Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 5:4
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
4. When thou vowest a vow unto God ] The words are almost a reproduction of Deu 23:22-24. They point to a time when vows, such as are here referred to, entered largely into men’s personal religion. Memorable instances of such vows are found in the lives of Jacob (Gen 28:20), Jephthah (Jdg 11:30), Saul (1Sa 14:24). In later Judaism they came into a fresh prominence, as seen especially in the Corban of Mar 7:11, the revival of the Nazarite vow (Act 18:18; Act 20:23; Joseph. Wars ii. 15, p. 1), and the oath or anathema of Act 23:21; and one of the treatises of the Mishna ( Nedarim) was devoted to an exhaustive casuistic treatment of the whole subject. In Mat 5:23 we find the recognised rule of the Pharisees, “Thou shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths,” as the conclusion of the whole matter. This the Debater also affirmed, but he, in his deeper wisdom, went further, and bade men to consider well what kind of vows they made.
for he hath no pleasure in fools ] The construction of the sentence in the Hebrew is ambiguous, and may give either (1) that suggested by the interpolated words in the A. V., or (2) “ there is no pleasure in fools,” i.e. they please neither God nor man, or (3) “ there is no fixed purpose in fools,” i.e. they are unstable in their vows as in everything else. Of these interpretations (2) has most to commend it. In Pro 20:25, “It is a snare after vows to make inquiry,” we have a striking parallel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ecc 5:4-5
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it.
Of remembering and keeping our vows
One of the greatest inconveniences to which men are exposed in the various transactions of life, one of the greatest hindrances in their performance of duty, is forgetfulness: and this may be owing, partly to a defective constitution of mind, more frequently to habits of inattention and wilful neglect. A benefactor confers upon us a distinguished favour: we feel deeply sensible of the obligation, and sure that it must always be remembered; we venture to pledge ourselves that such will be the case; our own interest is greatly concerned that it should be so; the continued good-will and kindness of our friend depend upon it: and yet, when the benefit is past, and not seldom even while it is enjoyed, we are led to bestow scarcely a thought upon the hand from which our bounty has been supplied. None of us will deny our obligations to God for the blessings of His providence and the riches of His grace; and probably there are few of us, who have not been at some time or other so powerfully affected by a consideration of the Lords dealings with us, as to have entered into some resolutions before Him, and made some promises of honouring and serving Him. But how soon have these hopeful convictions lost their power; how soon has the enemy, who was watching all the while with jealousy over them, caught away that which was sown in their heart, and scattered it to the winds. The gains and pleasures, the corrupt indulgences, the fashionable follies of the world, have rushed in like a flood, and swept from them the very recollection of their promised change. If we could have kept a register of our thoughts and purposes, no doubt we should find, upon consulting it, that we had repeatedly, in the course of our lives, made our resolutions, and avowed our purposes in the sight of Heaven, to walk more humbly and faithfully with our God, and to live for eternity. And though we have long ago dismissed these matters from our minds, and no longer trouble ourselves either with the promised obligations, or our forgetfulness of them, yet are they standing before God in living characters, which no time can efface or alter. The sentiments, and affections, and conduct, which we saw necessary for us years ago, continue to be equally necessary, though they are no longer felt; our feelings may be changed and gone, but there is no change in duty: whatever it was wise and good for us to promise, that we are now as much bound to perform, as we were when the promise was originally made; and God will demand it at our hands. There is one momentous occasion of our lives to which most of us may carry back our thoughts with peculiar advantage; one occasion on which we certainly did, in the most open, and solemn, and unqualified manner, pledge ourselves to God in the presence of His Church and people; and that was when we took upon ourselves the vows and promises, which were made for us at our baptism, when we were confirmed. This is a transaction and a service upon which we ought to dwell with great solemnity and frequency. It is incumbent on me to say a word to those who are about to take upon themselves the promises and vows made at their baptism. Let the matter be well weighed: let it be soberly considered that they are going to give a promise and a pledge to the God of truth; to declare that they are fully sensible of the engagement which has been made for them, and are willing to take it wholly upon themselves; to declare that, for the remainder of their days, they wilt walk worthily, by the help of the Lord of that new and holy state into which they were baptized. Now, that this is a most serious, important, and awful engagement, no one, who is come to years of discretion, can fail to perceive. Let all them be assured, that if this solemn vow be earnestly made and faithfully kept, God will be their friend, and He will save them: if this solemn vow be trifled with and broken, God will punish such mockery, and will become their enemy, and they may perish everlastingly. Certainly we may say, in this case, if in any, Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. (J. Slade, M. A.)
The vow
The vow is a form of prayer. It is a prayer with an obligation. The worshipper wants something, and, either that he may get it or that he may show his gratitude, he resolves to do a certain thing. In the Old Testament economy the vow was a common form of worship. There was something in it suited to those lower and feebler views of God which obtained in the infancy of the Church. The chief objection to it is, that it lays a man under a bond to do what should always spring from love; that it is likely to be put as a full satisfaction for the religious obligations of the Christian, which yet include the whole life and being; and that there is in it an assumption that, if we do not make the vow, the obligation on our part is not incurred; whereas this is not so, for I may say that whatever is lawful for us to vow is always right for us to do, even if we had not made the vow. Rashness and inconsiderateness should not lead us to make any vow, either which we cannot keep, which we will not keep, or which it would be unlawful for us to keep, for such, translated into our language, is no doubt the essential meaning of those words–Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel,–that is, the messenger of God, the minister, the priest, who was cognizant of the making of the vow,–that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands? We are cautioned here not only against rash vows, but against unconsidered and voluminous prayers. Be not rash nor hasty: let thy words be few. Our Saviour cautioned against vain repetitions. Several gross vices in prayer are here indicated. First, voluminous prayer is to be guarded against–the utterance of the same request in many forms, as though God should be affected with the variety and quantity of speech! This, when done as a duty, is an evil; when done for pretence, is a hypocrisy. When we go to God, we should go with some petition which we want granted. We should know what it is; and if we have many petitions, we should have them arranged in proper order, and we should express them simply. There is much prayer without desire; and if God would grant many petitions which are offered up, many a worshipper would be greatly amazed and sadly disappointed. Take for instance our prayers for a new nature, for spiritual-mindedness. Well, we are afraid that there are prayers lying at the back of these petitions giving them the negative. The petitioners do not think there is not a good and a benefit in these things, but they do not want them for themselves, at least not now. A new nature is just what they do not want, but a little more indulgence of the old. They are as full of worldly-mindedness as they can be, and do not wish to have it destroyed. What then? Should we cease to offer up such prayers? No! But what we should do is this: try to get such views of the nature of things sought to be got rid of as shall lead to earnestness in our petitions against them, and to get such views of the blessings prayed for as shall lead us really to desire them. We require to study, that our prayers be of the right kind–that they be not mere verbiage; and, as in going before men for any favour, our words should be few, and well ordered. About the exercise of prayer there are great difficulties, which can only be surmounted by previous study, by constant watchfulness, and by a simple reliance on the Spirit of God, as the source from whom all our inspirations flow. (J. Bonnet.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 4. When thou vowest a vow] When in distress and difficulty, men are apt to promise much to God if he will relieve them; but generally forget the vow when the distress or trouble is gone by.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
A vow; which is a solemn promise, whereby a man binds himself to do something which is in his power to do.
