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 his son and blessed him, and charged him and said unto him, "See thou take not a wife of the daughters of Canaan,
"'If it be a vow or a freewill offering that he bringeth, the same day that he offereth it, it shall be eaten, and that which remaineth may be eaten on the morrow:
If a man vow a vow unto the LORD or swear an oath and bind his soul, he shall not go back with his word: but shall fulfill all that proceedeth out of his mouth. If a damsel vow a vow unto the LORD and bind herself, being in her father's house and unmarried: read more. If her father hear her vow and bond which she hath made upon her soul, and hold his peace thereto: then all her vows and bonds which she hath made upon her soul shall stand in effect. But and if her father forbid her the same day that he heareth it, none of her vows nor bonds which she hath made upon her soul shall be of value, and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father forbade her. If she had a husband when she vowed or pronounced ought out of her lips wherewith she bound her soul, and her husband heard it and held his peace thereat the same day he heard it: Then her vows and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul, shall stand in effect. But and if her husband forbade her the same day that he heard it, then hath he made her vow which she had upon her of none effect, and that also which she pronounced with her lips wherewith she bound her soul, and the LORD shall forgive her. The vow of a widow and of her that is divorced, and all that they have bound their souls withal, shall stand in effect with them. If she vowed in her husband's house or bound her soul with an oath, and her husband heard it and held his peace and forbade her not: then all her vows and bonds wherewith she bound her soul, shall stand. But if her husband disannulled them the same day that he heard them, then nothing that proceeded out of her lips in vows and bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand in effect: for her husband hath loosed them, and the LORD shall forgive her. "All vows and oaths that bind to humble the soul, may her husband establish or break.
Thou shalt neither bring the hire of an whore nor the price of a dog into the house of the LORD thy God, in no manner of vow: for even both of them are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD and said, "If thou shalt deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,
And after the two months she turned again unto her father, which did with her according to his vow which he had vowed, and so she knew no man.
And the men feared the LORD exceedingly: and sacrificed sacrifice unto the LORD: and vowed vows.
Paul, after this, tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, Priscilla and Aquila accompanying him. And he shore his head in Cenchreae. For he had a vow.
Do therefore this that we say to thee. We have four men, which 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 will keep me in this journey which I go and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, so that I come again unto my father's house in safety: then shall the LORD be my God, read more. and this stone which I have set up on end, shall be God's house. And of all that thou shalt give me, will I give the tenth unto thee."
And Pharaoh said furthermore, "Behold, there is much people in the land, and ye make them play and let their work stand."
"'But the firstborn of the beasts that pertain unto the LORD, may no man sanctify: whether it be ox or sheep, for they are the LORD's already. If it be an unclean beast, then let him redeem it as it is set at, and give the fifth part more thereto. If it be not redeemed, then let it be sold as it is rated. read more. Notwithstanding, no dedicated thing that a man dedicateth unto the LORD, of all his goods - whether it be man or beast or land of his inheritance - shall be sold or redeemed: for all dedicated things are most holy unto the LORD. No dedicated thing therefore that is dedicated of man, may be redeemed, but must needs die.
And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the LORD commandeth. If a man vow a vow unto the LORD or swear an oath and bind his soul, he shall not go back with his word: but shall fulfill all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
If a man vow a vow unto the LORD or swear an oath and bind his soul, he shall not go back with his word: but shall fulfill all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
If a man vow a vow unto the LORD or swear an oath and bind his soul, he shall not go back with his word: but shall fulfill all that proceedeth out of his mouth. If a damsel vow a vow unto the LORD and bind herself, being in her father's house and unmarried: read more. If her father hear her vow and bond which she hath made upon her soul, and hold his peace thereto: then all her vows and bonds which she hath made upon her soul shall stand in effect. But and if her father forbid her the same day that he heareth it, none of her vows nor bonds which she hath made upon her soul shall be of value, and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father forbade her. If she had a husband when she vowed or pronounced ought out of her lips wherewith she bound her soul, and her husband heard it and held his peace thereat the same day he heard it: Then her vows and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul, shall stand in effect. But and if her husband forbade her the same day that he heard it, then hath he made her vow which she had upon her of none effect, and that also which she pronounced with her lips wherewith she bound her soul, and the LORD shall forgive her.
