📖 Biblical Definition
Hebrew neder, vow, the OT institution of the voluntary religious pledge to the LORD. Vows in OT life were undertaken in moments of distress, gratitude, or aspiration: Jacob's vow at Bethel (Genesis 28:20-22, the famous If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go... then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee); Hannah's vow at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:11, dedicating the son she would bear to the LORD's service); Jephthah's tragic vow (Judges 11:30-31, 34-40); the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6); the votive offerings of Leviticus 7:16. The OT regulations of vows are strict: 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... But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). Numbers 30 governs the vows of women under their fathers' or husbands' authority; the patriarchal head has the right of disannulment on the day he hears of the vow. Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 warns: better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. The Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:33-37 and James 5:12 caution against the proliferation of religious vows beyond plain speech. The patriarchal-Reformed reader notes the gravity of the vow in OT life and the New Covenant teaching of restraint — vows are not forbidden but are not to be undertaken lightly.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Hebrew neder (H5088), vow / votive offering; OT institution of voluntary religious pledge to the LORD; strictly regulated (Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Numbers 30; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5); NT restraint (Matthew 5:33-37).
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NEDER, Hebrew noun (H5088; vow, votive offering) From nadar (H5087, to vow). The OT institution of voluntary religious pledge to the LORD, undertaken in moments of distress, gratitude, or aspiration. OT examples: Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:20-22); Hannah at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:11); Jephthah's tragic vow (Judges 11); the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6); votive offerings (Leviticus 7:16). Strict OT regulations: must be paid (Deuteronomy 23:21-23); patriarchal disannulment (Numbers 30); not vowing better than vowing without paying (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). NT restraint: Matthew 5:33-37; James 5:12 (let yea be yea, nay be nay).
📖 Key Scripture
Deuteronomy 23:21-23 — "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. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed."
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 — "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay."
1 Samuel 1:11 — "And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life."
Matthew 5:33-34 — "Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
No major postmodern redefinition. The principal contemporary mishandling is the casual treatment of religious vows (marriage vows, ordination vows, membership vows) without due gravity.
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Neder as a Hebrew term does not undergo lexical corruption. The principal contemporary mishandling is the casual treatment of religious vows. Marriage vows, ordination vows, church-membership vows are taken with rhetorical lightness, broken with little consequence, and treated as expressions of current intent rather than as binding covenant pledges before the LORD. The OT teaching is strict (Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5): better not vow than vow and not pay. The NT teaching of restraint (Matthew 5:33-37) is consistent with the OT gravity, not contradictory of it. The patriarchal-Reformed recovery is the substantive weight of vows: covenantal pledges before the LORD that bind the conscience and that should be entered with sober deliberation and kept with rigorous fidelity.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H5088; from nadar (H5087); OT institution of voluntary religious pledge; Jacob, Hannah, Jephthah, Nazirite vow.
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['Hebrew', 'H5088', 'neder', 'vow, votive offering']
['Hebrew', 'H5087', 'nadar', 'to vow (verbal root)']
['Greek', 'G2171', 'euche', 'vow, prayer (NT equivalent)']
Usage
"Neder: vow; voluntary religious pledge to the LORD."
"Strict OT regulation: must be paid; better not to vow than to vow and not pay."
"NT restraint: Matthew 5:33-37; let yea be yea, nay be nay."