Defer not to pay it; perform it whilst the sense of thine obligation is fresh and strong upon thee, lest either thou seem to repent of thy promises, or lest delays end in denials and resolutions of non-performance. See Num 30:2; Deu 23:21; Psa 66:13,14; 66:11.
In fools; in hypocritical and perfidious persons, who, when they are in distress, make liberal vows, and when the danger is past, neglect and break them; whom he calls fools, partly because it is the highest folly to despise and provoke, to think to mock and deceive, the all-seeing and almighty God; and partly in opposition to the contrary opinion of such persons, who think they deal wisely and cunningly in serving themselves of God, by getting the advantage or deliverance which they desire by making such vows, and yet avoiding the inconvenience and charge of payment when once the work is done, whereas nothing is more impious or ridiculous than such an imagination.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. When thou vowest a vow untoGodHasty words in prayer (Ecc 5:2;Ecc 5:3) suggest the subject ofhasty vows. A vow should not be hastily made (Jdg 11:35;1Sa 14:24). When made, it must bekept (Ps 76:11), even as Godkeeps His word to us (Exo 12:41;Exo 12:51; Jos 21:45).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
When thou vowest a vow unto God,…. Or “if thou vowest” r, as the Vulgate Latin version; for vows are free and indifferent things, which persons may make or not; there is no precept for them in the word of God; instances and examples there are, and they may be lawfully made, when they are in the power of man to perform, and are not inconsistent with the will and word of God; they have been made by good men, and were frequent in former times; but they seem not so agreeable to the Gospel dispensation, having a tendency to ensnare the mind, to entangle men, and bring on them a spirit of bondage, contrary to that liberty wherewith Christ has made them free; and therefore it is better to abstain from them: holy resolutions to do the will and work of God should be taken up in the strength of divine grace; but to vow this, or that, or the other thing, which a man previous to his vow is not obliged unto, had better be let alone: but however, when a vow is made that is lawful to be done,
defer not to pay it; that is, to God, to whom it is made, who expects it, and that speedily, as Hannah paid hers; no excuses nor delays should be made;
for [he hath] no pleasure in fools; that is, the Lord hath no pleasure in them, he will not be mocked by them; he will resent such treatment of him, as to vow and not pay, or defer payment and daily, with him. So the Targum,
“for the Lord hath no pleasure in fools, because, they defer their vows, and do not pay;”
pay that which thou hast vowed; precisely and punctually; both as to the matter, manner, and time of it.
r “si quid vovisti”, V. L.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“When thou hast made a vow to God, delay not to fulfil it; for there is no pleasure in fools: that which thou hast vowed fulfil. Better that thou vowest not, than that thou vowest and fulfillest not. Let not thy mouth bring thy body into punishment; and say not before the messenger of God that it was precipitation: why shall God be angry at thy talk, and destroy the work of thy hands? For in many dreams and words there are also many vanities: much rather fear God!” If they abstained, after Shabbath 30 b, from treating the Book of Koheleth as apocryphal, because it begins with (cf. at Ecc 1:3) and closes in the same way, and hence warrants the conclusion that that which lies between will also be , this is in a special manner true of the passage before us regarding the vow which, in thought and expression, is the echo of Deu 23:22-24. Instead of kaasher tiddor , we find there the words ki tiddor ; instead of lelohim (= leelohim , always only of the one true God), there we have lahovah elohecha ; and instead of al – teahher , there lo teahher . There the reason is: “for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee;” here: for there is no pleasure in fools, i.e., it is not possible that any one, not to speak of God, could have a particular inclination toward fools, who speak in vain, and make promises in which their heart is not, and which they do not keep. Whatever thou vowest, continues Koheleth, fulfil it; it is better (Ewald, 336 a) that thou vowest not, than to vow and not to pay; for which the Tra says: “If thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee” (Deu 23:22). , which, according to the stem-word, denotes first the vow of consecration of setting apart (cogn. Arab. nadar , to separate, , whence ), the so-called [ vid. Num 30:3], is here a vow in its widest sense; the author, however, may have had, as there, the law (cf. Ecc 5:2-4), especially shalme neder , in view, i.e., such peace-offerings as the law does not enjoin, but which the offerer promises (cogn. with the shalme nedavah , i.e., such as rest on free-will, but not on any obligation arising from a previous promise) from his own inclination, for the event that God may do this or that for him. The verb is not, however, related to this name for sacrifices, as is to , but denotes the fulfilling or discharge as a performance fully accordant with duty. To the expression … (twice occurring in the passage of Deut. referred to above) there is added the warning: let not thy mouth bring thy body into sin. The verb nathan , with Lamed and the inf. following, signifies to allow, to permit, Gen 20:6; Jdg 1:34; Job 31:30. The inf. is with equal right translated: not to bring into punishment; for – the syncop. Hiph. of which, according to an old, and, in the Pentateuch, favourite form, is – signifies to sin, and also ( e.g., Gen 39:9; cf. the play on the word, Hos 8:11) to expiate sin; sin-burdened and guilty, or liable to punishment, mean the same thing. Incorrectly, Ginsburg, Zck., and others: “Do not suffer thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin;” for (1) the formula: “the flesh sins,” is not in accordance with the formation of O.T. ideas; the N.T., it is true, uses the expression , Rom 8:3, but not , that which sins is not the flesh, but the will determined by the flesh, or by fleshly lust; (2) the mouth here is not merely that which leads to sin, but the person who sins through thoughtless haste, – who, by his haste, brings sin upon his flesh, for this suffers, for the breach of vow, by penalties inflicted by God; the mouth is, like the eye and the hand, a member of the (Mat 5:24.), which is here called ; the whole man in its sensitive nature (opp. , Ecc 2:3; Ecc 11:10; Pro 14:30) has to suffer chastisement on account of that which the mouth hath spoken. Gesen. compares this passage, correctly, with Deu 24:4, for the meaning peccati reum facere ; Isa 29:21 is also similar.
