Dictionary of Bible Themes  »  5000 Humanity  »  5200 Human civilisation  »  5444 pledges

A solemn, binding promise, often involving the deposit of valuable items or property as a guarantee that the promise will be kept. To break a pledge is to sin against God.

Pledges were binding

Numbers 30:2 See also Numbers 30:3-15 In certain cases pledges made by daughters or wives could be nullified by fathers or husbands respectively.

Pledges were solemn promises

2 Kings 23:3 pp 2 Chronicles 34:31-32 See also 1 Chronicles 29:24; Ezra 10:19; Ezekiel 17:16-18; Micah 7:20; 1 Peter 3:21

Pledges were guarantees that a promise would be kept

Items deposited to secure a pledge

Genesis 38:17-18 See also Exodus 22:26-27; Deuteronomy 24:10-13; Proverbs 20:16; Proverbs 27:13

Unjust exaction of pledges condemned

Deuteronomy 24:17 See also Job 22:4-6; Job 24:2-3; Amos 2:6-8

Warning against making pledges on behalf of others

Proverbs 11:15 The foolishness of making a pledge as security for someone else's debt. See also Proverbs 6:1-5; Proverbs 17:18; Proverbs 22:26-27

Pledges and betrothal

Matthew 1:18-19 Betrothal was a pledge to marry and as such was much more binding than the modern Western practice of engagement. It could only be broken by divorce and the betrothed woman was already described as a wife. See also Exodus 22:16; Deuteronomy 22:23-25; Luke 1:27

See also

1346  covenants
1690  word of God
3040  Holy Spirit, promise of
5329  guarantee
5429  oaths
5440  perjury
5466  promises
5518  seal
5654  betrothal
5708  marriage
5741  vows
5925  rashness