Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exodus 20:16)1
Vows and Oaths
In the previous installment, I began a discussion concerning vows and oaths, particularly as related in Numbers 30:
If a man vow a vow unto YHWH,2 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. (Numbers 30:2)
The difference between vows (nadir') and oaths (shebuw 'ah) is that vows are made to Yahweh, whereas oaths are made in the name of Yahweh. To fail to fulfill either one is to break both the Third3 and Ninth Commandments.
As Christians,4 everything we do is done in Yeshua’s5 name (Colossians 3:17), and thus our word should be our bond. Regrettably, many Christians often give their word, make vows, and enter into agreements lightly. The patriarch Joshua and the princes of Israel, however, understood the gravity of keeping their word even when the other party entered the pact with disingenuous motives. When the Israelites discovered that the Gibeonites had lied about their identity, Joshua and the other elders still refused to go back on their word:
[The princes of Israel] … asked not counsel at the mouth of YHWH. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them…. And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by YHWH God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by YHWH God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. (Joshua 9:14-20).
Joshua and the princes of Israel understood the gravity of an oath made in Yahweh’s name.
In Judges 11, Jephthah vowed that if Yahweh would give him victory over the Ammonites he would sacrifice to Yahweh whatever first met him when he returned home. Even when his only daughter was the first to meet him, he remained true to his vow and kept her a virgin the remainder of her life. In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah also remained true to her vow to dedicate Samuel – her only offspring at the time – to Yahweh. In Psalms, David summed up this kind of integrity:
YHWH, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. …He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. …He that doeth these things shall never be moved. (Psalm 15:1-5)
Who shall ascend into the hill of YHWH? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. (Psalm 24:3-4)
Matthew 5 and James 5
While the Bible warns several times that it is better not to vow than to vow and break your word, Yahweh does not altogether condemn vowing or swearing oaths. In court cases (Exodus 22:11, etc.), swearing an oath is required procedure. With this being true, how does one reconcile Numbers 30:2 with Matthew 5 and James 5?
Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I [Yeshua] say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. (Matthew 5 33-37)
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. (James 5:12)
Did Yahweh alter His morality? Did what was the law previously become evil? Did Yeshua change the law? Consider carefully the implications of answering any of these questions affirmatively. If Yahweh’s morality has changed, then Yahweh Himself has changed – which would make Him a liar when He declared, “I am YHWH, I change not….” (Malachi 3:6)
Yahweh’s morality is constant and, therefore, reliable. That which was forbidden under the Old Covenant remains forbidden under the New Covenant, and that which was permissible under the Old Covenant remains permissible under the New Covenant. The nature and consequences of murder are the same after the Cross as they were before the Cross. The same is true of the Ninth Commandment statute found in Numbers 30:2. We can be certain of this because we know Yahweh’s morality is constant; otherwise He would be no more reliable than unregenerate man. Moreover, if Yeshua had changed the law, He would have done so while living under the jurisdiction of the Mosaic Covenant – an act tantamount to breaking the very laws He came to fulfill:
Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17)
If Yeshua had altered Yahweh’s law, it would have made it impossible for Him to be our sinless substitution and Savior (1 John 3:4).
Many people attempt to use Yeshua’s statements regarding the woman caught in adultery (John 8) and His declaration regarding usury (Luke 19) as examples of His changing the law. However, when these passages are interpreted properly, they demonstrate that Yeshua upheld the law perfectly.6
Whether we can reconcile Yeshua’s statement in Matthew 5 with Yahweh’s law on vows or not, one thing is for certain: Yeshua did not change the morality of Yahweh. If we claim Yeshua as our Savior, we must work from this paradigm. And if we cannot reconcile a statement of Yeshua with Yahweh’s law, we must resign ourselves to the fact that Yahweh and Yeshua have it reconciled even when we are not intelligent enough to do so ourselves.
Albert Barnes’ comments on Matthew 5:33-37 are excellent:
It appears … from this passage … that while the Jews [Judahites] professedly adhered to the law, they had introduced a number of oaths in common conversation, and oaths which they by no means considered to be binding. For example, they would swear by the temple, by the head, by heaven, by the earth. So long as they kept from swearing by the name Yahweh, and so long as they observed the oaths publicly taken, they seemed to consider all others as allowable, and allowedly broken. This is the abuse which Christ wished to correct. “It was the practice of swearing in common conversation, and especially swearing by created things.” To do this, he [Yeshua] said that they were mistaken in their views of the sacredness of such oaths. They were closely connected with God; and to trifle with them was a species of trifling with God. Heaven is his throne; the earth his footstool. Jerusalem his special abode; the head was made by him, and was so much under his control that we could not make one hair white or black. To swear by these things, therefore, was to treat irreverently objects created by God, and could not be without guilt. It is remarkable that the sin here condemned by the Saviour prevails still in Palestine in the same form and manner referred to here. Dr. Thomson (The Land and the Book, vol. ii, p. 284) says, “The people now use the very same sort of oaths that are mentioned and condemned by our Lord. They swear by the head, by their life, by heaven, and by the temple, or what is in its place, the church. The forms of cursing and swearing, however, are almost infinite, and fall on the pained ear all day long.”
