Numbers Chapter 30
The Keeping of Vows
A. The Requirement to Keep Vows
1. (Numbers 30:1) Moses speaks to the leaders of the tribes.
Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded.”
Moses first addressed the heads of the tribes, demonstrating that God’s commands were to be communicated through proper leadership and order. By speaking to the tribal leaders, Moses ensured that every family and clan in Israel would receive clear instruction regarding the solemnity of vows made to the Lord. This reinforced the chain of responsibility within Israel’s theocratic structure.
2. (Numbers 30:2) The command of the Lord regarding vows.
If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
A vow before the Lord was a sacred commitment. God expected His people to take their words seriously, especially when those words were directed toward Him. In a culture where verbal agreements carried the weight of character and reputation, God’s people were to be distinguished by honesty and reliability. The principle was simple: a man’s word should be his bond.
A vow was not to be made lightly, nor was it to be broken. To break one’s word was to show contempt for God’s holiness and truth. As it is written, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22).
The seriousness of this command is underscored by the fact that God Himself is faithful to every word He has spoken. As Numbers 23:19 declares, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
a. The Integrity of Speech Before God
“He shall not break his word.” This principle reaches to the heart of integrity. The modern world often treats words as disposable, but in God’s eyes, every promise matters. Businessmen, politicians, and even casual acquaintances may treat broken commitments as trivial, but God’s standard does not change. The breaking of an oath or vow is sin, not strategy.
b. Jesus’ Teaching on Oaths
Some interpret Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:34–37 as forbidding all vows:
“But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
However, in the context of Scripture, Jesus was not condemning legitimate oaths but the abuse of oaths. The Pharisees had created elaborate systems of conditional vows, attempting to find loopholes in their promises. Jesus condemned this hypocrisy. His teaching was that a person of integrity should not need to swear an oath to confirm truthfulness; their simple yes or no should suffice.
This is further proven by the fact that Jesus Himself answered under oath before the high priest:
“But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said.’” (Matthew 26:63–64).
Moreover, God Himself swore oaths to confirm His promises, as seen in Luke 1:73, Acts 2:30, and Hebrews 6:13, 17. The issue is not the making of an oath, but the abuse or casual handling of it.
c. The Wisdom of Restraint
Because God takes vows seriously, it is often better not to make one at all than to make one hastily and fail to keep it. Ecclesiastes 5:4–5 teaches this sober truth:
“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. It is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.”
Many people make rash vows in moments of emotion or desperation, saying things like, “I’ll never do that again,” or, “God, if You help me, I promise I’ll…” Such impulsive promises are foolish. God expects sober-minded commitment, not emotional bargaining.
d. The Vow of Praise
While many vows are unwise, there is one vow that is always right to make — the vow of praise and thanksgiving to God. The psalmist declared, “Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises unto You” (Psalm 56:12). And again, “So I will sing praise to Your name forever, that I may daily perform my vows” (Psalm 61:8).
These vows reflect a heart of gratitude, recognizing God’s goodness and faithfulness. Unlike rash promises, vows of worship deepen one’s relationship with the Lord.
B. Vows That Are Not Binding
1. (Numbers 30:3–5) A young woman under her father’s household.
“Or if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house in her youth, and her father hears her vow and the agreement by which she has bound herself, and her father holds his peace, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement with which she has bound herself shall stand. But if her father overrules her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will release her, because her father overruled her.”
This statute introduces the principle of headship within the family. When a young, unmarried woman still lived under her father’s roof, she was under his authority and protection. If she made a vow or promise to the Lord, that vow was not binding unless her father permitted it, either by explicit approval or by silence upon hearing it. His silence constituted agreement, but if he overruled it immediately, the vow was rendered void, and she was released before God.
This law was not given to suppress women, but to establish order and protection. God built the family with a divinely appointed structure in which authority and accountability flow through the head of the household. Just as Christ is the head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23), so the father was the head of the home. His right to overrule his daughter’s vow reflected his responsibility to guard the household’s spiritual and moral integrity.
A vow made without discernment could have placed a young woman in hardship or spiritual obligation she could not fulfill. This system ensured that the father, as her spiritual guardian, bore responsibility for approving or disallowing such commitments.
2. (Numbers 30:6–8) A wife’s vow overruled by her husband.
“If indeed she takes a husband, while bound by her vows or by a rash utterance from her lips by which she bound herself, and her husband hears it, and makes no response to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her agreements by which she bound herself shall stand. But if her husband overrules her on the day that he hears it, he shall make void her vow which she took and what she uttered with her lips, by which she bound herself, and the Lord will release her.”
Marriage transferred headship from the father to the husband. If a wife made a vow, her husband could either confirm it or nullify it. His silence on the day he heard the vow confirmed it, making it binding upon both of them. If, however, he immediately overruled it, the vow was annulled, and the wife was released from it in the sight of God.
This reinforced the biblical principle that the husband is the spiritual head of the home and bears responsibility for the spiritual direction of the family. As Ephesians 5:23 states, “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.” This authority was not for tyranny but for stewardship — the husband was accountable to God for decisions made within the family.
This also shows that vows made rashly or emotionally were subject to wise review. The Lord recognized that emotions or circumstances could lead to impulsive promises, and He built a mechanism of grace into family structure to prevent unnecessary bondage to hasty words.
3. (Numbers 30:9) A widow or a divorced woman is bound by her vows.
“Also any vow of a widow or a divorced woman, by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.”
Once a woman no longer had a male head of household — whether through widowhood or divorce — she became directly accountable to God for her vows. Her commitments stood firm because there was no authority above her to annul them. Her “head” was now the Lord Himself, and her vows were binding before Him alone.
This demonstrates personal responsibility and the seriousness with which God regards the words we speak. Without a husband or father to intercede, a widow or divorced woman’s vows were direct matters between her and God. This reinforced the universal principle that regardless of gender or station, one’s word before the Lord carries weight and consequence.
4. (Numbers 30:10–16) A wife’s vow confirmed by her husband.
“If she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an agreement with an oath, and her husband heard it, and made no response to her and did not overrule her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement by which she bound herself shall stand. But if her husband truly made them void on the day he heard them, then whatever proceeded from her lips concerning her vows or concerning the agreement binding her, it shall not stand; her husband has made them void, and the Lord will release her. Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her soul, her husband may confirm it, or her husband may make it void. Now if her husband makes no response whatever to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all the agreements that bind her; he confirms them, because he made no response to her on the day that he heard them. But if he does make them void after he has heard them, then he shall bear her guilt.”
“These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter in her youth in her father’s house.”
If the husband confirmed his wife’s vow — either verbally or by silence — then the vow stood, and he shared in the responsibility for its fulfillment. Numbers 30:15 makes it clear: “If he does make them void after he has heard them, then he shall bear her guilt.” In other words, the husband would be held accountable for any broken vow that he had once affirmed or allowed to stand.
This reveals the weight of headship and the seriousness of spiritual authority. Authority in God’s design always carries accountability. As Wenham observed, “He shall bear her iniquity means he will suffer for the broken vow as though it were his.” The husband’s decision carried moral and spiritual consequences before God.
The phrase, “Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her soul, her husband may confirm it, or her husband may make it void,” highlights that the husband’s leadership was not arbitrary, but divinely ordained. This was not the subjugation of women, but a reflection of divine order — an order mirrored in the relationship between Christ and the Church.
Just as Christ bears responsibility for His bride, so the husband bore responsibility for his wife’s spiritual welfare. God never grants authority without accountability. When understood properly, this truth makes submission not demeaning, but a function of divine design for protection, order, and blessing.
