John Calvin on Deuteronomy 23:22-23

22. But if thou shalt forbear to vow. He confirms what he said, that they would be guilty before God who have broken their promises to Him, because no necessity compelled them to promise, and consequently that their guilt was doubled, inasmuch as they chose rather to sin when it was at their option not to vow. Thus Peter, reproving the faithlessness of Ananias and Sapphira, says, It will be seen that C. paraphrases, and does not quote literally the words of St. Peter.

"Who hath compelled you to lie to the Holy Ghost? was not the field your own, which you might have retained? but now to defraud God of part of the price, is impious hypocrisy.” (Acts 5:4.)

Meanwhile God indirectly inculcates sobriety in vowing, when He discharges them from it as a duty; as if He had reminded them, that there was no reason why they should incur guilt by idly promising what He does not require. And surely nothing is wiser than to be very sparing of vows; since those who run into them inconsiderately, either presently repent of them, or else pay them in a servile manner, as if it were a task to which they are driven by force, and not without annoyance and disgust, and thus destroy the grace of the act. As to the words, “that which is gone out of thy lips,” they do not refer to the ceremony, on which the Jew’s as usual too unscrupulously insist; but He puts a restraint by them on vowing, to which we are of ourselves but too much inclined. Whence it is said in Psalm 66:13, 14,

"I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings; I will pay these my vows, which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble;"

although the Prophet intimates that in his sore straits he had always retained his composure and presence of mind, so as expressly to implore God’s help, and to manifest his constancy and confidence by making vows, still it is signified at the same time that he did not precipitately utter empty words, but spoke with serious reflection. And indeed since the tongue of many is too voluble, and goes before their heart, the main obligation of vows is not to be sought in the act of their utterance; but, to make them truly complete, a mutual agreement is required between the heart and tongue. The same expression will often occur again; and its repetition shews that it is meant to remove the scruples of the weak, lest “Afin qu’ils ne se forgent point un remors de conscience, si tost qu’il leur sera renu en fantaste de vouer;” lest they should conceive a remorse of conscience, as soon as they shall have taken a fancy to make a vow. — Fr. as soon as any desire to vow shall have entered their minds, they should fancy that it imposes a religious obligation. We know that among heathen nations, in the solemn dedication of their temples, a priest was appointed who should “Pour dicter, et suggerer les mots;” to dictate and suggest the words. “Mos erat, ut in exsecrationibus, et devotionibus, in foederibus, in dedicationibus, in votis, juramentis et aliis hujusmodi, certa verba adhiberentur (quod carmen dicebatur) a quibus ne minimum quidem licebat discedere. Itaque ne quo in verbo peccaretur, praesto erat pontilex, aut sacerdos, qui vel memoriter, vel de scripto dictabat, quae dicenda erant. Liv. 8:9; 31:17; Val. Max. 4:1, 10,” etc. — Facciolati in voce Praeco first recite the words; by which ceremony they were reminded that nothing is duly offered to God except He Himself should dictate it, as it were. I allow that this reason was but little considered by them; nevertheless, by their example, God would condemn all levity, or inconsiderate fervor in sacred offerings.

Leviticus 27

Leviticus 27:1-25, 27-29

1. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

1. Loquutus est autem Jehova ad Mosen, dicendo:

2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation.

2. Alloquere filios Israel, et die els, Vir quum separaverit votum animarun secundum estimationem tuam Jehovae.

3. And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

3. Erit aestimatio tua pro masculo, a filio viginti annorum usque ad fillum sexaginta annorum, erit aestimatio tua quinquaginta siclorum argenteorum, secundum siclum sanctuarii.

4. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels.

4. Quod si foemina fuerit, erit aestimatio triginta siclorum.

5. And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

5. Si autem a filio quinque annorum usque ad filium viginti annorum, erit aestimatio tua pro masculo viginti siclorum, pro foemina vero decem siclorum.

6. And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.

6. Si vero a filio mensis usque ad fillum quinque armorurn, erit aestimatio tua pro masculo, quinque siclorum argenteorum,pro foemina vero aestimatio tua erit trium siclorurn argenteorum.

