*Law # 214-216 ~ BOOK SIX: THE BOOKS OF OATHS (Laws of Vows)

Law #214 To fulfill what was uttered and to do what was avowed

Deut. 23:23 “That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Most High, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.”

We’re commanded to keep the promises we make to others.  Our reliability is our credibility.  Vows are often uttered in times of crisis (Gen. 28:20-22, Num. 21:2, Judges 11:30-31) but once the crisis passes, the vow is forgotten.  This Law applies to both man and woman.  (Num. 30:3,7)

*Law #215 Num. 30:3 “If a woman also vow a vow unto the Most High, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth; 7 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.”

We’re commanded not to break oaths or vows.  This Commandments is a repeat of Law #214 found in Deut. 23:23, to not break a vow.  It did not need to be repeated and should be omitted.  It is the 46^th of its kind.

Law #216 For oaths and vows annulled, there are the laws of annulling vows explicit in the Torah
We see the procedures for annulling the vows of a woman in the following passage.

We see the procedures for annulling the vows of a woman in the following passage.  According to this Law a woman’s vow can be invalidated by the father (if a single daughter) or husband (if married).  This Law promotes the submission of a wife to her husband.  Likewise, when a wife makes a promise or vow and her husband does not object, he confirms it (vs. 14).

Num. 30:3-16 “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.