When thou hast vowed a vow unto the LORD thy God, see thou be not slack to pay it. For he will surely require it of thee, and it shall be sin unto thee. If thou shalt leave vowing, it shall be no sin unto thee: read more. but that which is once gone out of thy lips, thou must keep and do, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God a freewill offering which thou hast spoken with thy mouth.
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD and said, "If thou shalt deliver the children of Ammon into my hands, then that thing that cometh out of the doors of my house against me, when I come home in peace from the children of Ammon, shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up a burnt offering."
And when he saw her, he rent his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter, thou hast made me stoop, and art one of them that trouble me. For I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and cannot go back."
and vowed a vow and said, "LORD of Hosts, if thou wilt look on the wretchedness of thine handmaid and shalt remember me and not forget thine handmaid, and shalt give unto thine handmaid a man child I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life and there shall neither razor or shears come upon his head."
It is a snare for a man to blaspheme that which is holy, and then to go about with vows.
Cursed be the dissembler, which hath in his flock one that is male, and when he maketh a vow, offereth a spotted one unto the LORD. For I am a great King, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, and my name is fearful among the Heathen.
But ye say, 'Every man shall say to his father or mother: That which thou desirest of me to help thee with, is given God.'
And he said unto them, "Well, ye cast aside the commandment of God, to maintain your own traditions.
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 abstainer shall shave his head in the door of the tabernacle of witness and shall take the hair of his sober head and put it in the fire which is under the peace offering.
If a man vow a vow unto the LORD or swear an oath and bind his soul, he shall not go back with his word: but shall fulfill all that proceedeth out of his mouth. If a damsel vow a vow unto the LORD and bind herself, being in her father's house and unmarried: read more. If her father hear her vow and bond which she hath made upon her soul, and hold his peace thereto: then all her vows and bonds which she hath made upon her soul shall stand in effect. But and if her father forbid her the same day that he heareth it, none of her vows nor bonds which she hath made upon her soul shall be of value, and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father forbade her. If she had a husband when she vowed or pronounced ought out of her lips wherewith she bound her soul, and her husband heard it and held his peace thereat the same day he heard it: Then her vows and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul, shall stand in effect. But and if her husband forbade her the same day that he heard it, then hath he made her vow which she had upon her of none effect, and that also which she pronounced with her lips wherewith she bound her soul, and the LORD shall forgive her. The vow of a widow and of her that is divorced, and all that they have bound their souls withal, shall stand in effect with them. If she vowed in her husband's house or bound her soul with an oath, and her husband heard it and held his peace and forbade her not: then all her vows and bonds wherewith she bound her soul, shall stand. But if her husband disannulled them the same day that he heard them, then nothing that proceeded out of her lips in vows and bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand in effect: for her husband hath loosed them, and the LORD shall forgive her. "All vows and oaths that bind to humble the soul, may her husband establish or break. But if her husband hold his peace from one day unto another, then he establisheth all her vows and bonds which she had upon her, because he held his peace the same day that he heard them.
When thou hast vowed a vow unto the LORD thy God, see thou be not slack to pay it. For he will surely require it of thee, and it shall be sin unto thee. If thou shalt leave vowing, it shall be no sin unto thee: read more. but that which is once gone out of thy lips, thou must keep and do, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God a freewill offering which thou hast spoken with thy mouth.
If thou make a vow unto God, be not slack to perform it. As for foolish vows, he hath no pleasure in them. If thou promise anything, pay it; for better it is that thou make no vow than that thou shouldest promise, and not pay.
Behold, upon the mountains come the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and preacheth peace. O Judah, keep thy holidays, perform thy promises: for Belial shall come no more in thee, he is utterly rooted out.
