Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
God ordains that a father may annul his daughter's vow, and a husband his wife's vow, if he contradicts it immediately, that is, on the first day when he learned of it, but not if he contradicts it on the second day.
Vulgate Text: Numbers 30:1-17
1. And Moses told the children of Israel all that the Lord had commanded him; 2. and he spoke to the princes of the tribes of the children of Israel: This is the word which the Lord has commanded. 3. If any man shall vow a vow to the Lord, or bind himself by an oath, he shall not make his word void, but shall fulfill all that he promised. 4. If a woman shall vow anything, and bind herself by an oath, being in her father's house and still of tender age: if her father knew the vow which she promised, and the oath by which she bound her soul, and held his peace, she shall be bound by the vow: 5. whatever she promised and swore, she shall fulfill in deed; 6. but if, as soon as he heard it, the father contradicted it, both her vows and her oaths shall be void, nor shall she be held bound to the promise, because the father contradicted it. 7. If she had a husband and vowed anything, and a word once going out of her mouth bound her soul by an oath; 8. on the day when the husband heard it and did not contradict it, she shall be bound by the vow, and shall render whatever she promised; 9. but if upon hearing it he immediately contradicted it, and made her promises void, and the words by which she had bound her soul, the Lord will be merciful to her. 10. A widow and a divorced woman, whatever they vow, shall render. 11. When a wife in the house of her husband has bound herself by a vow and by an oath, 12. if the husband heard it and held his peace and did not contradict the promise, she shall render whatever she promised; 13. but if he immediately contradicted it, she shall not be held bound by the promise, because the husband contradicted it, and the Lord will be merciful to her. 14. If she vowed and bound herself by oath, that by fasting or by abstinence from other things she might afflict her soul, it shall be in the power of the husband to allow it or not allow it; 15. but if the husband hearing it held his peace, and deferred his decision to the next day, whatever she had vowed and promised she shall render, because as soon as he heard it he was silent; 16. but if he contradicted it after he learned of it, he himself shall bear her iniquity. 17. These are the laws which the Lord established through Moses, between husband and wife, between father and daughter, who is still of tender age, or who remains in the house of her parent.
Verse 2: To the Princes
2. TO THE PRINCES -- and to the whole people, of whom the princes were the chief part; or "to the princes," that is, so that they might report the same to their own people, or to their own tribe.
THIS IS THE WORD WHICH THE LORD HAS COMMANDED -- concerning vows, as follows. This is a Hebrew aposiopesis; for Moses does not narrate here his conversation with God about vows, but wraps it up with this narration of his to the people, by which he carried out the divine command. On the contrary, in chapters xxviii and xxix he narrated the precepts of the Lord, but was silent about having reported them to the people; and such aposiopeses are familiar in Sacred Scripture and among the Hebrews.
Verse 3: If Any Man Shall Vow a Vow
3. IF ANY MAN SHALL VOW A VOW TO THE LORD, OR BIND HIMSELF BY AN OATH -- if, that is, he shall have confirmed his promise and vow by an oath. "He shall not make it void" -- he shall not violate the vow or the oath.
Verse 4: If a Woman Shall Vow
4. IF A WOMAN SHALL VOW ANYTHING WHILE STILL OF TENDER AGE. -- Under "girl," understand also a boy of youthful age; for the reasoning is the same for both. So Abulensis.
IF THE FATHER KNEW THE VOW, etc., AND HELD HIS PEACE, SHE SHALL BE BOUND BY THE VOW -- she shall be obligated by the vow. Note the phrase "if the father knew," because before the father knew of the vow and could annul it, the daughter was bound to fulfill it, if she had made it deliberately. Under "father," understand also guardians; for these, upon the father's death, succeed as it were to the right and authority of the father.
