Numbers 30:5

30:5 But if her father overrules her when he hears ¹  about it, then none ²  of her vows or her obligations which she has pledged for herself will stand. And the Lord will release ³  her from it, because her father overruled her.

Numbers 30:8

30:8 But if when her husband hears it he overrules her, then he will nullify ⁴  the vow she has taken, ⁵  and whatever she uttered impulsively which she has pledged for herself. And the Lord will release her from it.

Joshua 2:17-20

2:17 The men said to her, “We are not bound by this oath you made us swear unless the following conditions are met: ⁶  2:18 When we invade the land ⁷ , tie this red rope ⁸  in the window through which you let us down, and gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and all who live in your father’s house. ⁹  2:19 Anyone who leaves your house will be responsible for his own death – we are innocent in that case! ¹⁰  But if anyone with you in the house is harmed, we will be responsible. ¹¹  2:20 If you should report what we’ve been up to, ¹²  we are not bound by this oath you made us swear.”

Joshua 9:20

9:20 We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we swore to them.” ¹³ 

John 8:32

8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ¹⁴ 

[30:5]  ¹ tn The idiom is “in the day of,” but it is used in place of a preposition before the infinitive construct with its suffixed subjective genitive. The clause is temporal.

[30:5]  ² tn The Hebrew “all will not stand” is best rendered “none will stand.”

[30:5]  ³ tn The verb has often been translated “forgive” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV, NLT), but that would suggest a sin that needed forgiving. The idea of “release from obligation” is better; the idea is like that of having a debt “forgiven” or “retired.” In other words, she is free from the vow she had made. The Lord will not hold the woman responsible to do what she vowed.

[30:8]  ⁴ tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive from the verb פָּרַר (parar, “to annul”). The verb functions here as the equivalent of an imperfect tense; here it is the apodosis following the conditional clause – if this is the case, then this is what will happen.

[30:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “which [she is] under it.”

[2:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “We are free from this oath of yours which you made us swear.” The words “unless the following conditions are met” are not in the Hebrew text, but are added for clarification.

[2:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “Look! We are about to enter the land.”

[2:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “the cord of this red thread.”

[2:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “and your father and your mother and your brothers and all the house of your father gather to yourself to the house.”

[2:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Anyone who goes out from the doors of your house to the outside, his blood is on his head. We are innocent.”

[2:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “But anyone who is with you in the house, his blood is on our head if a hand should be on him.”

[2:20]  ¹² tn Heb “and if you report this matter of ours.”

[9:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “This is what we will do to them, keeping them alive so there will not be upon us anger concerning the oath which we swore to them.”

[8:32]  ¹⁴ tn Or “the truth will release you.” The translation “set you free” or “release you” (unlike the more traditional “make you free”) conveys more the idea that the hearers were currently in a state of slavery from which they needed to be freed. The following context supports precisely this idea.