Free group study handout
Numbers 30: Group Study Handout
How to use: read Numbers 30 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, stating that when a man vows a vow to Yahweh, he must not break his word (vv. 1-2). For a woman in her father's house, her vow stands if her father remains silent upon hearing it; if he forbids her, her vows are void (vv.
Key verse
“But the vow of a widow, or of her who is divorced, everything with which she has bound her soul, shall stand against her.”
Numbers 30:9 (WEB)
Outline
- Numbers 30:1–2 Introduction to Vows
- Numbers 30:3–5 Women's Vows Under Parental Authority
- Numbers 30:6–8 Women's Vows Under Marital Authority
- Numbers 30:9–12 Widows and Divorced Women’s Vows
- Numbers 30:13–15 General Principles of Vows
- Numbers 30:16 Conclusion of Commandments
Discussion questions
- In v2, what must a man do when he vows a vow to 'Yahweh'?
- What does a father do in v5 when he hears his daughter's vow?
- Verses 9-10 indicate that a widow's vows 'shall stand' against her: what does this suggest about her autonomy?
- In v14, why is it significant that the husband 'held his peace' regarding his wife's vows?
- When have you felt the weight of a promise, like a woman in v3 binding her soul?
Go deeper
Passages that echo Numbers 30: Ecclesiastes 5, 1 Corinthians 14, Psalm 50.
Before next time: read Numbers 31.