Note first: If the father was silent, by that very fact the daughter's vow was confirmed, because he who is silent in a matter where his right and authority are prejudiced or diminished is deemed to consent, as the girl was here doing who by this vow was partly withdrawing herself from paternal authority and liberty; yet this silence of the father confirmed the daughter's vow not so much by the law of nature as by the positive law of God, as I shall say more fully at the last verse.
Note second: A vow to which the father had once tacitly consented became absolutely ratified, so that it was not lawful for the father to annul it afterward: if, however, the girl who had vowed afterward married, it was lawful for the husband, immediately after the marriage was contracted, to annul her vow, just as if the vow had been made during the marriage; otherwise, upon the husband, even though unwilling and ignorant, heavy burdens could have been imposed by these preceding vows, which he was not bound to embrace and bear. So Abulensis, Question XXXV.
Verse 6: If the Father Contradicted
6. BUT IF, AS SOON AS HE HEARD IT, HE CONTRADICTED IT. -- In Hebrew, "if, as soon as he heard it, he annulled, dissolved, or broke the vow"; "immediately" should be understood not as the very same instant, but morally, namely on the same day; for on the following day he could no longer contradict, as is said in verse 15.
Verse 7: If She Had a Husband
7. IF SHE HAD A HUSBAND AND VOWED. -- The Jews understand by "husband" the betrothed man to whom the girl was engaged, to distinguish this case from the case in verse 11; for there it deals with a husband to whom the girl has been handed over, but here with one to whom she is only betrothed and promised. But that "husband" both here and in verse 11 is to be understood as a husband, not a betrothed man, is clear from the Hebrew, Chaldean, and Septuagint, which have, "if she belongs to a man." For this phrase among the Hebrews signifies a woman married and handed over to a man: wherefore, if there is any distinction between the case of this verse and verse 11, I would rather say that here it deals with a married woman who lives with her husband in her father's house, to teach that the annulment of this vow pertains to the husband, not to the father (even though she dwells in his house); but in verse 11, it deals with a married woman who dwells outside her father's house, in the house of her husband, as is there expressed. So Saint Augustine, Question LIX.
Verse 9: The Lord Will Be Merciful
9. "The Lord will be merciful to her." -- The Lord will not be angry with the wife if she does not keep a vow annulled by her husband.
Verse 11: By Vow and by Oath
11. WHEN SHE HAS BOUND HERSELF BY A VOW AND BY AN OATH. -- "And" is taken here for "or"; for in the Hebrew it is "or."
Verse 14: Vows of Fasting and Abstinence
14. IF SHE VOWED AND BOUND HERSELF BY OATH, THAT BY FASTING OR BY ABSTINENCE FROM OTHER THINGS SHE MIGHT AFFLICT HER SOUL. -- Here God descends from the general principle to the specific case, or to a most common example, from which He leaves a similar judgment to be drawn about all other vows of pilgrimage, prayer, alms, penances, etc. For that all kinds of vows are treated here, and not only vows of abstinence, is clear from verses 1, 5, 8, 10, 12. Saint Augustine however, Question LIX, thinks that here only vows of abstinence from food are treated, not from conjugal relations. But what I said seems truer; for the words of Scripture in the verses already cited are general: hence they seem to comprehend any vows whatsoever.
Verse 16: He Shall Bear Her Iniquity
16. BUT IF HE CONTRADICTED IT AFTER HE LEARNED OF IT, HE HIMSELF SHALL BEAR HER INIQUITY. -- The Septuagint, instead of "after he learned of it," has "after the day on which he heard it," so that the meaning is, as if to say: The husband must on the first day when he learns of his wife's vow contradict it, if he wishes to annul it: if however on the first day he is silent and delays, and thus tacitly consents, but on the following day revokes his consent and contradicts, the wife is excused from the vow, because the husband annuls it; yet the husband sins against this law by revoking his consent: hence the guilt and punishment of this unfulfilled vow he himself, not the wife, shall bear. So Saint Augustine, Question LVI, Abulensis, Rabanus, Lyranus, Oleaster, Cajetan, and they prove it from the fact that if the husband had contradicted on the first day and thus annulled his wife's vow, no iniquity would have been borne by him or his wife; for he would have duly exercised his right. Therefore, since it is said here that by contradicting he shall bear her iniquity, so that he himself sins, not the wife, who does not keep the vow which he contradicts: it follows that his contradiction is indeed valid, and does annul the wife's vow; but nevertheless it is done wrongly by him, because it is done contrary to the law on the second day, when it should have been done on the first day; and therefore it is said that he himself shall bear her iniquity.