The further warning refers to the lessening of the sin of a rash vow unfulfilled as an unintentional, easily expiable offence: “and say not before the messenger of God that it was a , a sin of weakness.” Without doubt hammalach is an official byname of a priest, and that such as was in common use at the time of the author. But as for the rest, it is not easy to make the matter of the warning clear. That it is not easy, may be concluded from this, that with Jewish interpreters it lies remote to think of a priest in the word hammalach . By this word the Targ. understands the angel to whom the execution of the sentence of punishment shall be committed on the day of judgment; Aben Ezra: the angel who writes down all the words of a man; similarly Jerome, after his Jewish teacher. Under this passage Ginsburg has an entire excursus regarding the angels. The lxx and Syr. translate “before God,” as if the words of the text were , Psa 138:1, or as if hammalach could of itself mean God, as presenting Himself in history. Supposing that hammalach is the official name of a man, and that of a priest, we appear to be under the necessity of imagining that he who is charged with the obligation of a vow turns to the priest with the desire that he would release him from it, and thus dissolve (bibl. , Mishnic ) the vow. But there is no evidence that the priests had the power of releasing from vows. Individual cases in which a husband can dissolve the vow of his wife, and a father the vow of his daughter, are enumerated in Num 30; besides, in the traditional law, we find the sentence: “A vow, which one who makes it repents of, can be dissolved by a learned man ( ), or, where none is present, by three laymen,” Bechoroth 36 b; the matter cannot be settled by any middle person ( ), but he who has taken the vow ( ) must appear personally, Jore deah c. 228, 16. Of the priest as such nothing is said here. Therefore the passage cannot at all be traditionally understood of an official dissolution of an oath. Where the Talm. applies it juristically, Shabbath 32 b, etc., Rashi explains hammalach by gizbar shel – haqdesh , i.e., treasurer of the revenues of the sanctuary; and in the Comm. to Koheleth he supposes that some one has publicly resolved on an act of charity ( ), i.e., has determined it with himself, and that now the representative of the congregation ( ) comes to demand it. But that is altogether fanciful. If we proceed on the idea that liphne hammalach is of the same meaning as liphne hakkohen , Lev 27:8, Lev 27:11; Num 9:6; Num 27:2, etc., we have then to derive the figure from such passages relating to the law of sacrifice as Num 15:22-26, from which the words ki shegagah hi (Num 15:25) originate. We have to suppose that he who has made a vow, and has not kept it, comes to terms with God with an easier and less costly offering, since in the confession ( ) which he makes before the priest he explains that the vow was a shegagah , a declaration that inconsiderately escaped him. The author, in giving it to be understood that under these circumstances the offering of the sacrifice is just the direct contrary of a good work, calls to the conscience of the inconsiderate : why should God be angry on account of thy voice with which thou dost excuse thy sins of omission, and destroy ( vid., regarding under Isa 10:27) the work of thy hands ( vid., under Psa 90:17), for He destroys what thou hast done, and causes to fail what thou purposest? The question with lammah resembles those in Ezr 4:22; Ezr 7:23, and is of the same kind as at Ecc 7:16.; it leads us to consider what a mad self-destruction that would be (Jer 44:7, cf. under Isa 1:5).
The reason for the foregoing admonition now following places the inconsiderate vow under the general rubric of inconsiderate words. We cannot succeed in interpreting Ecc 5:6 [7] (in so far as we do not supply, after the lxx and Syr. with the Targ.: ne credas ; or better, with Ginsburg, = it is) without taking one of the vavs in the sense of “also.” That the Heb. vav, like the Greek , the Lat. et , may have this comparative or intensifying sense rising above that which is purely copulative, is seen from e.g., Num 9:14, cf. also Jos 14:11. In many cases, it is true, we are not under the necessity of translating vav by “also;” but since the “and” here does not merely externally connect, but expresses correlation of things homogeneous, an “also” or a similar particle involuntarily substitutes itself for the “and,” e.g., Gen 17:20 (Jerome): super Ismael quoque ; Exo 29:8: filios quoque ; Deu 1:32: et nec sic quidem credidistis ; Deu 9:8: nam et in Horeb ; cf. Jos 15:19; 1Sa 25:43; 2Sa 19:25; 1Ki 2:22; 1Ki 11:26; Isa 49:6, “I have also given to thee.” But there are also passages in which it cannot be otherwise translated than by “also.” We do not reckon among these Psa 31:12, where we do not translate “also my neighbours,” and Amo 4:10, where the words are to be translated, “and that in your nostrils.” On the contrary, Isa 32:7 is scarcely otherwise to be translated than “also when the poor maketh good his right,” like 2Sa 1:23, “also in their death they are not divided.” In 2Ch 27:5, in like manner, the two vavs are scarcely correlative, but we have, with Keil, to translate, “also in the second and third year.” And in Hos 8:6, , at least according to the punctuation, signifies “also it,” as Jerome translates: ex Israele et ipse est . According to the interpunction of the passage before us, is the pred., and thus, with the Venet., is to be translated: “For in many dreams and vanities there are also many words.” We could at all events render the vav, as also at Ecc 10:11; Exo 16:6, as vav apod.; but has not the character of a virtual antecedent, – the meaning of the expression remains as for the rest the same; but Hitzig’s objection is of force against it (as also against Ewald’s disposition of the words, like the of Symmachus, Jerome, and Luther: “for where there are many dreams, there are also vanities, and many words”), that it does not accord with the connection, which certainly in the first place requires a reason referable to inconsiderate talk, and that the second half is, in fact, erroneous, for between dreams and many words there exists no necessary inward mutual relation. Hitzig, as Knobel before him, seeks to help this, for he explains: “for in many dreams are also vanities, i.e., things from which nothing comes, and (the like) in many words.” But not only is this assumed carrying forward of the doubtful, but the principal thing would be made a secondary matter, and would drag heavily. The relation in _Ecc 5:2 is different where vav is that of comparison, and that which is compared follows the comparison. Apparently the text (although the lxx had it before them, as it is before us) has undergone dislocation, and is thus to be arranged: : for in many dreams and many words there are also vanities, i.e., illusions by which one deceives himself and others. Thus also Bullock renders, but without assigning a reason for it. That dreams are named first, arises from a reference back to Ecc 5:2, according to which they are the images of what a man is externally and mentally busied and engaged with. But the principal stress lies on , to which also the too rash, inconsiderate vows belong. The pred. , however, connects itself with “vanity of vanities,” which is Koheleth’s final judgment regarding all that is earthly. The following connects itself with the thought lying in 6 a, that much talk, like being much given to dreams, ought to be avoided: it ought not to be; much rather ( imo, Symm. ) fear God, Him before whom one should say nothing, but that which contains in it the whole heart.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Obligation of a Vow. | |
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. 8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
