Summary
In Numbers 30, Moses delivers the Law of vows, explaining that a man’s oath to the LORD must be fulfilled and that the LORD will forgive if the man fails to keep it. The chapter turns to women: a young daughter’s vow made in her father’s house is upheld only if the father acknowledges it; if he rejects it, the vow is void and she is forgiven. A married woman’s vow is validated by her husband’s silence; if he disallows it, the vow is annulled and she is forgiven. Widows and divorced women’s vows stand regardless of their former spouse’s consent. The law also covers vows made in a husband’s house and outlines how a husband may either confirm or void vows, and the consequences of voiding them after hearing. These statutes define the relational authority over vows, the conditions for their enforceability, and the possibility of divine forgiveness when authority objects.