Matthew Poole and continuators on Numbers 30

1 AND Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes , concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.

The chief Rulers of each Tribe, who were to communicate it to the rest.

2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD , or swear an oath to bind his Soul with a bond , he shall not break his word , he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his own mouth .

Which notes both the Sex, as appears by v. 3. and the Age, that he be grown up, for none can be so weak as to think the vow of a young Child would bind it.

i. e. A simple vow to do something possible and lawful.

To the Honour and Service of God.

Confirm his Vow by an Oath.

To restrain himself from something otherwise lawful, as suppose from such a sort of Meat or Drink; or to oblige himself to the performance of something otherwise not necessary, as to observe a private day of fasting.

Heb. not pollute, or prophane his word, as the same phrase is used, Psal. 55. 20. and 89. 34. i. e. not render his word, and consequently himself prophane, or vile and contemptible in the eyes of others.

And that without delay, Deut. 23. 21. Eccles. 5. 4. provided the thing be not unlawful and forbidden by God, Act. 23. 14. for it is an idle conceit that a man can give away Gods right, or that he can make void Gods commands by his own vows, which was the dotage of the Pharisees, Mark 6. 23, 26.

Marginal references: Heb. profan[illegible: 1+ letters].

3 If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind her self by a bond, being in her fathers house , in her youth :

Or a man in the same circumstances, a son or a servant, as plainly appears from hence, because the reason of this Law is perfectly the same in both Sexes, which is, that such persons have given away what was not their own, but anothers, even their superiours right, which is against the Rule and Law of Natural Reason, and against the Word of God, which binds all persons to give to every one their due. He instanceth only in the Woman, because that Sex is both by Creation and Sin put into a state of subjection, but under the chief and most unquestionable kind all other Subjects in like circumstances are comprehended, as is very usual.

(i e.) Under his Care, Power, and Government which she is, whilest she continues in her Fathers House, being a Virgin, as appears by the opposition of a married Woman, v. 6. and of a Widow, and Divorced Woman, v 9. and by this Phrase of being in her Fathers house, for when she marries, she is removed into her Husbands house, Ruth 1. 9. Or, being in, or of her Fathers Family, the word House being commonly used for Family, for when she marries, she is translated and removed into another Family.

When not onely her Sex, but her Age disenables her for vowing, and this clause is added not by way of restriction, as if Virgins in their riper year[illegible: 1+ letters] were freed from their Parents jurisdiction, and at their own disposal, (which undoubtedly they are not) but by way of addition, or amplification, q. d. especially (which particle is here to be understood, such defects of particles being frequent in the Hebrew Tongue) in her youth, which is commonly reckoned about her Twelfth or Thirteenth year.

4 And her father hear her vow, and her bond, wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her : then all her vows shall stand, and every bond, wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand :

Under which Title seem to be comprehended, as in other places of Scripture, Masters, Magistrates, and all other superiours, in such cases wherein their right is given away by the inferiour vow, as for instance, when a Servant vows to go a long journey for his Friend, and his Master will not permit him to do so, but not in other cases; as if a Servant vows to do something for another in that time which his Master alloweth to his own use and disposal, in this case his vow binds him, but not in the former.

His silence being an interpretative consent, and much more if he declares his approbation of it.

i. e. Be established, or confirmed, or be in force.

5 But if her Father disallow her in the day that he heareth ; not any of her vows, or of her bonds, wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the LORD shall forgive her : because her Father disallowed her.

i. e. Speedily, or without delay, allowing onely necessary and convenient time for deliberation. And it is hereby intimated that the day or time he had for disallowing her vow, was not to be reckoned from her vowing, but from his hearing, or knowledge of her vow

Or will forgive either her rashness of making such vows, or rather her not performing of it. But this is to be understood only of such vows which could not be performed without invading the Fathers, or Superiours right; for if one should vow to forbear such, or such a sin, and all unnecessary occasions or means leading to it, and to perform such, or such duties, when he had opportunity, no Father, nor Superiour can discharge him from such vows.

6 And if she had at all an husband when she vowed , or uttered ought out of her lips , wherewith she bound her soul;

To whose Will and Authority she was thereby made subject.

To wit, when she was in her Fathers house, as is evident by comparing v. 10. and this clause seems to be added by way of exception to that which was said, v. 3, 4. to signifie, that though she were in her Fathers house, yet if she were married, her Husband onely, and not her Father, could disoblige her from her vow.

Either 1. By way of vow, and so this clause explains and determines the former, i. e. if she express her vow in words. Or 2. By way of Oath, concerning which this same phrase is used Levit. 5. 4. and so this clause is distinct from the former, which the disjunctive particle, or, implies.

Marginal references: Heb. Her vows were upon her.

9 But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced , wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.

Though she be in her Fathers house, whether such persons oft returned: which limitation may be gathered both from the opposition of her being in her Husbands house, v. 10. and from hence, that this was the onely doubtful case▪ for if such a person was not in her Father's house, she was unquestionably bound by it, but being now freed from her Husband, and returned to her Father, it was doubtful whether she was not returned to the same state of subiection in which she was before, and consequently unable to make or perform a vow without her Fathers consent, as she was before, which is here denyed.

10 And if she vowed in her husbands house , or bound her soul by a bond with an oath;

i. e. If she that now is a Widow, or divorced made that vow whilest her Husband lived with her; as suppose she then vowed, that if she was left a Widow, she would give such a proportion of her estate to pious or charitable uses, of which vow she might repent when she came to be a Widow, and might believe or pretend she was free from it, because that vow was made in her Husbands life time, which is here granted, in case her Husband then disallowed it, but denyed, in case by silence, or otherwise he consented to it. And thus this Law is sufficiently distinguished from that above, v. 6, 7, 8.

13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul , her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.

i. e. Her self by fasting, which oft goes under that name, as Levit. 16. 29, 31. and 23. 27, 32. Isa. 58. 5. by watching, or the like. And these words are added not for limitation, for it is manifest from v. 5, 8, 10, 12. that the power of Parents and Husbands was more general and large, but for amplification, to shew that the Husband had this power not onely in those vows which concerned himself or his estate, but also in those which might seem onely to concern her own person, or Body. And the reason hereof is, because the Wives person or body being the Husbands right, she might not do any thing to the injury of her Body without his consent.

15 But if he shall any wayes make them void, after that he hath heard them , then he shall bear her Iniquity .

And approved them by his silence from day to day, if now after that time spent, he shall upon further thoughts dislike and hinder it, which he ought not to do.

Her non-performance of her vow shall be imputed to him, not to her.