Our Saviour here evidently had no reference to judicial oaths, or oaths taken in a court of justice. It was merely the foolish and wicked habit of swearing in private conversation; of swearing on every occasion and by everything that he condemned. This he does condemn in the most unqualified manner. He himself, however, did not refuse to take an oath in a court of law, Matt 26:63-64. So Paul often called God to witness his sincerity, which is all that is meant by an oath. See Rom 1:9; 9:1; Gal 1:20; Heb 6:16. Oaths were, moreover, prescribed in the law of Moses, and Christ did not come to repeal those laws. See Ex 22:11; Lev 5:1; Num 5:19; Deut 29:12, 14.7
Yeshua did not abrogate oaths, vows, or swearing when used in accordance with Yahweh’s laws. Instead, He condemned the Pharisaical abuse of the laws pertaining to oaths, vows, and swearing. R.J. Rushdoony expounded:
The trifling use of the oath was forbidden by Christ in Matthew 5:33-37, whose words had a partial reference to Numbers 30:7. False swearing was already banned in the law; Christ made clear that the oath or vow was not to be used for private purposes except on such serious occasions as the lawful intended use allowed. The cheap recourse to vows to prop up one’s word, however true, was forbidden.8
Not only does Exodus 22:11 require swearing an oath, it actually commands us to swear in Yahweh’s name:
Thou shalt fear YHWH thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. (Deuteronomy 6:13)
In Genesis 24:3, this is precisely what Abraham required of his servant prior to sending him in search of a wife for Isaac.
Such swearing is lawful and even encouraged. However, before doing so, we should first count the cost and be absolutely committed to do whatever is required to fulfill any oath made in Yahweh’s name. To do otherwise, could very well incur judgment from Yahweh.
Patriarchal Responsibilities
If a woman also vow a vow unto YHWH, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth; and 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. But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds … shall stand: and YHWH shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; 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 bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. 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, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and YHWH shall forgive her. But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced [having no male covering], wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her…. 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 YHWH shall forgive her. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. But 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. But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity. (Numbers 30:3-15)
The consequence of transgressing this statute is in evidence as far back as the garden of Eden when Eve partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil without her husband’s permission and when Adam, after discovering her sin, did not disavow what she had done but instead participated in the same sin.
“In Her Youth”
Because Yahweh’s order is patriarchal, He has placed women under the authority – that is, the coverture or protection – of a father or a husband, whenever possible. This means that in the absence of a husband, unwed daughters (with the exception of those widowed or divorced and living elsewhere), regardless of age, are covered by their fathers.
Let me propose two possible interpretations for the potentially problematic phrase “in her youth” in Numbers 30:3. This phrase was probably included because most women in Biblical times would have married at a relatively early age. Therefore, the phrase represents the majority, but does not indicate an exclusion of the minority who were not married until an older age or not at all.
The second option is that “in her youth” is an idiom referring to any unmarried daughter living under her father’s roof. Regardless of her age, an unmarried daughter is under the authority of her father, just as is her mother. The same would also apply to sons living under the same roof. This authority extends to any wife, daughter, or underaged son who leaves home without a husband’s or father’s blessing.
A wife, regardless of her age, is always under the authority of her husband. Why would it be different for daughters over twenty (the Biblical age of adulthood) living under their father’s roof? This would be an inequity that would certainly foster discord in the home.
Exodus 22 further demonstrates that age is not a factor for unwed daughters:
And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. (Exodus 22:16-17)
Fathers have the ultimate authority over a defiled virgin daughter. If a father refuses to allow the marriage of his daughter to the man who defiled her, the daughter, regardless of her age, is to return home under the authority of her father.
Numbers 30 requires the active role of husbands and fathers in the lives of their wives and children. Yahweh’s patriarchal plan does not allow for absentee husbands or fathers. Only a derelict husband or father would declare that the affairs of his wife or children are none of his business. Yahweh made it a man’s business, and therefore men are ultimately responsible for any and all decisions, vows, and oaths made by those in their care or authority.
1. All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. Portions of Scripture have been omitted for brevity’s sake. If you have any questions regarding a passage, please open your Bible and study the text to ensure it has been properly used.
2. Where the Tetragrammaton – the four Hebrew letters transliterated “YHWH,” representing the personal name of God – has been incorrectly rendered “the LORD” or “GOD” in Scripture, I have taken the liberty to correct this error by inserting “YHWH.” For a more thorough explanation concerning the use of the names of God, “The Third Commandment” may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/3rdcom-pt1.php, or the book Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.*
3. A more thorough explanation concerning the Third Commandment may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/3rdcom-pt1.php, or the book Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.*
4. Not everyone claiming to be a Christian has been properly instructed in the Biblical plan of salvation. Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:36-41, 22:1-16; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-13; and 1 Peter 3:21 should be studied in order to understand what is required to be covered by the blood of Yeshua and forgiven of your sins. For a more thorough explanation concerning baptism and its relationship to salvation, “Baptism by the Scriptures” and “Fifty Objections to Baptism Answered” may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/baptismbythescriptures.php and www.missiontoisrael.org/objectionstobaptismanswered.php, or the book Baptism: All You Wanted to Know and More may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for free.
5. Yeshua (yay-shoo'-ah) is the English transliteration of our Savior’s Hebrew name. For a more thorough explanation concerning the use of the names of God, “The Third Commandment” may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/3rdcom-pt1.php, or the book Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.*
6. More thorough explanations for John 8:3-11 and Luke 19:12-24 may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/7thcom-pt1.php and www.missiontoisrael.org/8thcom-pt1.php, or the books Thou shall not commit adultery and Thou shall not steal may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $6 donation each.*
8. Rousas John Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1973) p. 114.
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