Paul, after this, tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, Priscilla and Aquila accompanying him. And he shore his head in Cenchreae. For he had a vow.
Do therefore this that we say to thee. We have four men, which 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 stood up early in the morning and took the stone that he had laid under his head, and pitched it up on end, and poured oil on the top of it. And he called the name of the place Bethel, for indeed the name of the city was called Luz before time. read more. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this journey which I go and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, so that I come again unto my father's house in safety: then shall the LORD be my God, and this stone which I have set up on end, shall be God's house. And of all that thou shalt give me, will I give the tenth unto thee."
I am the God of Bethel where thou anointedest the stone and where thou vowdest a vow unto me. Now arise and get thee out of this country, and return unto the land where thou wast born.'"
"'If it be of the beasts of which men bring an offering unto the LORD: all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD, shall be holy.
Notwithstanding, no dedicated thing that a man dedicateth unto the LORD, of all his goods - whether it be man or beast or land of his inheritance - shall be sold or redeemed: for all dedicated things are most holy unto the LORD.
If a man vow a vow unto the LORD or swear an oath and bind his soul, he shall not go back with his word: but shall fulfill all that proceedeth out of his mouth. If a damsel vow a vow unto the LORD and bind herself, being in her father's house and unmarried: read more. If her father hear her vow and bond which she hath made upon her soul, and hold his peace thereto: then all her vows and bonds which she hath made upon her soul shall stand in effect. But and if her father forbid her the same day that he heareth it, none of her vows nor bonds which she hath made upon her soul shall be of value, and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father forbade her. If she had a husband when she vowed or pronounced ought out of her lips wherewith she bound her soul, and her husband heard it and held his peace thereat the same day he heard it: Then her vows and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul, shall stand in effect. But and if her husband forbade her the same day that he heard it, then hath he made her vow which she had upon her of none effect, and that also which she pronounced with her lips wherewith she bound her soul, and the LORD shall forgive her. The vow of a widow and of her that is divorced, and all that they have bound their souls withal, shall stand in effect with them. If she vowed in her husband's house or bound her soul with an oath, and her husband heard it and held his peace and forbade her not: then all her vows and bonds wherewith she bound her soul, shall stand. But if her husband disannulled them the same day that he heard them, then nothing that proceeded out of her lips in vows and bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand in effect: for her husband hath loosed them, and the LORD shall forgive her. "All vows and oaths that bind to humble the soul, may her husband establish or break. But if her husband hold his peace from one day unto another, then he establisheth all her vows and bonds which she had upon her, because he held his peace the same day that he heard them. And if he afterward break them, he shall bear her sin himself." These are the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between the father and his daughter, being a damsel in her father's house.
Thou shalt neither bring the hire of an whore nor the price of a dog into the house of the LORD thy God, in no manner of vow: for even both of them are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
When thou hast vowed a vow unto the LORD thy God, see thou be not slack to pay it. For he will surely require it of thee, and it shall be sin unto thee.
For thy servant vowed a vow when I was in Geshur in the land of Syria, saying, "If the LORD shall bring me again to Jerusalem, I will serve the LORD."
And that whosoever came not within three days, according to the device of the rulers and Elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and be put out from the congregation of the captive.
Then shalt thou make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt keep thy promises.
If thou make a vow unto God, be not slack to perform it. As for foolish vows, he hath no pleasure in them.
Therefore get thee up, O thou daughter Zion, and thresh out the corn. For I will make thy horn iron. and thy claws brass, that thou mayest grind many people: their goods shalt thou appropriate unto the LORD, and their substance unto the ruler of the whole world.
Paul, after this, tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, Priscilla and Aquila accompanying him. And he shore his head in Cenchreae. For he had a vow.
Them take and purify thyself with them, and do cost on them, that they may shave their heads and all shall know that those things which they have heard concerning thee are nothing: but that thou thyself also walkest and keepest the law.