Big Idea: Take solemn promises and commitments seriously.

Understanding the Text

Following the first census in Numbers is a section dealing with vows, specifically Nazirite vows (Num. 6). Likewise, after the second census Numbers 30 deals with vows, especially women’s vows. Why would a section on vows follow Numbers 28–29, which is on offerings made on holy days? Perhaps because holy days are occasions for completing vows. Numbers 29:39 mentions that “vows” can be completed by sacrifice on holy occasions. Another factor is the stress on women’s vows here (Num. 30:3–15). This focus on women is appropriate in a unit of a book that is bracketed by the question of women’s inheritance (Num. 27:1–11; 36:1–12).

The whole section is chiastically structured:

A Introduction: Duty of men to keep their ow…