The big picture
Numbers 30 opens in verse 1 with “And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 8 with “But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her…”, and closes in verse 16 with “These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife…” Repeated or prominent terms include soul, bound, husband, stand, bond. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Numbers · King James Version · 16Numbers 30:1-8
1–8: Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of…
Numbers 30:1–8 opens with “And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is…” and reaches “But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by soul, bound, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD , and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth;” The line’s distinctive content terms include bind, bond, father’s. Its relationship to verses 2 and 4 shows what work it does in this passage.
“But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Numbers 30:1-8
King James Version1And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.
2If a man vow a vow unto the LORD , or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
3If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD , and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth;
4And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
5But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her.
6And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;
7And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
8But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her.
Numbers 30:9-16
9–16: Every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have…
Numbers 30:9–16 opens with “But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls…” and reaches “These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by husband, soul, stand.
Context that brings the passage to life
“But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.” Naming Every keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Numbers 30:9-16
King James Version9But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.
10And if she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath;
11And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
12But 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.
13Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
14But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
15But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity.
16These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father’s house.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Numbers 30:1 begins with “And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.”
Where the chapter turns
Numbers 30:8 forms a natural hinge: “But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips…”
The final note
Numbers 30:16 leaves the reader with “These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words soul, bound, husband, stand, bond, LORD help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Who receives too little attention in a simplified family tree?
Bilhah and Zilpah, named women whose children are counted in Jacob's family.
How does the narrator explain Rachel's conception?
God remembers and hears her in verse 22, rather than attributing the result to the mandrakes.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- hath
- has
- spake
- spoke
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.