Can husband still cancel his wife's promise to God?

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AndyMaleh

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2020
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Montreal, Quebec, Canada
#61
Yes, another question about promises... in Moses' law the the husband or the father of a woman could take back his wife's promise to God:

"And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;

7 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.

8 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 the LORD shall forgive her.

9 But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.

10 And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath;

11 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.

12 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 the LORD shall forgive her.

13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void." (Numbers 30.)

It's not always clear to me, which Old Testament parts concern also christians and what not (well, the easy parts are sure clear like that we need no animal sacrifices anymore because we have the sacrifice of Jesus), so what do you think can christian husband cancel his wife's promise to God? So that God is ok with it. I think maybe it could be possible, because in New covenant the wifes are still submissive to husbands. And sure husbands still today can have problems with wife's promises.
None of this applies to Christianity.

Godspeed.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,160
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#62
"Anamaria1, posted
One more question guys... would you yourself support your wife in fulfilling her promise, IF that would mean you should let big part of your home's property go into garbage? For example she has promised to put away all made in China products from your home because they persecute christians and HongKong people in China and are kind of qonquering the world and getting rich and powerful with all their cheep products so that all people want to please them. But after this promise you and your wife realize that you must throw away almost all electronics, clothes and furniture from your home, tv, computer... Would you be supporting her in this? Or would you be happy to find a Bible place that tells that the husband can say no to his wife's promise? .... Or would you simply divorce from her or what?

PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY!!![/QUOTE]

For a lot of things, I'd just let me wife try to keep her obligations to the Lord. I read about a man who, right after his wedding, asked his wife to name all her vows to the Lord and cancelled them. I wish I'd done that.

For something like you describe above, I think I'd just cancel the vow as soon as I heard it.

Jesus said Swear not at all. If you marry a woman who doesn't get that, or didn't at some point in time, it can cause trouble for her.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,160
1,787
113
#63
Numbers 30 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Special Promises
30 Moses spoke with all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and told them about these commands from the Lord:

Are you and your wife a member of one of the tribes of Israel? If not, then the chapter is not even addressed to you and your wife is not a slave of it.
A lot of those passages about the necessity of keeping vows were spoken or written originally to an Israelite audience, also.