Four things we are exhorted to in these verses:–
I. To be conscientious in paying our vows.
1. A vow is a bond upon the soul (Num. xxx. 2), by which we solemnly oblige ourselves, not only, in general, to do that which we are already bound to do, but, in some particular instances, to do that to do which we were not under any antecedent obligation, whether it respects honouring God or serving the interests of his kingdom among men. When, under the sense of some affliction (Ps. lxvi. 14), or in the pursuit of some mercy (1 Sam. i. 11), thou hast vowed such a vow as this unto God, know that thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord and thou canst not go back; therefore, (1.) Pay it; perform what thou hast promised; bring to God what thou hast dedicated and devoted to him: Pay that which thou hast vowed; pay it in full and keep not back any part of the price; pay it in kind, do not alter it or change it, so the law was, Lev. xxvii. 10. Have we vowed to give our own selves unto the Lord? Let us then be as good as our word, act in his service, to his glory, and not sacrilegiously alienate ourselves. (2.) Defer not to pay it. If it be in the power of thy hands to pay it to-day, leave it not till to-morrow; do not beg a day, nor put it off to a more convenient season. By delay the sense of the obligation slackens and cools, and is in danger of wearing off; we thereby discover a loathness and backwardness to perform our vow; and qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit–he who is not inclined to-day will be averse to-morrow. The longer it is put off the more difficult it will be to bring ourselves to it; death may not only prevent the payment, but fetch thee to judgment, under the guilt of a broken vow, Ps. lxxvi. 11.
2. Two reasons are here given why we should speedily and cheerfully pay our vows:– (1.) Because otherwise we affront God; we play the fool with him, as if we designed to put a trick upon him; and God has no pleasure in fools. More is implied than is expressed; the meaning is, He greatly abhors such fools and such foolish dealings. Has he need of fools? No; Be not deceived, God is not mocked, but will surely and severely reckon with those that thus play fast and loose with him. (2.) Because otherwise we wrong ourselves, we lose the benefit of the making of the vow, nay, we incur the penalty for the breach of it; so that it would have been better a great deal not to have vowed, more safe and more to our advantage, than to vow and not to pay. Not to have vowed would have been but an omission, but to vow and not pay incurs the guilt of treachery and perjury; it is lying to God, Acts v. 4.
II. To be cautious in making our vows. This is necessary in order to our being conscientious in performing them, v. 6. 1. We must take heed that we never vow anything that is sinful, or that may be an occasion of sin, for such a vow is ill-made and must be broken. Suffer not thy mouth, by such a vow, to cause thy flesh to sin, as Herod’s rash promise caused him to cut off the head of John the Baptist. 2. We must not vow that which, through the frailty of the flesh, we have reason to fear we shall not be able to perform, as those that vow a single life and yet know not how to keep their vow. Hereby, (1.) They shame themselves; for they are forced to say before the angel, It was an error, that either they did not mean or did not consider what they said; and, take it which way you will, it is bad enough. “When thou hast made a vow, do not seek to evade it, nor find excuses to get clear of the obligation of it; say not before the priest, who is called the angel or messenger of the Lord of hosts, that, upon second thoughts, thou hast changed thy mind, and desirest to be absolved from the obligation of thy vow; but stick to it, and do not seek a hole to creep out at.” Some by the angel understand the guardian angel which they suppose to attend every man and to inspect what he does. Others understand it of Christ, the Angel of the covenant, who is present with his people in their assemblies, who searches the heart, and cannot be imposed upon; provoke him not, for God’s name is in him, and he is represented as strict and jealous, Exo 23:20; Exo 23:21. (2.) They expose themselves to the wrath of God, for he is angry at the voice of those that thus lie unto him with their mouth and flatter him with their tongue, and is displeased at their dissimulation, and destroys the works of their hands, that is, blasts their enterprises, and defeats those purposes which, when they made these vows, they were seeking to God for the success of. If we treacherously cancel the words of our mouths, and revoke our vows, God will justly overthrow our projects, and walk contrary, and at all adventures, with those that thus walk contrary, and at all adventures with him. It is a snare to a man, after vows, to make enquiry.
III. To keep up the fear of God, v. 7. Many, of old, pretended to know the mind of God by dreams, and were so full of them that they almost made God’s people forget his name by their dreams (Jer 23:25; Jer 23:26); and many now perplex themselves with their frightful or odd dreams, or with other people’s dreams, as if they foreboded this or the other disaster. Those that heed dreams shall have a multitude of them to fill their heads with; but in them all there are divers vanities, as there are in many words, and the more if we regard them. “They are but like the idle impertinent chat of children and fools, and therefore never heed them; forget them; instead of repeating them lay no stress upon them, draw no disquieting conclusions from them, but fear thou God; have an eye to his sovereign dominion, set him before thee, keep thyself in his love, and be afraid of offending him, and then thou wilt not disturb thyself with foolish dreams.” The way not to be dismayed at the signs of heaven, nor afraid of the idols of the heathen, is to fear God as King of nations,Jer 10:2; Jer 10:5; Jer 10:7.
