Deuteronomy 23:21
in Deuteronomy 23If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When thou shalt vow a vow unto Jehovah thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it: for Jehovah thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
KJV
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 23
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA wish is a request for blessings from God with a promise to fulfill a duty. And so, when you obtain what you have asked for, it is ungrateful to delay the promise.
This site's exposition
Thou shalt not lend upon usury
on Deuteronomy 23:19-23
Interest may be taken of a stranger and not of a brother, which is the line Exodus 22:25 and Leviticus 25:35-37 draw, and Psalm 15:5 and Ezekiel 18:8 make lending without it a mark of the righteous man. Henry reads the permission toward the stranger as evidence that interest is not oppressive in itself, while Ambrose and the canonists after him took the passage as a bar on lending at interest at all. Vows are voluntary, and verse 22 says outright that it is no sin to make none, though what has gone out of the lips binds once it is spoken, which Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 repeats almost line for line. Numbers 30 sets out the law of vows at length, and Judges 11:30-39 is where one spoken in haste is carried through to its end.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God,.... Which must be of things in a man's power to perform, and of what are lawful to be done, and according to the mind and will of God revealed in his word, and agreeably to the manner of worship prescribed by him; as that he will offer such a sacrifice, a freewill offering to him, and the like, besides what he was bound to do, or give such and such things for the repair of the sanctuary, or for the relief of the poor; See Gill on Num 30:
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
When thou shalt vow, etc. - See on Num 30:2 (note), etc.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| תִדֹּ֥ר | tidor | you will vow | H5087 → | 31 times |
| נֶ֙דֶר֙ | neder | a vow | H5088 → | 60 times |
| לַיהוָ֣ה | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תְאַחֵ֖ר | teacher | you will delay | H309 → | |
| לְשַׁלְּמ֑וֹ | leshalemo | to pay it | H7999 → | 116 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| דָּרֹ֨שׁ | darosh | certainly <to require> | H1875 → | 164 times |
| יִדְרְשֶׁ֜נּוּ | yidreshenu | he will require it | H1875 → | 164 times |
| יְהוָ֤ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| מֵֽעִמָּ֔ךְ | meimakh | from with <the> you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| וְהָיָ֥ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בְךָ֖ | vekha | on <the> you | ||
| חֵֽטְא׃ | chet' | sin | H2399 → | 33 times |
כִּֽי־if
ki-H3588 →4482 times
תִדֹּ֥רyou will vow
tidorH5087 →31 times
נֶ֙דֶר֙a vow
nederH5088 →60 times
לַיהוָ֣הto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תְאַחֵ֖רyou will delay
teacherH309 →
לְשַׁלְּמ֑וֹto pay it
leshalemoH7999 →116 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
דָּרֹ֨שׁcertainly <to require>
daroshH1875 →164 times
יִדְרְשֶׁ֜נּוּhe will require it
yidreshenuH1875 →164 times
יְהוָ֤הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙God your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
מֵֽעִמָּ֔ךְfrom with <the> you
meimakhH5973 →1050 times
וְהָיָ֥הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
בְךָ֖on <the> you
vekha
חֵֽטְא׃sin
chet'H2399 →33 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 116:18I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,
it leads to
- Psalms 116:14
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.
- Psalms 22:25
My praise for You resounds in the great assembly; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.
- Psalms 76:11
Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your God; let all the neighboring lands bring tribute to Him who is to be feared.
- Ecclesiastes 5:5
It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
- Psalms 116:14
Through
Psalms 56:12Your vows are upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You.
it leads to
- Psalms 9:1–3
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders.
- Psalms 50:14
Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
- 1 Samuel 1:24–28
Once she had weaned him, Hannah took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she brought him…
- Numbers 30:2–16
If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.
- Psalms 9:1–3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, On Cain and Abel; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.