If she vowed in her husband’s house …: Alter (page 839) takes verses 10-15 as a continued reference to the widow or divorced woman, noting that commitments she had made while married are still valid or void depending on what her husband had said (so also NET Bible). Similarly, New Revised Standard Version and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh treat verses 10-15 as a continuation of the case of the woman who has just married (verses 6-8). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh begins verse 10 with “So, too, if, while in her husband’s household, she makes a vow….” However, this interpretation becomes problematic in verse 12 (see the comments there). It thus seems more plausible to treat verses 10-15 as a different case, indeed, the fourth and final one: the situation of a married woman who makes vows. Cole (page 485) says, “The concluding and most detailed case relates to married women who make vows or oaths” (also Ashley, page 581). Good News Translation and La Nouvelle Bible Segond make its explicit that verses 10-15 deal with the case of married women who make vows by beginning verse 10 with “If a married woman makes a vow….” Other translations that apply these verses to the married woman and render the verbs with a present tense are Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bijbel in Gewone Taal, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling, and Luther.

Local cultural perception and expression may influence the translation of the phrase in her husband’s house (compare the comments on “within her father’s house” in verse 3). A literal rendering of this phrase would be very unnatural in Chewa, which leaves it implied (so also Good News Translation).

Or bound herself by a pledge with an oath: See verse 2.

And her husband heard of it: See verse 4. Good News Translation renders this clause as “when he hears about it” and places it at the end of verse 12, which other languages may find helpful.

And said nothing to her is literally “and he keeps silent toward her” (see the comments on verse 4).

And did not oppose her: The Hebrew verb rendered oppose (heniʾ) is the same one translated “expresses disapproval” in verse 5 (see the comments there).

Then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she bound herself shall stand: See verse 4. As there, the Hebrew word for vows is plural while the word for pledge is singular. Instead of pledge, the Septuagint, the Peshitta, and the Samaritan Pentateuch have the plural word “pledges.”

Levine (page 433), who agrees with Alter that verses 10-15 still refer to the widow or divorced woman, notes that since her husband had remained silent, there is now nothing that can be done to release her from the obligation of her vow. The general principle that applies in these verses is that the husband may confirm his wife’s vow or oath by mere inaction or he may formally nullify it (so Cole, page 485).

Good News Translation has a smoother reading in English than Revised Standard Version for verses 10-11, which some other languages may prefer.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .