Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 30:6
And if she had at all a husband, when she vowed, or uttered aught out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;
6. while her vows are upon her ] If at the time of her marriage she was still bound by some vow or pledge of abstinence, which she had previously taken with her father’s approval.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Rather, And if she shall at all be an husbands, and her vows shall be upon her, or a rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul, etc. The at all intimates that the case of a girl betrothed but not yet actually married is here especially contemplated. After betrothal, a woman continued to reside, until the period of her marriage arrived, in her fathers house; but her property was from that time forward vested in her husband, and she was so far regarded as personally his, that an act of faithlessness to him was, like adultery, punishable with death Deu 22:23-24. Hence, his right to control her vows even before he actually took her home as his wife.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
An husband, to whose will and authority she was thereby made subject.
When she vowed, to wit, when she was in her fathers house, as is evident by comparing Num 30:10; and this clause seems to be added by way of exception to that which was said Num 30:3,4, to signify, that though she were in her fathers house, yet if she were married, her husband only, and not her father, could disoblige her from her vow.
Or uttered ought; either,
1. By way of vow, and so this clause explains and determines the former, i.e. if she express her vow in words. Or,
2. By way of oath, concerning which this same phrase is used Lev 5:4, and so this clause is distinct from the former, which the disjunctive particle or implies.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And if she had at all an husband with whom she vowed,…. Or “when her vows were upon her” w, was either betrothed or married to a man:
or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; uttered anything, either with or without premeditation, either with thought and deliberation, or rashly and imprudently, as the word signifies, yet in such a manner that it was binding upon her.
w
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Verses 6-8:
The second: the case of a married woman who made a vow or bound herself with an oath.
If the woman’s husband heard her vow and said nothing on the day he heard it, the vow was binding upon the woman. But if for some reason he disallowed the vow, it was not binding upon her.
The woman’s vows might have been made while she was unmarried and under the authority of her father. But when she was married and came under the authority of her husband, he had the legal right to disallow any such vow.
“Uttered with her lips,” literally, “the rash utterance out of her lips” The husband could repudiate a wife’s vow if he considered it to be a “rash utterance.”
God’s structure of authority holds the husband responsible for the well-being of the wife, 1Co 11:3; Eph 5:22-24. This is not the authority of tyranny or forced domination. It is the authority of protection, provision, and love.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(6) And if she had at all an husband . . . . Better, And if she should be married to a husband whilst her vows are upon her, or the rash utterance of her lips wherewith she hath bound her soul. The case here contemplated appears to be that of a woman who married whilst under a vow. On the other hand the case of a woman who takes a vow after marriage is treated of further on in Num. 30:10-13. The cognate verb of the word mibta, rash utterance, occurs in Lev. 5:4, and seems to denote something which is uttered without reflection.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THE BETROTHED WIFE’S VOW, Num 30:6-8.
Here the affianced husband seems to sustain to the wife the same relation, in the matter of vows, as the father does to the daughter.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6. If she had at all a husband The words “at all” are a poor translation of the Hebrew idiom for becoming a wife by betrothal while still in her father’s house for ten months or a year longer. During this period the control of her vows is no longer in her father’s power, but in her husband’s, and her unfaithfulness in this pre-nuptial period was, like adultery, punishable with death. Whether the vow was made before or after the betrothal it was under the control of her husband, and it might be dis-allowed by him as soon as he heard of it, either before or after marriage. Yet the Hebrew doctors say that the period of betrothal is under the joint control of the father and the affianced husband.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
(ii) A young unmarried woman who makes a vow and then marries a husband ( Num 30:6-8 )
Num 30:6-7
‘And if she be betrothed/married to a husband, while her vows are on her, or the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound herself, and her husband hear it, and hold his peace at her in the day that he hears it; then her vows shall stand, and her bonds with which she has bound herself shall stand.’
The second example is of a young woman who made a vow or vows and then either became betrothed or married. She had now come under the authority of her husband. Thus he had the right to decide whether to confirm her vows. She could not bring binding vows into the marriage without his agreement. Note the mention of ‘the rash utterance of her lips’. It was a recognition that a young teenage girl could make rather foolish vows. But the overall point was that if her husband came to know of her vows and by silence gave his consent to them, then they became firm and binding. Once again the positive aspect is in mind.
Num 30:8
‘But if her husband disallow her in the day that he hears it, then he shall make void her vow which is on her, and the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound herself, and Yahweh will forgive her.’
However once again there was a means of withdrawal. If her husband disallowed her vows on the day that he learned of them then no one would be bound by them,, and Yahweh would forgive the woman because it was not a sign of her change in dedication. Once again the husband would be seen as having a responsibility before Yahweh.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Num 30:6. If she hada husband This is better rendered by Houbigant, but the woman who is married, when she voweth a vow, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Num 30:6 And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;
Ver. 6. And if she had at all a husband. ] Hannah’s vow 1Sa 1:11 was made either by the consent of her husband, or else by peculiar instinct from God.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
she vowed: Heb. her vows were upon her, Psa 56:12
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The question form of this verse is really an assertion on the part of the women referred to in verse 15. Without our men means they had the consent of their husbands in the practice of idolatry, and that made the men equally guilty with the women. Such a principle was taught in the law of Moses (Num 30:6-9).
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
30:6 And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or {d} uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;
(d) Either by oath, or solemn promise.