Deuteronomy 23:21
When thou hast made a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not delay to pay it: because the Lord thy God will require it. And if thou delay, it shall be imputed to thee for a sin.
Open Deuteronomy 23:21 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Cum votum voveris Domino Deo tuo, non tardabis reddere : quia requiret illud Dominus Deus tuus, et si moratus fueris, reputabitur tibi in peccatum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Ἐὰν δὲ εὔξῃ εὐχὴν Κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ σου, οὐ χρονιεῖς ἀποδοῦναι αὐτήν, ὅτι ἐκζητῶν ἐκζητήσει Κύριος ὁ θεός σου παρὰ σοῦ, καὶ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ ἁμαρτία·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Deuteronomy 23:22
- כִּֽי תִדֹּ֥ר נֶ֨דֶר֙ לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לֹ֥א תְאַחֵ֖ר לְשַׁלְּמ֑וֹ כִּֽי דָּרֹ֨שׁ יִדְרְשֶׁ֜נּוּ יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ מֵֽעִמָּ֔ךְ וְהָיָ֥ה בְךָ֖ חֵֽטְא
Haydock's commentary
Delay, beyond the time appointed. (Menochius)
If no time was specified, the vow must be fulfilled without any unnecessary procrastination. See Numbers xxx. 2. (Haydock)
Vows induce an obligation which before did not exist. (Worthington)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Cyprian Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews, Testimony XXX
In Solomon: “According as thou hast vowed a vow to God, delay not to pay it.” Concerning this same thing in Deuteronomy: “But if thou hast vowed a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not delay to pay it: because the Lord thy God inquiring shall seek it of thee; and it shall be for a sin. Thou shalt observe those things that shall go forth out of thy lips, and shalt perform the gift which thou hast spoken with thy mouth.” Of this same matter in the forty-ninth Psalm: “Sacrifice to God the sacrifice of praise, and pay thy vows to the Most High. …