IV. With that to keep down the fear of man, v. 8. “Set God before thee, and then, if thou seest the oppression of the poor, thou wilt not marvel at the matter, nor find fault with divine Providence, nor think the worse of the institution of magistracy, when thou seest the ends of it thus perverted, nor of religion, when thou seest it will not secure men from suffering wrong.” Observe here, 1. A melancholy sight on earth, and such as cannot but trouble every good man that has a sense of justice and a concern for mankind, to see the oppression of the poor because they are poor and cannot defend themselves, and the violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, oppression under colour of law and backed with power. The kingdom in general may have a good government, and yet it may so happen that a particular province may be committed to a bad man, by whose mal-administration justice may be perverted; so hard it is for the wisest of kings, in giving preferments, to be sure of their men; they can but redress the grievance when it appears. 2. A comfortable sight in heaven. When things look thus dismal we may satisfy ourselves with this, (1.) That, though oppressors be high, God is above them, and in that very thing wherein they deal proudly, Exod. xviii. 11. God is higher than the highest of creatures, than the highest of princes, than the king that is higher than Agag (Num. xxiv. 7), than the highest angels, the thrones and dominions of the upper world. God is the Most High over all the earth, and his glory is above the heavens; before him princes are worms, the brightest but glow-worms. (2.) That, though oppressors be secure, God has his eye upon them, takes notice of, and will reckon for, all their violent perverting of judgment; he regards, not only sees it but observes it, and keeps it on record, to be called over again; his eyes are upon their ways. See Job xxiv. 23. (3.) That there is a world of angels, for there are higher than they, who are employed by the divine justice for protecting the injured and punishing the injurious. Sennacherib valued himself highly upon his potent army, but one angel proved too hard for him and all his forces. Some, by those that are higher than they understand the great council of the nation, the presidents to whom the princes of the provinces are accountable (Dan. vi. 2), the senate that receive complaints against the proconsuls, the courts above to which appeals are made from the inferior courts, which are necessary to the good government of a kingdom. Let it be a check to oppressors that perhaps their superiors on earth may call them to an account; however, God the Supreme in heaven will.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Ecc. 5:6. Before the angel] The representative of God in the Temple, i.e., the priest. Or it may be taken literally, as expressing the early belief of mankind that angels are invisible witnesses to our conduct, especially in Gods house. (1Co. 11:10).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Ecc. 5:4-7
RELIGIOUS TRIFLERS
There are some who do not distinctly oppose religion. They regard it, in some sense, necessary to them, and therefore observe its outward forms. But they are lacking in depth and serious purpose. They are but religious triflers. We have here the chief features of their character.
I. They are Forward in Offers of Service. (Ecc. 5:4.) Reference is here made to vows, which easily enhance a mans reputation for piety; and which fools, without due consideration, are ever ready to make. Want of seriousness leads to this irreverent trifling. Of these thoughtless religionists, we are taught,
1. That they are ever ready to make promises of stricter and more enlarged service. They would not lag behind the most ardent piety, and therefore declare their willingness to increase the bonds of obligation. In the time of peril, or when they desire some special good, they are ready to make the most solemn vows. But,
2. They fail when the demand of duty is made. In the powerful feelings of the time the largest promises are made, but they fail to fulfil their pious resolutions. They do not pay their vows. This arises
(1) From indolence and lack of spiritual vigour. They have not sufficient moral strength to carry on their purpose to the right issue. They have no abiding principlehence energy fails. It sometimes arises
(2) From avarice. They soon discover that in an unguarded moment they promised too much, and imagine that God can be put off with less. The strong feeling has cooled, and the sober fact of duty affrights them.
3. They are in a worse moral position than if the offer of service had never been made. (Ecc. 5:5.) To have omitted to vow at all was no sin. God is satisfied with a steady service, an even, constant devotion. But to over-estimate our moral strength only lands us upon new difficulties.
II. They are the Victims of Unreality.
1. They are deceived by words. (Ecc. 5:7.) They mistake words for things, the symbol of thought for the substance of it. Words are easily uttered, but when they are unreal, they lead the soul into a snare. How many are the victims of mere phrases!
2. They are morally corrupted by words. (Ecc. 5:6.) The mouth brings sin upon the flesh. The tongue has corrupted the whole man. Language reacts upon thought and feeling, and the habit of uttering hollow words only deepens the vain shadow in which such are walking.
3. They are altogether the slaves of imagination. (Ecc. 5:7.) Their words are but the flimsy and vanishing elements of a dream. Men of dreamy minds are unfit for the sober, and often prosaical, duties of life.
III. They are Cunning to Invent Excuses. When the hour arrives for performing the vow, they are ready with plausible excuses.
1. The plea of infirmity. They urge that the vow was, after all, a mistake. It was simply an error. (Ecc. 5:6.) The service was never really intended, but thoughtlessly promised in some sudden rush of feeling. Thus they excuse their forwardness and disown the obligation.
2. They are bold enough to urge their plea before the representatives of God. They say it before the angel. (Ecc. 5:6.) They enter the place of the holy, and before Gods appointed witnesses dare to present the plea of infirmity. They try to pass off a culpable rashness for a mere error.
IV. They are Exposed to the Divine Judgment.
1. They provoke the anger of God. He is the God of truth, and can have no pleasure in those whose words are unreal, and whose whole life is a delusion. The religious trifler misuses the gift of speech, employing it in sophistry and evasion. Hence he provokes eternal justice. God is angry at his voice. (Ecc. 5:6.)
2. Their conduct brings its own punishment. Such conduct must issue in the complete loss of their work. God will destroy it. (Ecc. 5:6.) Offended justice will reject their impertinent offers of service, and punishment fall upon those deceivers who profane holy things to serve the base uses of hypocrisy.
