Numbers 30:12

But if her husband nullifies them on the day he hears of them, then nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or pledges, shall stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the LORD will absolve her.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelite community, outlining legal procedures for vows made by a married woman. The instruction is given during the wilderness period, specifying the husband’s immediate authority to override his wife’s spoken commitments.

The words — יָפֵר (ya.Fer) = he will break or nullify, paired with הָפֵר (ha.Fer) = actually break, emphasizing the decisive legal action of cancellation.

The thread — The mechanism of a husband nullifying vows on the day he hears them recurs in Numbers 30:8 and Numbers 30:13, which frame the same procedural boundary for marital authority.

Why it lands — The text requires the husband to act immediately upon hearing a vow to prevent it from binding his wife, and it records that the LORD grants absolution to her when the husband exercises this nullification.

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.

The Hebrew words

וְאִם־ve./'im-and/ if הָפֵר֩ha.Feractually <break>יָפֵ֨רya.Ferhe will break אֹתָ֥ם׀'o.Ta/m<obj.>/ them אִישָׁהּ֮'i.Sha/hhusband/ her בְּי֣וֹםbe./Yomon/ [the] day שָׁמְעוֹ֒sha.me.'/Ohears/ he כָּל־kol-any מוֹצָ֨אmo.Tza'<the> utterance of שְׂפָתֶ֧יהָse.fa.Tei./halips/ her לִנְדָרֶ֛יהָli/n.da.Rei./hato/ vows/ her וּלְאִסַּ֥רu./le./'i.Sarand/ to/ [the] obligation of נַפְשָׁ֖הּnaf.Sha/hself/ her לֹ֣אlo'not יָק֑וּםya.Kumit will stand אִישָׁ֣הּ'i.Sha/hhusband/ her הֲפֵרָ֔םha.fe.Ra/mhe has broken/ them וַיהוָ֖הva./Yah.wehand/ Yahweh יִֽסְלַֽח־yis.lach-he will forgiveלָֽהּ׃La/h<to> <the>/ her

King James Version

But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the Lord shall forgive her.

Cross-references

Numbers 30:8 But if her husband prohibits her when he hears of it, he nullifies the vow that binds her or the rash promise she has made, and the LORD will absolve her.
Numbers 15:25 The priest is to make atonement for the whole congregation of Israel, so that they may be forgiven; for the sin was unintentional and they have brought to the LORD a food offering and a sin offering, presented before the LORD for their unintentional sin.
Numbers 15:28 And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the person who erred by sinning unintentionally; and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven.
Numbers 30:5 But if her father prohibits her on the day he hears about it, then none of the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. The LORD will absolve her because her father has prohibited her.
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.