But the phrase "after the day" is not in the Hebrew, the Chaldean, or our Vulgate, and seems irrelevant here, indeed it cuts into and weakens the fair and direct antithesis. For in this verse God says and ordains exactly the same thing as what He ordained in verses 5, 8, 12, 15 (for this verse only gives an example of what was said, as I noted at the preceding verse), namely that the wife is free from the vow of abstinence if the husband contradicts it immediately on the same day he learned of it; but if he is silent, the vow is immediately confirmed, so that on the following day he cannot contradict it or annul the vow. For the antithesis of this verse with the preceding one plainly proves this, and the cited verses plainly indicate that this was the old law in this statute. It is otherwise in the new law; for in it, it is probable that a parent and husband can revoke consent previously given, and thus annul the vow of a daughter or wife to which he once consented, although he sins in annulling it, if he does so rashly, as our Lessius learnedly teaches, treatise On Vows, doubt 13.
You will say: If the husband annuls his wife's vow immediately on the same day he learned of it, he acts rightly, for he is using his right: what iniquity then is there for him to bear, as is said here?
I respond: Although the husband uses his right, he can nevertheless sin in the very annulment of the vow, if, that is, he denies his consent without cause in a pious matter and annuls the vow; especially if out of jealousy, concupiscence, avarice, or some other vice, he is unwilling for his wife to keep a vow of some light and brief matter, for example, of abstinence, prayer, almsgiving, etc. And then he himself will bear the guilt of this annulment, however great or small it may be.
HE HIMSELF SHALL BEAR HER INIQUITY. -- "Her," namely of the wife, is clear from the Hebrew, because the guilt of this vow of his wife not being fulfilled, if there is any, which otherwise would have fallen upon the wife, he has transferred to himself by annulling it without cause and unjustly. For the guilt and punishment of this vow of the wife rashly annulled, not the wife but the annulling husband shall bear.
God says this for the consolation of the wife and to remove her scruples. For women, being inclined to vows, are usually anxious and concerned about them, that they might fulfill them; nor are they satisfied with themselves, even if they are annulled by their husbands. Therefore God commands them to be at ease, and teaches that the guilt, if there is any in this matter, belongs to the husband, not to the wife.
Verse 17: In the House of Her Parent
17. OR WHO REMAINS IN THE HOUSE OF HER PARENT -- who has not yet been emancipated or handed over to a husband, but is an unmarried girl, even if she is of advanced age. For the husband could annul any vows whatsoever of all these women, and lawfully so, if he contradicted immediately on the same day.
These Laws Are Positive, Not Natural
These laws about vows are not so much of natural law as of the old positive law.
From this it is clear that these laws about vows and their annulment are not entirely of natural law, as seemed the case to some; but are in part positive laws, namely ceremonial or judicial laws of the old law, which has now been abolished. For the law of nature does not dictate that a father can annul all the vows of daughters who are of age and advanced in years, especially those which do not prejudice paternal authority: otherwise this would hold also in the new law. But this is false. Second, the law of nature does not dictate that by the silence alone of a parent or husband the vow of a daughter or wife is fully confirmed. Third, the law of nature does not command that a parent or husband must immediately contradict a vow if he intends to annul it; for he may need time to deliberate. Therefore God ordained these things in the old law so that that dull people would not too easily for any cause whatever hinder or retract the pious vows of their own family.