3. Their punishment can only be averted by the fear of God. (Ecc. 5:7.) This is the very soul of reverence. The foolsthe solemn triflers in the sanctuary of Godmust learn this fear, which is the beginning of wisdom. They must return to seriousness, truth, and reality. They must learn to respect the morality of wordsthe sacred proprieties of speech. All falsehood and unreality must be destroyed before life can be placed upon a permanent and safe foundation.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Ecc. 5:4. If Christians make voluntary vows at all, it should be with clear warrant from the Word, for purposes obviously attainable, and for limited periods of time. The man who vows to offer a certain prayer at a given hour for all his remaining life, may find it perfectly convenient for the next six months, but not for the next six years. The man who vows to pious uses half the income of the year may be safe, whereas the Jephthah who rashly devotes contingencies over which he has no control may pierce himself through with many sorrows. And whilst every believer feels it his reasonable service to present himself to God a living sacrifice, those who wish to walk in the liberty of sonship, will seek to make their dedication, as a child is devoted to his parents, not so much in the stringent precision of a legal document as in the daily forthgoings of a filial mind [Dr. J. Hamilton].
Promises to God should be prudently made, sincerely intended, and speedily fulfilled.
It is safest to allow the standing motives for duty their full operation. The seeking after a new stimulus may expose our piety to peril.
The contemplation of human folly, by the wise, raises the most loathsome images in the mind; how much more with him who is Infinite Wisdom!
Seek to maintain thy baptismal vows, wherein thou hast vows enough [Lange].
Frames of feeling and good words are but, at best, rudimentary virtue, until they are consummated in accomplished duty.
Ecc. 5:5. It is better to be slow in vowing than to be slow in paying. It is better to deliberate, and to hold long in suspense our doubtful resolution, than to be free and easy in our words, but hard and difficult in our works [Jermin].
By insincerity, or by some rash attempt to attain superior virtue, a man but injures his moral strength, and lowers himself to a position of less advantage.
Better to be satisfied with the ordinary lines of duty, than to run the risk of failure by attempting a more ambitious virtue.
The want of prudence is dangerous to every degree of goodness. Sobriety of mind and sincerity are the only solid foundations for a true life.
Some men cannot be restrained from placing themselves in positions where their folly is rendered conspicuous.
The Lord Jesus has often some severe tests for hasty disciples. How many does the profession of His religion place in a most serious spiritual position; showing them the rising path, yet exposing them to the risk of falling into the greatest depths! Better to remain in darkness, than to neglect to perform our days-work while we have the light.
Ecc. 5:6. The mouth causeth the flesh to sin when it promises what the flesh neither can nor will perform [Hansen].
A rash and ungovernable tongue can bring the whole body into bondage.
If we are not careful, our own words may become to us a delusion and a snare.
The tongue so far controls the whole man that, when it is tamed, he may be considered to have well nigh attained perfection.
Some are bold enough to utter the most hollow excuses before the messengers of God, as if they could thus compound for sin.
We must be careful what we reckon as sins of ignorance, lest our sin should remain and we be exposed to judgment.
Nothing in the religious character but what is based upon sincerity and truth can abide. All else shall be swept away by the Divine judgments, as the mountain torrent destroys the foundations of sand.
Ecc. 5:7. The fear of God is the best remedy against rashness. It instructs us in the lessons of prudence, and keeps alive in us a sense of the danger of insincerity.
The abuse of language has diversified sadly the vanities of life. Dreams and many words have led to serious evils. The interests of religious truth have suffered much from the vain imaginations of mendreamy speculations, and from mere wordy disputes.
The fear of God imparts true sobriety to the religious life, delivering it from vain and fruitless distractions, and empty efforts. The Great Teacher was frequent in censuring those who took up religion too lightly, and who made promises which they were likely to break.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(4) There is here a clear recognition of the passage in Deuteronomy. (See ref.; comp. Sir. 18:23.)
No pleasure in fools.Comp. Isa. 62:4.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. When thou vowest Vows are promises voluntarily made, not specifically required. They are positive when one promises to do or give something for a religious purpose; they are negative when one promises to abstain from any indulgence or gratification. The vow of the first kind is here spoken of. Under the warming influence of worship at the house of God one might make a vow from which, on cool and private reflection, he would recoil.
For he hath no pleasure in fools Better, There is no solid purpose in fools; and the man who wavers in the payment of a vow classifies himself with them.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ecc 5:4. For he hath no pleasure in fools For it is the property of fools to have no fixed will. Desvoeux. The Hebrew is, For no will in fools; and so the LXX render it.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 832
DUTY OF PAYING OUR VOWS
Ecc 5:4-5, When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou hast rowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
THE offering of vows was extremely common under the Mosaic dispensation; and many laws were instituted in relation to them. By them persons bound themselves to the performance of certain things which were not specifically appointed of God. Some were conditional, and depended on some mercy which should be previously bestowed by God [Note: Gen 28:20-22. 1Sa 1:11.]: and others were absolute, and to be performed by the persons at all events. Respecting vows made by persons who were under the government of others, especial provision was made, under what circumstances, and to what extent, they should be binding [Note: Num 30:3-15.]. In cases where the vows themselves were not lawful, the person sinned, whether he performed them or not [Note: ver. 6.]; and in some cases at least, the violation of them was less criminal than the observance [Note: Mat 14:6-10. Act 23:12.]: but where they were not in themselves contrary to any command of God, there they were to be punctually fulfilled, and without delay.
We propose, on the present occasion, to consider,
I.
The vows which you have made [Note: This is intended for an Address after Confirmation: but may be easily changed to a Preparatory Address.]
These are doubtless very comprehensive
[The things promised for us in our baptism, are contained under the following heads: first, that we should renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh: next, that we should believe all the articles of the Christian faith: and lastly, that we should keep Gods holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of our life. In our confirmation we take these vows upon ourselves. Let us consider them distinctly Let us often revolve them in our minds, and cry mightily to God for grace to assist us in the performance of them: for who is sufficient for these things [Note: It would be easy to divide this subject into three or four i closing the first at this place; making the remaining part of this head into a second; forming the second head into a third sermon; and the concluding address into a fourth.]? ]
But the duties to which they bind us are highly reasonable
[We universally consider children as bound to obey their parents, and servants their masters: but what parent has such a claim upon us as God, since from him we derive our whole existence and support? in him we live and move and have our being: or what master is entitled to such an unreserved compliance with his will, as God, whom all the angels in heaven obey? God himself founds his claim to our allegiance upon these very principles; A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if I then be a Father, where is mine honour? and if I be a Master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of Hosts [Note: Mal 1:6.]. And indeed the most unrestricted devotion of all our faculties to his service is expressly called by him, not only an acceptable, but a reasonable service [Note: Rom 12:1.].]
