a promise made to God, of doing some good thing hereafter. The use
of vows is observable throughout Scripture. When Jacob went into
Mesopotamia, he vowed to God the tenth of his estate, and promised to
offer it at Bethel, to the honour of God, Gen. xxviii, 22. Moses enacts
several laws for the regulation and execution of vows. A man might
devote himself, or his children, to the Lord. Jephthah devoted his
daughter, Judges xi, 30, 31. Samuel was vowed or consecrated to the
service of the Lord before his birth, by his pious mother Hannah; and
was really offered to him, to serve in the tabernacle, 1 Sam. i, 21, &c.
If a man and woman vowed themselves to the Lord, they were obliged to
adhere strictly to his service, according to the conditions of the vow;
but in some cases they might be redeemed. A man from twenty years of age
till sixty, gave fifty shekels of silver; and a woman thirty, Lev.
xxvii, 3. From the age of five years to twenty, a man gave twenty
shekels, and a woman ten; from a month old to five years, they gave for
a boy five shekels, and for a girl three. A man of sixty years old, or
upward, gave fifteen shekels, and a woman of the same age gave ten. If
the person was poor, and could not procure this sum, the priest imposed
a ransom upon him, according to his abilities. If any one had vowed an
animal that was clean, he had not the liberty of redeeming it, or of
exchanging it, but was obliged to sacrifice it to the Lord. If it was an
unclean animal, and such as was not allowed to be sacrificed, the priest
made a valuation of it; and if the proprietor would redeem it, he added
a fifth part to the value, by way of forfeit. They did the same in
proportion, when the thing vowed was a house or a field. They could not
devote the first born, because in their own nature they belonged to the
Lord, Lev. xxvii, 28, 29. Whatever was devoted by way of anathema, could
not be redeemed, of whatever nature or quality it was. An animal was put
to death, and other things were devoted for ever to the Lord. The
consecration of Nazarites was a particular kind of vow. The vows and
promises of children were void, of course, except they were ratified
either by the express or tacit consent of their parents. It was the same
with the vows of a married woman; they were of no validity, except
confirmed by the express or tacit consent of her husband, Num. xxx. But
widows, or liberated wives, were bound by their vows, whatever they
were.
Whosoever invokes the awful name of God to witness any untruth, knowing
it to be such, is guilty of taking it in vain. Our Lord did not mean to
preclude solemn appeals to heaven, whether oaths or vows, in courts of
justice, or in important compacts. For an oath, or appeal to the
greatest of all beings, as the Searcher of hearts, to witness a
transaction, and to punish falsehood or perjury, is necessary, for
putting an end to all strife or controversy among men, to promote
confirmation or security of property, Heb. vi, 16. And it was sanctioned
by the example of God, swearing by himself, Genesis xxii, 15; Heb. vi,
17, 18; and by the example of the patriarchs and saints of old; thus
Abraham swore by the most high God, Creator of heaven and earth, Gen.
xiv, 22; the transjordanite tribes, by the God of gods, the Lord, Joshua
xxii, 22. And the law prescribed, “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and
serve him, and shalt swear by his name,” Deut. vi, 13. And afterward,
“All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn unto the Lord with a
loud voice, with all their heart, and sought him with their whole
desire: and he was found of them; and the Lord gave them rest round
about,” 2 Chron. xv, 14, 15. And a highly gifted Apostle uses the
following most solemn asseveration, “The God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not,” 2
Cor. xi, 31. See the vows of the priests and Levites, to put away
strange wives, Ezra x, 5; and to take no usury from their brethren, Neh.
x, 29. St. Paul also vowed a vow, which he performed, Acts xviii, 18;
xxi, 23. Our Lord, therefore, reënacted the law, while he guarded
against the abuse of it, by prohibiting all oaths in common
conversation, as a profanation either of God’s name, where that was
irreverently used, or where any of his works was substituted instead of
the awful and terrible name of the Lord, which the Jews, through
superstitious dread, at length ceased to use, from misinterpretation of
Deut. xxviii, 58: “But I say unto you, Swear not at all,” in common
conversation, by any of your usual oaths, “neither by heaven, for it is
God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool,” &c. For, by
the detestable casuistry of the scribes and Pharisees, some oaths were
reckoned binding, others not, as we learn from the sequel; thus, to
swear by the temple, the altar, heaven, &c, they considered as not
binding: but to swear by the gold of the temple, by the gift on the
altar, &c, they considered as binding; the absurdity and impiety of
which practice is well exposed by our Lord in Matt. xxiii, 16–22.
of vows is observable throughout Scripture. When Jacob went into
Mesopotamia, he vowed to God the tenth of his estate, and promised to
offer it at Bethel, to the honour of God, Gen. xxviii, 22. Moses enacts
several laws for the regulation and execution of vows. A man might
devote himself, or his children, to the Lord. Jephthah devoted his
daughter, Judges xi, 30, 31. Samuel was vowed or consecrated to the
service of the Lord before his birth, by his pious mother Hannah; and
was really offered to him, to serve in the tabernacle, 1 Sam. i, 21, &c.
