Nombres 30

¹ Then Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded:

² 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.

Note · Nombres 30.1–2

Le sérieux de la parole donnée

L’homme est appelé à agir selon ce qu’il a prononcé. Le passage ne fait pas de toute promesse imprudente une obligation de commettre le mal : il traite d’engagements dans le cadre de l’alliance. Le reste de l’Écriture doit être entendu avant de présenter une parole dangereuse comme irrévocable en toute circonstance.

³ And if a woman in her father’s house during her youth makes a vow to the LORD or obligates herself by a pledge,

⁴ and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.

⁵ But if her father prohibits her on the day he hears about it, then none of the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. The LORD will absolve her because her father has prohibited her.

⁶ If a woman marries while under a vow or rash promise by which she has bound herself,

⁷ and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her on that day, then the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.

⁸ But if her husband prohibits her when he hears of it, he nullifies the vow that binds her or the rash promise she has made, and the LORD will absolve her.

Note · Nombres 30.3–8

Le silence du père ou du mari a des conséquences

La possibilité d’annulation est liée au moment où l’engagement devient connu. Le texte ne donne donc pas simplement un droit indéfini de revenir sur une parole acceptée. L’asymétrie demeure toutefois réelle : la jeune femme et l’épouse ne disposent pas du même cadre d’autonomie que l’homme décrit au début.

⁹ Every vow a widow or divorced woman pledges to fulfill is binding on her.

¹⁰ If a woman in her husband’s house has made a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath,

¹¹ and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her and does not prohibit her, then all the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.

¹² But if her husband nullifies them on the day he hears of them, then nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or pledges, shall stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the LORD will absolve her.

¹³ Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow or any sworn pledge to deny herself.

¹⁴ But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all the vows and pledges that bind her. He has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard about them.

¹⁵ But if he nullifies them after he hears of them, then he will bear her iniquity.”

¹⁶ These are the statutes that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the relationship between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter still in his home.

Note · Nombres 30.9–16

Des statuts différents et une responsabilité de l’autorité

La veuve ou la femme séparée engage sa propre parole. Dans la maison conjugale, une annulation tardive rend le mari responsable. Le texte encadre ainsi une autorité ancienne sans que cet encadrement suffise à transformer toutes ses inégalités en modèle de relation chrétienne.