Numbers 30:3-4

Vows Made by Single Women

30:3 “If a young ¹  woman who is still living ²  in her father’s house makes a vow to the Lord or places herself under an obligation, 30:4 and her father hears of her vow or the obligation to which she has pledged herself, and her father remains silent about her, ³  then all her vows will stand, ⁴  and every obligation to which she has pledged herself will stand.

Numbers 30:10

30:10 If she made the vow in her husband’s house or put herself under obligation with an oath,

Matthew 23:16

23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. ⁵  But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’

Matthew 23:18

23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. ⁶  But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’

Acts 23:12

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ⁷  the Jews formed ⁸  a conspiracy ⁹  and bound themselves with an oath ¹⁰  not to eat or drink anything ¹¹  until they had killed Paul.

Acts 23:14

23:14 They ¹²  went ¹³  to the chief priests ¹⁴  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ¹⁵  not to partake ¹⁶  of anything until we have killed Paul.

Acts 23:21

23:21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, ¹⁷  because more than forty of them ¹⁸  are lying in ambush ¹⁹  for him. They ²⁰  have bound themselves with an oath ²¹  not to eat or drink anything ²²  until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” ²³ 

[30:3]  ¹ tn The qualification comes at the end of the verse, and simply says “in her youth.”

[30:3]  ² tn The Hebrew text just has “in her father’s house” and not “who is still living,” but that is the meaning of the line.

[30:4]  ³ tn The intent of this expression is that he does not object to the vow.

[30:4]  ⁴ tn The verb קוּם (qum) is best translated “stand” here, but the idea with it is that what she vows is established as a genuine oath with the father’s approval (or acquiescence).

[23:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.”

[23:18]  ⁶ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”

[23:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ⁸ tn Grk “forming a conspiracy, bound.” The participle ποιήσαντες (poihsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:12]  ⁹ tn L&N 30.72 has ‘some Jews formed a conspiracy’ Ac 23:12”; BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 has “Judeans came together in a mob 23:12. But in the last pass. the word may also mean – 2. the product of a clandestine gathering, plot, conspiracy” (see also Amos 7:10; Ps 63:3).

[23:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” On such oaths see m. Shevi’it 3:1-5. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[23:12]  ¹¹ tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:14]  ¹² tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:14]  ¹³ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ¹⁴ sn They went to the chief priests. The fact that the high priest knew of this plot and did nothing shows the Jewish leadership would even become accomplices to murder to stop Paul. They would not allow Roman justice to take its course. Paul’s charge in v. 3 of superficially following the law is thus shown to be true.

[23:14]  ¹⁵ tn Or “bound ourselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” The pleonastic use ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (literally “we have cursed ourselves with a curse”) probably serves as an intensifier following Semitic usage, and is represented in the translation by the word “solemn.” On such oaths see m. Nedarim 3:1, 3.

[23:14]  ¹⁶ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “do not be persuaded by them.” The passive construction μὴ πεισθῇς αὐτοῖς (mh peisqh" autoi") has been converted to an active construction in the translation, and the phrase “to do this” supplied to indicate more clearly the object of their persuasion.

[23:21]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “forty men of them.” In the expression ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες (ex autwn andre") “men” is somewhat redundant and has not been included in the English translation.

[23:21]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.

[23:21]  ²⁰ tn Grk “for him, who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:21]  ²¹ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone… ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.”

[23:21]  ²² tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:21]  ²³ tn Grk “waiting for your approval,” “waiting for your agreement.” Since it would be possible to misunderstand the literal translation “waiting for your approval” to mean that the Jews were waiting for the commander’s approval to carry out their plot or to kill Paul (as if he were to be an accomplice to their plot), the object of the commander’s approval (their request to bring Paul to the council) has been specified in the translation as “their request.”