THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril. Hence, we are called to honor our commitments to God. Those who have made promises should not delay in fulfilling them, for it is indeed a grave and perilous matter to neglect such obligations, as both reason and Holy Scripture highlight. If we consider it highly inappropriate to be accused of deceit, how could it not be disgraceful to make a pledge before God and later break it? Thus, the law highlights the sin of anyone who has made a vow yet postponed its fulfillment, including those who have failed to fulfill it entirely. However, those who possess nothing of their own, being bound by necessary obligations and under another's authority, are exempt from blame.
Read more (191 words)
The book of Numbers states: ‘And Moses spake unto the chiefs of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This is what the Lord hath commanded: if a man make a vow unto the Lord, or swear by an oath, having put a vow upon his soul, he shall not break his word, but shall fulfill all that came out of his mouth. If a woman shall make a vow unto the Lord, and put a vow upon herself in her father's house, in her youth, and her father shall hear her vow, and the vow which she hath put upon her soul, and her father shall be silent concerning it, then all her vows shall take place, and every vow which she hath put upon her soul shall take place; But if her father, when he hears, forbid her, all her vows and her vows which she hath put upon her soul shall not come to pass, and the Lord shall forgive her, because her father hath forbidden her’ (Num. 30:2-6). The same principle applies to a wife who is united with her husband under the law (Num. 30:7-9).