Bible Dictionary
Vows
A vow is a solemn promise made to God to perform or abstain from something. Under the Mosaic law, vows were voluntary but binding when rightly made, and included promises of devotion, abstinence, or dedication.
Biblical Usage
Jacob made the earliest recorded vow. The Mosaic law regulated rather than introduced the practice and required vows to be kept when the promised act was right. Vows appear in accounts involving worship, abstinence, military circumstances, and apostolic practice.
Scripture References
Genesis 28
Leviticus 7:16
Numbers 30:2-13
Deuteronomy 23:18
Judges 11:30
Judges 11:39
1 Samuel 1:11
Jonah 1:16
Acts 18:18
Acts 21:23
Genesis 28:18-22
Genesis 31:13
Job 22:27
Leviticus 27:28
Leviticus 27:9
Leviticus 10:33
2 Samuel 15:8
Leviticus 27:1-7
Numbers 30:2
Numbers 23:21
Ecclesiastes 5:4
Numbers 30:3-18
Ezra 10:8
Micah 4:13
Acts 21:24