Deuteronomy 23:22

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelite assembly on the plains of Moab, laying out covenant regulations for the community before they enter the Promised land.

The words — תֶחְדַּ֖ל (tech.Dal) means "you will refrain," and נְדָר (n.Dar) denotes a formal vow or binding commitment.

The thread — The principle governing vows appears in Numbers 30:2, Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, and Psalm 76:11, where the text treats spoken commitments as legally and spiritually binding.

Why it lands — The text states that choosing not to vow carries no guilt, while the immediate context requires strict fulfillment of any vow already made. A reader must decide whether to bind themselves to a specific commitment or to avoid the obligation entirely.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.