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NUMBERS 30

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

 NASB  NKJV  NRSV  TEV   NJB
(MT versing)
The Law of Vows The Law Concerning Vows On Vows Made by Women Rules About Vows Laws Concerning Vows
30:1-5 30:1-5 30:1-2 30:1-2
30:2
30:3-5 30:3-5 30:3
30:4-6
30:6-8 30:6-8 30:6-15 30:6-8
30:7-9
30:9-12 30:9 30:9
30:10-15 30:10-15 30:10
30:11-13
30:13-15
30:14
30:15-16
30:16 30:16 30:16 30:16
30:17

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

  1. This is about vows/oaths to YHWH. It may contextually relate to the voluntary actions of Num. 29:39.

  2. If vowed, one must perform the vow but there are some contingencies (notice the number of "ifs," BDB 49, cf. Num. 30:5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15). Married women's vows must be confirmed by the husband (or if unmarried, the father).

    Widowed or divorced women's vows do not need to be confirmed (Num. 30:9).

  3. There are four intensified grammatical features (i.e., the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB from the same root).
    1. Num. 30:6 ‒ "if she should marry"
    2. Num. 30:12 ‒ "if her husband indeed annuls them"
    3. Num. 30:14 ‒ "if her husband indeed says nothing"
    4. Num. 30:15 ‒ "but if he indeed annuls them"

  4. There are four conditions relating to a woman's male guardian.
    1. a young woman still living at home, Num. 30:4-5
    2. a betrothed woman still living at home, Num. 30:6-9
    3. a widowed or divorced woman, Num. 30:9
    4. a married woman, Num. 30:10-12

  5. The plight of women in the ANE was surely a "second class" existence but Jesus changed everything. See SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN IN THE BIBLE.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 30:1-5
  1Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, "This is the word which the Lord has commanded. 2If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. 3Also if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by an obligation in her father's house in her youth, 4and her father hears her vow and her obligation by which she has bound herself, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand and every obligation by which she has bound herself shall stand. 5But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will forgive her because her father had forbidden her."

30:2 "If a man makes a vow to the Lord" Numbers 30 basically deals with laws connected with making vows/pledges/oaths to YHWH ("if. . ."). We can see how important making a vow was by reading Deut. 23:21-23. The book of Leviticus discusses vows at some length (cf. Lev. 7:16; 22:18-23; 23:38; 27:1ff). When men vowed, they were required to fulfill it, no exceptions!

Notice the parallels.

  1. "vows a vow" ‒ VERB (BDB 623, KB 674, Qal IMPERFECT) plus the NOUN (BDB 623)
  2. "swears a swear" ‒ VERB (BDB 989, KB 1396, Niphal INFINITIVE) plus NOUN (BDB 64)
  3. "bind a binding obligation" ‒ VERB (BDB 63, KB 75, Qal INFINITIVE) plus NOUN (BDB 64)
  4. the three word plays are characterized:
    1. he shall not violate his word
    2. he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth

In the OT oaths and blessings, once spoken, had a spiritual force to fulfillment (i.e., Genesis 27, Isaac's blessing). This is surely true of God's word (cf. Isa. 55:9-11).

▣ "vows" The difference between a vow and an oath/pledge is that a vow has a conditional element based on God's actions, while an oath/pledge is a human promise with no condition on God's part.

30:3 "if a woman makes a vow to the Lord" Basically this chapter is a discussion of how a woman's vows can and cannot be limited by the male authority figure in her life. This will move from her father when she is young, to her betrothed husband, and then to her husband. Also, stipulation is made for a widow and a divorced woman being responsible for their vows. Some have asserted that this is another sign of the male dominance in the OT. I think the probable reason was that women did not own property themselves and they could not commit property or their own time to the Lord without permission of the one to whom they were bound.

30:5 "if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it" This same phrase is used quite often. It means that the minute that the male involved heard the vow, he had to renounce it at that point and not wait until a later time.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 30:6-8
  6"However, if she should marry while under her vows or the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself, 7and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall stand and her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand. 8But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself; and the Lord will forgive her."

30:6
NASB  "rash statement"
NKJV  "rash utterance"
NRSV  "thoughtless"
TEV  "carelessly"
NJB  "without due reflection"

The MT has a NOUN CONSTRUCT (BDB 105, plus 973). BDB 105 occurs only here and v. 8. A related form occurs in Lev. 5:4; Ps. 166:33; Pro. 12:18. See NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 642, #6 and vol. 2, p. 838. Believers must be careful what they promise God, even when the motive is good, the reality of the promise may be unrealistic.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 30:9-12
  9"But the vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, everything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her. 10However, if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound herself by an obligation with an oath, 11and her husband heard it, but said nothing to her and did not forbid her, then all her vows shall stand and every obligation by which she bound herself shall stand. 12But if her husband indeed annuls them on the day he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning the obligation of herself shall not stand; her husband has annulled them, and the Lord will forgive her."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 30:13-15
  13"Every vow and every binding oath to humble herself, her husband may confirm it or her husband may annul it. 14But if her husband indeed says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her obligations which are on her; he has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard them. 15But if he indeed annuls them after he has heard them, then he shall bear her guilt."

30:15 This, like Leviticus 27, shows the vow and the problem with trying to play fast and loose with making promises to God.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 30:16
  16These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, as between a man and his wife, and as between a father and his daughter, while she is in her youth in her father's house.

30:16 "the statutes" See SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR GOD'S REVELATION.

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