bring the wages of an unchaste woman, or the hire of a dog, into the house of Yahweh thy God for any vow, - for, an abomination unto Yahweh thy God, are they both.
When thou shalt vow a vow unto Yahweh thy God, thou shalt not delay to make it good, - for Yahweh thy God would, require, it of thee, and it should be in thee sin.
for thy servant vowed, a vow, while I abode in Geshur in Syria, saying, - If Yahweh, will but bring me back, unto Jerusalem, then will I serve Yahweh,
and, whosoever should not come within three days, according to the counsel of the rulers and the elders, all his goods should be devoted, - and, himself, be separated from the convocation of them of the Exile.
Thou shalt make entreaty unto him, and he will hear thee, and, thy vows, shalt thou pay;
When thou vowest a vow unto God, do not defer to pay it, for there is no pleasure in dullards, - what thou vowest, pay!
Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for, thy horn, will I make to be iron, and, thy hoofs, will I make to he bronze, so shalt thou beat in pieces many peoples, - and shalt devote to Yahweh their unrighteous gain, and their substance, to the Lord of all the earth.
Paul, however, still further abiding a good many days with the brethren, bidding them adieu, set sail for Syria; and, with him, Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow.
Taking these unto thee, be purified with them, and spend something upon them, that they may shave their head; and all will get to know, that the things which they have heard rumoured concerning thee, are, nothing, - on the contrary, thou thyself, dost keep the ranks, guarding the law.