Numbers 30:16

Summary

Numbers 30:16 closes the chapter on vows by stating that the preceding rules are chuqqim ("statutes", H2706G) that Yehovah commanded Moses. The verse specifies the scope of these statutes: they govern the relationship between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter while she is still young and living in her father's house.

Key words

• chuqqim ("statutes", H2706G) — masculine plural noun, marked with the definite article ha ("the", H9009); designates a fixed body of legal rules, here referring back to the vow regulations of the chapter.
• tzivvah ("he commanded", H6680) — piel perfect, third person masculine singular; the piel stem intensifies the act of commanding, and the perfect aspect marks it as a completed, authoritative act by Yehovah.
• bein ("between", H0996G) — construct form appearing twice (once with "man/wife," once with "father/daughter"), structuring the verse into two parallel legal relationships.
• ne'ureiha ("her youth[s]", H5271A) — masculine plural noun in construct with the pronominal suffix ha ("her", H9024); plural form denotes the abstract period of youth rather than multiple discrete events.
• beit 'aviha ("house of her father", H1004M + H0001G) — two nouns in construct chain, each governed by the following word, ending in the suffix ha ("her"); expresses domestic and legal dependency.

What the text says

The verse opens with the demonstrative 'elleh ("these", H0428) pointing back to the statutes just enumerated, followed by ha-chuqqim ("the statutes", H2706G), which the relative particle 'asher ("which", H0834A) connects to the verb tzivvah ("he commanded", H6680). The subject is Yehovah (H3068G), and the object marker 'et (H0853, untranslated) introduces Mosheh ("Moses", H4872) as the recipient of the command. This clause structure (demonstrative + noun + relative clause + verb + subject + object) is a formulaic closing statement typical of legal sections in the Hebrew text.

The second half of the verse defines the scope of application through two parallel construct phrases introduced by bein ("between", H0996G): first bein 'ish le-'ishto ("between a man and his wife"), then bein 'av le-vitto ("between a father and his daughter"). Each relational noun ('ish, 'av, bitto) is followed by a possessive suffix marking the counterpart in the relationship. The final phrase, bi-ne'ureiha beit 'aviha ("in her youth[s], house of her father"), uses two stacked construct chains without an explicit preposition before beit ("house of", H1004M), tying the daughter's status to both a life stage (ne'ureiha) and a location of authority (beit 'aviha, "her father's house").

Differences between versions

The Vulgate text given here corresponds to Numbers 30:15, not verse 16; the Latin sentence "Sin autem contradixerit postquam rescivit, portabit ipse iniquitatem ejus" describes a different legal scenario (annulling a vow after having heard it) and does not parallel the Hebrew of 30:16. The LXX (Swete) text likewise begins with a continuation of a prior clause ("ἐὰν δὲ περιελὼν περιέλῃ...") before reaching the equivalent of verse 16 ("δικαιώματα ὅσα ἐνετείλατο Κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ..."), indicating a difference in verse alignment between the Hebrew and these versions at this point in the chapter.