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Translation
Verse
Text
King James
Nu 30:9
But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.
Summary Of Definitions Associated With The Selected Verse
A promise made to God of doing some good thing or abstaining from some lawful enjoyment, under the influence of gratitude for divine goodness, of imminent danger, the apprehension of future evils, or the desire of future blessings. To fulfill a vow binding one to sin, was to all sin to sin; but no considerations of inconvenience or loss could absolve one from a vow, Ps 15:4 Mal 1:14. Jacob, going into Mesopotamia, vowed the tenth of his estate, and promised to offer it at Beth-el, to the honor of God, Ge 28:20-22. Moses enacted several laws for the regulation and execution of vows. "If thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee; that which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform," De 23:21,23 Ec 5:4-5.
The vows of minors, etc., were not binding without the consent of the head of the family, Nu 30:1-16. A man might devote himself or his children to the Lord, Nu 6:2. Jephthah devoted his daughter, Jud 11:30-40; and Samuel was vowed and consecrated to the service of the Lord, 1Sa 1:11,27,28. If men or women vowed themselves to the Lord, they were obliged to adhere strictly to his service, according to the conditions of the vow; but in some cases they might be redeemed, Le 27:1-34. These selfimposed services were more in keeping with the ancient dispensation, in which outward sacrifices and observances had so large a share, than with enlightened Christianity. See CORBAN, and NAZARITES.
A custom was prevalent in patriarchal times, Ge 38:1-30, and was afterwards confirmed by the Mosaic law, De 25:5-10, that a widow without children, in order to preserve the family name and inheritance, should marry the brother of her deceased husband; or he failing his nearest kinsman, Ru 3:12,13 4:1-11 Mt 22:23-30. The high-priest was forbidden to marry a widow, Le 21:14. The humanity and justice of true religion are shown in the Bible, as might be expected, by numerous indications that God and the friends of God sympathize with the sorrows, supply the wants, and defend the rights of the widow, Ex 22:22-24 De 16:11 24:17,19 Ps 68:5 Isa 1:17 10:2 Jer 22:3 Mt 23:14.
The apostolic church was not negligent in providing for widows, Ac 6:1-3 1Ti 5:16; and James makes this duty an essential part of true piety, Jas 1:27. Heathenism, on the contrary, makes those who have been slaves to a husband's caprices during his life, either victims upon the funeral pile at his death, or forlorn and hopeless sufferers under destitution and contempt. The duties of Christian widows are specified in 1Ti 5:3-16.