If a man and woman vowed themselves to the Lord, they were obliged to
adhere strictly to his service, according to the conditions of the vow;
but in some cases they might be redeemed. A man from twenty years of age
till sixty, gave fifty shekels of silver; and a woman thirty, Lev.
xxvii, 3. From the age of five years to twenty, a man gave twenty
shekels, and a woman ten; from a month old to five years, they gave for
a boy five shekels, and for a girl three. A man of sixty years old, or
upward, gave fifteen shekels, and a woman of the same age gave ten. If
the person was poor, and could not procure this sum, the priest imposed
a ransom upon him, according to his abilities. If any one had vowed an
animal that was clean, he had not the liberty of redeeming it, or of
exchanging it, but was obliged to sacrifice it to the Lord. If it was an
unclean animal, and such as was not allowed to be sacrificed, the priest
made a valuation of it; and if the proprietor would redeem it, he added
a fifth part to the value, by way of forfeit. They did the same in
proportion, when the thing vowed was a house or a field. They could not
devote the first born, because in their own nature they belonged to the
Lord, Lev. xxvii, 28, 29. Whatever was devoted by way of anathema, could
not be redeemed, of whatever nature or quality it was. An animal was put
to death, and other things were devoted for ever to the Lord. The
consecration of Nazarites was a particular kind of vow. The vows and
promises of children were void, of course, except they were ratified
either by the express or tacit consent of their parents. It was the same
with the vows of a married woman; they were of no validity, except
confirmed by the express or tacit consent of her husband, Num. xxx. But
widows, or liberated wives, were bound by their vows, whatever they
were.
Whosoever invokes the awful name of God to witness any untruth, knowing
it to be such, is guilty of taking it in vain. Our Lord did not mean to
preclude solemn appeals to heaven, whether oaths or vows, in courts of
justice, or in important compacts. For an oath, or appeal to the
greatest of all beings, as the Searcher of hearts, to witness a
transaction, and to punish falsehood or perjury, is necessary, for
putting an end to all strife or controversy among men, to promote
confirmation or security of property, Heb. vi, 16. And it was sanctioned
by the example of God, swearing by himself, Genesis xxii, 15; Heb. vi,
17, 18; and by the example of the patriarchs and saints of old; thus
Abraham swore by the most high God, Creator of heaven and earth, Gen.
xiv, 22; the transjordanite tribes, by the God of gods, the Lord, Joshua
xxii, 22. And the law prescribed, “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and
serve him, and shalt swear by his name,” Deut. vi, 13. And afterward,
“All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn unto the Lord with a
loud voice, with all their heart, and sought him with their whole
desire: and he was found of them; and the Lord gave them rest round
about,” 2 Chron. xv, 14, 15. And a highly gifted Apostle uses the
following most solemn asseveration, “The God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not,” 2
Cor. xi, 31. See the vows of the priests and Levites, to put away
strange wives, Ezra x, 5; and to take no usury from their brethren, Neh.
x, 29. St. Paul also vowed a vow, which he performed, Acts xviii, 18;
xxi, 23. Our Lord, therefore, reënacted the law, while he guarded
against the abuse of it, by prohibiting all oaths in common
conversation, as a profanation either of God’s name, where that was
irreverently used, or where any of his works was substituted instead of
the awful and terrible name of the Lord, which the Jews, through
superstitious dread, at length ceased to use, from misinterpretation of
Deut. xxviii, 58: “But I say unto you, Swear not at all,” in common
conversation, by any of your usual oaths, “neither by heaven, for it is
God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool,” &c. For, by
the detestable casuistry of the scribes and Pharisees, some oaths were
reckoned binding, others not, as we learn from the sequel; thus, to
swear by the temple, the altar, heaven, &c, they considered as not
binding: but to swear by the gold of the temple, by the gift on the
altar, &c, they considered as binding; the absurdity and impiety of
which practice is well exposed by our Lord in Matt. xxiii, 16–22.