Numbers 30:13

"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 hath established them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. But if he shall make them null and void after that he hath heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity. These are the statutes, which Jehovah commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father's house."

This paragraph is somewhat of a summary of the whole chapter, but it has one new thing. The father (or husband) also is under a divine caution. There is, under certain circumstances, a finality in what he says or does not say. If, for example, he should allow certain rash vows to stand by "holding his peace" his action is irrevocable and may not be changed at some later time. His power and authority are forbidden to be used capriciously.

We are indebted to Carson for this summary of the situations treated in the legislation of this chapter: (i) a young woman in her father's house (Numbers 30:3-5); (ii) a married woman who vowed while she was still single (Numbers 30:6-8); (iii) a widow or divorced person (Numbers 30:9); and (iv) that of a wife in her husband's house (Numbers 30:10-15).[9] To us it also seems that a fifth regulation appears in Numbers 30:1 and Numbers 30:2, namely, that all people are commanded by Almighty God to keep their word.

Note the attestation in Numbers 30:16 that Jehovah himself is the author of the legislation given. Apparently, Moses attached this to each entry in "the book" which contained all of it.