Numbers 30:15

Study note

Setting — Moses delivers divine statutes to the Israelites concerning vows made by married women and young daughters living in their father's house. The passage addresses the moment a husband hears of his wife's vow and must decide whether to confirm or reject it.

The words — The Hebrew יָפֵר (yafer) translates literally as "he will break" or nullify, paired with וְ/נָשׂא (ve'nesa), "and he will bear." These verbs describe the husband's active cancellation of the vow and his subsequent assumption of its guilt.

The thread — The transfer of iniquity to an authority figure appears in Leviticus 5:1 when a witness fails to testify. Comparable nullification rules govern a father's authority over his daughter in Numbers 30:5 and Numbers 30:8.

Why it lands — The text states that a husband who nullifies a vow after hearing it assumes the guilt that would have fallen on his wife. It requires readers to acknowledge that verbal commitments create binding obligations and that those with authority to cancel them must accept the moral weight of that cancellation.

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.