Ecclesiastes 5:4
(5-3) When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou vowest.
JPS TaNaKH 1917
In The King James Version
In Context
5(5-4) Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Cross References
Genesis 35:1And God said unto Jacob: 'Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there; and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou didst flee from the face of Esau thy brother.'
Numbers 30:2(30-3) When a man voweth a vow unto the LORD, or sweareth an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
Psalms 50:14Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High;
Psalms 76:11(76-12) Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God; let all that are round about Him bring presents unto Him that is to be feared;
Psalms 116:16I beseech Thee, O LORD, for I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaid; Thou hast loosed my bands.
Psalms 147:10He delighteth not in the strength of the horse; He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man.
Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 5:2-4
A Caution to Worshippers. 1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. Solomon's design, in driving us off from the world, by… Read the whole commentary →