Numbers 30:3

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,

Numbers 30:10

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

Numbers 30:13

30:13 “Any vow or sworn obligation that would bring affliction to her, ³  her husband can confirm or nullify. ⁴ 

Numbers 30:11

30:11 and her husband heard about it, but remained silent about her, and did not overrule her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation which she pledged for herself will stand.

[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.

[30:13]  ³ tn The sentence uses the infinitive construct לְעַנֹּת (lÿ’annot, “to afflict”), which is the same word used in the instructions for the day of atonement in which people are to afflict themselves (their souls). The case here may be that the woman would take a religious vow on such an occasion to humble herself, to mortify her flesh, to abstain from certain things, perhaps even sexual relations within marriage.

[30:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “or her husband can nullify.”