John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 5:4
When thou vowest a vow unto God ,.... Or "if thou vowest" F18 כאשר תדר "si quid vovisti", V. L. , as the Vulgate Latin version; for vows are free and indifferent things, which persons may make or not; there is no precept for them in the word of God; instances and examples there are, and they may be lawfully made, when they are in the power of man to perform, and are not inconsistent with the will and word of God; they have been made by good men, and were frequent in former times;... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 5:4-8
Four things we are exhorted to in these verses:? I. To be conscientious in paying our vows. 1. A vow is a bond upon the soul (Num. 30:2), by which we solemnly oblige ourselves, not only, in general, to do that which we are already bound to do, but, in some particular instances, to do that to do which we were not under any antecedent obligation, whether it respects honouring God or serving the interests of his kingdom among men. When, under the sense of some affliction (Ps. 66:14), or in the... read more