These duties are binding upon us independently of any vows which we may make respecting them
[They arise from our very relation to God as his creatures, and more especially as his redeemed people. The potter is undoubtedly entitled to the use of the vessels which his own hands have formed. Even if our services were ever so painful, we should have no right to complain: the thing formed could not, under any circumstances, presume to say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus [Note: Rom 9:20.]? But, as we have before observed, the whole of what we have taken upon ourselves is a truly reasonable service: and therefore it would be the height of impiety to hesitate for a moment in giving up ourselves unreservedly to God.
But God has redeemed us also, and that too by the blood of his only dear Son; We are not our own; we are bought with a price; and therefore we are bound from this consideration also to glorify God with our bodies and our spirits, which are his. It is not optional with us, whether we will surrender to him what he has so dearly purchased: we cannot alienate it, we cannot withhold it; whether we make any vow respecting it, or not, we are equally bound to employ all our faculties for God: and the only reason we wish you to take these vows upon you is, not to increase your obligations to serve him, much less to create obligations which did not exist before, but to impress your own minds with a sense of those duties which are indissolubly connected with every child of man.]
But to bind ourselves to these things by solemn vows is a duty truly and properly evangelical
[Some would imagine this to be a legal act: and if we were to engage in it with a view to establish a righteousness of our own, or with an idea of performing our duties in our own strength, it would then indeed be legal: but if, in. humble dependence on divine aid, we devote ourselves to God, it is no other act than that which God himself has specified as characterizing his people under the Gospel dispensation [Note: Isa 19:21.]. The very manner in which this act shall be performed is also specified; and it is particularly foretold, that all who are duly influenced by Gospel principles shall animate one another to the performance of it [Note: Jer 50:4-5.].]
Such then are the vows which we have made: they are comprehensive indeed, but highly reasonable, and relating only to things which are in themselves necessary; and the making of which is as much a duty under the Gospel dispensation, as ever it was under the Law.
We now proceed to notice,
II.
The importance of performing them
But how shall this be painted in any adequate terms? In it is bound up,
1.
Our comfort in life
[Many foolishly imagine, that a life devoted unto God must be one continued scene of melancholy. But is not the very reverse declared in Scripture? The work of righteousness is peace, says the prophet;, and the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance for ever. Yes, Godliness has the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come: and we will venture to appeal to the consciences of all, whether even the greatest despisers of religion do not think that truly pious people are happier than they? In the very nature of things it must be, that they who are delivered from the tyranny of their lusts are happier than those who are yet bond-slaves of sin and Satan: their minds must be more tranquil, and their consciences more serene. But if we take into the account, that God will manifest himself to his faithful servants as he does not unto the world, and shed abroad his love in their hearts, and fill them with a peace that passeth understanding, and joy that is unspeakable, we can have no doubt but that religions ways are ways of pleasantness, and that in keeping Gods commandments there is great reward. In proof of this, we need only see with what delight David contemplated the paying of his vows to God [Note: Psa 22:25; Psa 66:13-14.]: and the more we resemble him in the ardour of his piety, the more shall we resemble him also in the sublimity of his joys.]
2.
Our hope in death
[What must be the prospects of an ungodly man in his dying hour? When he looks back upon all his duties neglected, all his vows broken, and his eternal interests sacrificed to the things of time and sense, what must he think of the state to which he is hastening? He may try to comfort himself with his own vain delusions; but he will feel a secret consciousness that he is building on the sand. Hence it is, that those who will not give themselves up to God, are so averse to hear of death and judgment: they know that, if the Scriptures be true, and God be such a God as he is there represented, they have nothing to expect but wrath and fiery indignation. It is the godly only who can feel composed and happy in the near approach of death: they, when the time of their departure is at hand, can look forward with joy to that crown of glory which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give them. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.]
3.
Our welfare in eternity
[God will surely put a difference between those who served him here, and those who served him not. Hear what Solomon says to us in the text: When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it: for God hath no pleasure in fools, No indeed; God can have no pleasure in those who never delighted themselves in him. How is it possible that he should receive to his bosom those who spent their whole lives in rebellion against him? He shews his abhorrence of them by the very name whereby he designates them in the words before us: he calls them fools, and will leave them to reap the bitter fruits of their folly. We may see how indignant God was against Zedekiah for violating a covenant whereby he had engaged to hold the kingdom of Judah as tributary to the king of Babylon [Note: Eze 17:11-21. Cite the whole of this.]. What indignation then must he feel against those who have violated all their engagements with him! If the neglect of vows made by compulsion to an oppressive enemy be so criminal, what must be the neglect of vows voluntarily made to the Most High God! But we need not collect this in a way of inference; for God himself has expressly told us, that we must pay our vows to him; that we must do it without delay; that if we defer to pay them, it will be imputed to us as a most heinous sin; and that he will surely require it at our hands [Note: Deu 23:21-23.]. And in the text itself he tells us, that however criminal it must be to feel such alienation of heart from God as not to vow any vow to him, it were better for us never to vow at all than to vow and not pay.]
Address
1.
The young who have been just confirmed
[Remember, I beseech you, that the vows of God are upon you. And now hear what Almighty God says unto you: 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 proceodeth out of his mouth [Note: Num 30:2.]. Now you, my Beloved, have bound your souls with a bond; you have sworn unto the Lord, and cannot go back; remember then that you must not break your words; you must, you shall do according to all that has proceeded out of your mouths. O bear in mind the particular vows which you have made [Note: See the Catechism.], and set yourselves diligently to the performance of them. See how determined David was, under your circum-stances [Note: Psa 119:106.]; and make him the model of your conduct. And begin now without delay to prepare for attending on the Lords Supper. Your Confirmation is but a step to something beyond, even to a dedication of yourselves to God at the table of the Lord. I mean not that you are to be hasty in taking this further step; because you ought doubtless to be well instructed in the nature of that ordinance before you partake of it; and to be fully determined through grace to live, not unto yourselves, but unto Him who died for you. But that you should keep this in view, and with all convenient speed renew at the Lords table the vows which you have now made, the holy Psalmist informs you [Note: Psa 116:12-14; Psa 116:16-19. Particularly notice ver. 16.]: and his resolutions on the subject I earnestly recommend for your adoption.]
