Deuteronomy 23:22

Summary

The verse states that if a person refrains from making a vow, no sin will be attributed to them. It presents a conditional statement addressing the absence of a vow, not its fulfillment or breach.

Key words

• khi ("if", H3588A) — conditional particle introducing the hypothetical situation ("if you refrain...").
• techDal ("you will refrain", H2308) — qal imperfect, second person masculine singular, describing a future or ongoing action of holding back or ceasing.
• liNedor ("to make a vow", H5087) — qal infinitive with the preposition li ("to", H9005), forming a purpose/complement construction with techDal: "refrain from vowing."
• yihYeh ("it will be", H1961) — qal imperfect, third person masculine singular, the verb "to be" projected into the future, negated by lo' ("not", H3808).
• chet' ("sin", H2399) — masculine singular noun, the subject of the clause lo'-yihYeh...chet' ("there will not be sin").

What the text says

The verse is built as a conditional sentence introduced by ve-khi ("and if", H9002 + H3588A), followed by the verb techDal ("you will refrain", H2308) paired with the infinitive liNedor ("to make a vow", H5087+H9005). This combination of finite verb plus infinitive with li is a common Hebrew construction expressing "to refrain from doing" a specific action — here, the act of vowing.

The apodosis (result clause) is lo'-yihYeh vekha chet' ("there will not be in you sin"). The verb yihYeh ("it will be", H1961) is negated by lo' (H3808), and the phrase vekha ("in you", H9003+H9031) uses the preposition be ("in") with a second-person masculine singular pronominal suffix, locating the potential sin as something that would reside "in" the person. The noun chet' ("sin", H2399) is the grammatical subject of this existential clause, meaning literally "sin will not exist in you" rather than "you will not sin" as an action.

The overall grammar frames abstention from vowing as a condition under which no sin-status attaches to the person — the sentence structure emphasizes the state of being free from sin (via the existential "to be" verb) rather than describing a behavioral prohibition.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the clause with a verb of desire, thelēs ("you wish/want", from θέλω) paired with euxasthai ("to vow"), producing "if you do not wish to vow," which shifts the emphasis toward volition compared to the Hebrew techDal ("you will refrain/cease", H2308), which does not carry an explicit sense of "wishing." The Vulgate's nolueris ("you will not have wanted") similarly introduces a volitional nuance absent from the Hebrew verb's more neutral sense of ceasing or abstaining.