Vows Made By Women

(Book of Numbers 30:1 - 30:16)
Moses told the tribal leaders of Israel, "This is what Jehovah has commanded: When a man makes a vow to Jehovah or a promise under oath, he must never break it.  He must follow through on what he has pledged.

"When a young woman who is living in her father's home makes a vow to Jehovah or obligates herself with a pledge and her father learns of it and does not object to it, then the vow or pledge remains in force.  However, if the father, when he learns of the vow or pledge, disapproves of it, then she is no longer obligated by the vow or pledge she has made: Jehovah will release her obligation owing to the disapproval of her father.

"If, after she makes a vow or binds herself by a rash or thoughtless pledge, a woman marries and her husband learns of it and does not object, then the vow or pledge remains in force.  If, however, when the husband learns of it, he repudiates the vow or pledge, then the wife's commitment is nullified: Jehovah will release her.  (But a widowed or divorced woman must fulfill all the vows and pledges she has made.)

"If a woman is married and living in her husband's home when she makes a vow or pledge, it will remain in force if the husband learns of it and does not object to it.  But if her husband rejects it when he learns of it, then the vow or pledge will be nullified: Jehovah will release her.  Thus a woman's husband may confirm or nullify any vow or any pledge of self-denial.  But if he does not object to a vow or pledge at the time that he learns of it, then he is giving his approval to all the vows and pledges by which she has bound herself.  (His silence upon learning of them is sufficient to constitute consent.) --- If, however, he tries to nullify a vow or pledge well after he has learned of it, then he will assume her guilt in not fulfilling it."

These are the laws Jehovah conveyed to Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife and between a young daughter and her father when she still lives with him.

Notes
1. Not surprisingly, biblical law, well in line with legal thought prevalent up until modern times, regards woman as more or less a ward of her father or husband and is empowered to do little without his consent.  The daughter and the wife are not only dependent upon the dominant male, but must defer to him in matters that touch upon morality and honor, such as keeping an oath.  It is strongly implied that the woman is not the moral equal of men, but, for the most part, on the level of an underage child who lacks the maturity to make competent, sensible, and reasoned ethical decisions.  Compared to a man, her judgment is inferior, her moral sense is flawed, her word carries far less weight.  To be fair, it is unlikely that, until recently, many men believed differently.  (One can only speculate upon the negative impact a dutiful adherence to biblical pronouncements, which, by and large, reflect an ancient and often primitive mindset, has had through history upon the progress of equity, if not equality in gender relations, particularly upon the status and advancement of women.)

2. It is strange that Jehovah should give the Israelites these particular commandments at this particular time, 40 years after the Exodus.  It seems as if someone forgot to include this section in Leviticus and inserted it here for no real reason.  But Jehovah’s laws and commandments are sporadically sprinkled through the Books of Moses, oddly punctuating the narrative.  Indeed, at this point the reader is justified in thinking that Moses should already be dead.