2.
The elder part of this audience
[To you the younger will look for instruction and encouragement in the ways of God. But many who desire to have their children confirmed, would actually oppose them if they should begin to execute their vows. If a young person should begin to renounce the world, to mortify the flesh, and to live by faith on the Son of God, the generality of persons would rather be alarmed than comforted, and would exert their influence to divert his thoughts from such ways. But beware how any of you put a stumbling-block in the way of your children, either by your influence or example. Beware how, after having instigated them to vow unto the Lord, you tempt them to forget and violate their vows. Rather take occasion from the confirmation of your children to look back upon your own conduct, and to see how you have kept your own vows. Do not imagine that a lapse of years can make any difference in your obligations to serve the Lord, or that, because you have forgotten your vows, God has forgot them too: they are all written in the book of his remembrance; and every word which we have addressed to the young people in reference to this matter, is applicable to you; yea, to you it applies with double force, because your more advanced age qualifies you so much better to see and follow the path of duty. I call upon you then to watch over your children, and to promote, by every possible means, their progress in the divine life. Encourage them to read the Scriptures diligently, to give themselves much to meditation and prayer, and to commence in earnest that race, which must be run by all who would obtain the prize.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Ecc 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ver. 4. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it. ] See Trapp on “ Deu 23:22 “ It is in thy power to vow or not to vow. Vovere nusquam est praeceptum, saith Bellarmine. a We have no command to vow. That of David, “Vow and perform to the Lord your God,” is not purum praeceptum, saith Mr Cartwright, a pure precept, but like that other, “Be angry, and sin not”; where anger is not commanded, but limited. So neither are we simply commanded to vow, but having voluntarily vowed, we may not defer to pay it; delays are taken for denials, excuses for refusals.
For he hath no pleasure in fools.
a De Monac., lib. ii. cap. 15.
b Jerome
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ecc 5:4-7
4When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.
Ecc 5:4 When you make a vow to God This is literally, when you vow a vow. The VERB (BDB 623, KB 674, Qal IMPERFECT) is from the same root as the NOUN (BDB 623). Vows were like deals with God. You do this and I will do this! They were conditional promises based on certain outcomes. I personally do not believe this (foxhole religion) carries over into the New Covenant!
If you promise, do it (cf. Num 30:2; Deu 23:21-23; Psa 22:25; Psa 50:14; Psa 56:12; Psa 61:8; Psa 65:1; Psa 76:11; Pro 20:25)! The laws concerning vows are found in Leviticus 27.
Ecc 5:6 This possibly refers to one trying to get out of their promise (vow).
the messenger of God The KJV has angel, but the context seems to refer to a priest (i.e., worship setting). The Hebrew word (BDB 521) can mean messenger or angel (cf. Mal 2:7-9).
Ecc 5:7 Human words, though eloquent and multiplied, are vain, empty, and meaningless, be they prayers, dreams (i.e., revelations), or vows. The key is not the sacrifice or the prayer, or the vower, but the object of their address (i.e., God). An attitude of awe and respect (i.e., fear, BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERATIVE) is crucial (cf. Ecc 3:14; Ecc 5:7; Ecc 7:18; Ecc 8:12-13; Ecc 12:13).
dreams See note at Ecc 5:3.
fear God This (BDB 432, KB 432, Qal IMPERATIVE) is a recurrent admonition of Scripture:
1. Job 1:1; Job 1:8; Job 2:3; Job 6:14; Job 28:28
2. Psa 15:4; Psa 25:12; Psa 25:14; Psa 31:19; Psa 34:7; Psa 66:16; Psa 103:11; Psa 103:13; Psa 118:4
3. Pro 1:7; Pro 1:29; Pro 2:5; Pro 9:10; Pro 10:27; Pro 14:27; Pro 19:23; Pro 31:30
4. Ecc 3:14; Ecc 5:7; Ecc 7:18; Ecc 8:12-13; Ecc 12:13
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
vowest a vow = makest a solemn vow. Figure of speech Polyptoton (App-6).
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
pleasure. See note on “purpose”, Ecc 3:1, and App-76.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
vowest: Gen 28:20, Gen 35:1, Gen 35:3, Num 30:2, Deu 23:21-23, Psa 50:14, Psa 76:11, Psa 119:106, Isa 19:21, Mat 5:33
for: Psa 147:10, Psa 147:11, Mal 1:10, Heb 10:6
pay: Psa 66:13, Psa 66:14, Psa 116:14, Psa 116:16-18, Jon 2:9
Reciprocal: Gen 35:7 – built Lev 22:18 – vows Lev 22:21 – to accomplish Lev 27:2 – a singular vow Deu 23:23 – That which Jdg 11:30 – General 1Sa 1:11 – vowed 2Sa 15:8 – thy servant Job 22:27 – pay thy Psa 5:5 – The Psa 22:25 – I will Psa 56:12 – Thy Pro 20:25 – after Jon 1:16 – made Mal 1:14 – which hath in his flock Mar 12:17 – and to Mar 14:4 – Why Act 5:3 – to keep
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ecc 5:4. When thou vowest a vow unto God When thou obligest thyself by a solemn promise to honour God, and serve the interest of his kingdom; or to do good to any of thy fellow-creatures in some particular way, to do which thou wast not under any antecedent obligation: when, for instance, under the sense of some affliction, or through thy desire of obtaining, or in thankfulness for having obtained, some particular mercy, thou hast vowed such a vow as this unto God, know that thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, and thou canst not go back; defer not to pay it Perform thy vow while the sense of thine obligation is fresh and strong upon thy mind; lest thou either seem to repent of thy promises, or delay should end in denials and resolutions of non-performance: see on Lev 27:2; Num 30:2. For he hath no pleasure in fools In hypocritical and perfidious persons, who, when they are in distress, make liberal vows, and when the danger is past, neglect and break them. He calls them fools, because it is the highest folly, as to think of mocking or deceiving the all- seeing and almighty God: so also to despise and provoke him. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow For this would be no sin, because men are free to make such vows, or not to make them, as they think best; but, having made them, they cannot forbear to pay them, without sin.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:4 When thou vowest a vow to God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast {c} vowed.
(c) He speaks of vows which are approved by God’s word and serve to his glory.