7. And if it be from sixty years old and above, if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

7. At si a filio sexaginta annorum, et supra, si pro masculo, erit aestimatio tua quindecim siclorum, et pro foemina decem siclorum.

8. But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him.

8. Quod si panperior est quam ut aestimationem tuam possit solvere, tune statuct ilium coram sacerdote, et aestimabit eum sacerdos: secundum quod apprehenderit marius voventis, aestimabit eum sacerdos.

9. And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy.

9. Si autem animal voverit de quo offernut oblationem Jehovae, onme de quo dederit Jehovae erit sanctitas.

10. He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy.

10. Non mutabit illud, neque commntabit illud, melius deteriore, aut deterius meliore: quod si commutando commutaverit animal animali, et illud et commutatio ejus erit sanctitas.

11. And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall present the beast before the priest:

11. Si autem fuerit quodlibet animal immundum, de quo non offerunt oblationem Jehovae tunc statuet animal coram sacerdote.

12. And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be.

12. Aestimabitque illud sacerdos, sive bonum sit, sive malum, secundum aestimationem tuam sic erit.

13. But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.

13. Si vero redimendo redemerit illud, addet quintam ejus partem ultra aestimationem tuam.

14. And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.

14. Vir autem quum consecraverit domum suam consecrationem Jehovae, aestimabit earn sacerdos, sive bona sit, sire roma: secundum quod aestimaverit earn sacerdos, sic manebit:

15. And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.

15. Si autem consecrans redemerit domum suam, addet quintam partem pecuniae aestimationis tuae super earn, et illius erit.

16. And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.

16. Si vero de agro possessionis suae consecraverit quis Jehovae, erit aestimatio tua secundum sementem ejus, semen cori hordeorum quinquaginta siclis argenteis sestimabitur.

17. If he sanctify his field from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation it shall stand.

17. Quod siab anno jubilaei consecraverit agrum suum, secundum aestimationem tuam manebit.

18. But if he sanctify his field after the jubile, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubile, and it shall be abated from thy estimation.

18. Si vero post jubilaeum consecraverit agrum suum, tum supputabit cum eo sacerdos pecuniam secundum annos qui reinanent usque ad annum jubilaei, et detrahetur de aestimatione tua.

19. And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.

19. Si autem redimendo redimat agrum qui consecravit ipsum, addet quintam partem pecuniae aestimationis tuae super eam, et manebit el.

20. And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.

20. Si vero non redemerit agrum, et si vendiderit agrum viro alteri, non redimet ultra:

21. But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest’s.

21. Sed erit ager quum egredietur jubilaeus, sanctitas Jehovae, sicut ager anathematis: sacerdoti erit possessio ejus.

22. And if a man sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession;

22. Si vero agrum emptum a se qui non erat de agro possessionis suae, consecraverit Jehovae:

23. Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubile: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD.

23. Tunc supputabit illi sacerdos numerum aestimationis tuae usque ad annum jubilaei, dabitque aestimationem tuam in die illo sanctitatem Jehovae.

24. In the year of the jubile the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong.

24. In anno jubilaei revertetur ager ad eum a quo emerat ipsum, ad eum eujus erat possessio terrae.

25. And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.

25. Omnis autem aestimatio tua erit secundum siclum sanctuarii: viginti obolorum est siclus.

27. And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.

27. Si vero fuerit ex animalibus immundis, redimet juxta aestimationem tuam, et addet quintam partem ejus ultra eam, et si non redimatur, vendatur juxta aestimationem tuam.

28. Notwithstanding no devoted thing that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.

28. Veruntamen omne anathema quod consecrabit aliquis Jehovae ex onmibus quae habet, de hominibus et animalibus, et de agris possessionis suae, non vendetur neque redimetur. Omne enim anathema sanetitas sane titatum erit Jehovah.

29. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.

29. Omne anathema quod consecrabitur de hominibus non redimetur: moriendo morietur.