vow, sacred voluntary promise to dedicate oneself or members of one’s family or community to a special obligation that goes beyond usual social or religious requirements.
In the ancient Middle East, individuals often made vows to a deity to perform certain acts or to live in a certain way in return for a divine favour. Hannah, the mother of the Old Testament judge Samuel, for example, vowed that if Yahweh, the God of Israel, would grant her a son she would devote him to the service of the Lord. She did bear a son, and she kept her vow. Persons dedicated to the service of Yahweh might be released from their vows, however, by paying a certain amount of money.
Ancient Roman religion encouraged vows to a deity in the name of the state, thereby putting the vow-giver in debt to the gods until the vows were fulfilled. During wars, vows were made to Mars, the god of war, to sacrifice a large number of animals in exchange for support in battle.
Among the Vikings, vows to the gods, often considered a type of prayer, were viewed as sacrosanct, and those who broke vows were cast out of their community.
Vows are very common in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, not only among ordained religious persons but also among lay devotees. Hindu followers of the bhakti (devotion) movements often vow to render special service to their gods; individual Hindus also often vow special fastings or offerings to priests and gods on special days. Buddhist monks, who follow the rules of the sangha (community of believers), vow to practice 10 precepts, which include nonviolence, chastity, and honesty. Buddhist laymen and laywomen also take on some of the vows of monks and nuns at some time or times during their lives. Mahāyāna (Greater Vehicle) Buddhists sometimes adopt the vow of the bodhisattva (one destined to be enlightened), which is very strict and involves certain stipulated preliminary actions or abilities, as well as the personal power to generate the thought of enlightenment. Jaina monks follow the five vows, or vratas of Mahāvīra, the 6th-century bc reformer of their religion—renunciation of killing, lying, taking what is not given, sexual pleasures, and all attachments.
Among the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islām, vows are taken by laypersons as well as by members of religious orders. In Judaism, vows (Hebrew nedarim) may be positive or negative. A positive neder is a voluntary pledge to consecrate something to God or to do something in God’s honour that is not required by law. A negative neder (Hebrew issar) is a voluntary pledge to abstain from or deprive oneself of a legitimate pleasure. In general, however, the taking of a vow in Judaism was not encouraged by the Talmudic rabbis, unless it was to be used as a last resort. Roman Catholic religious orders in general take three vows—poverty, chastity, and obedience—and in some cases an added vow of stability, i.e., to remain in a monastery. In Protestantism, vows are made during certain rites (e.g., confirmation, ordination, and marriage ceremonies). Muslim saints revered for their curative or spiritual powers are sometimes appealed to by the faithful, who offer vows of various sorts in return for specific help.