Ecclesiastes 5:5
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Cross-references
Deuteronomy 23:22 directly states it is no sin to refrain from a vow, matching the advice that it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
Proverbs 20:25 calls reconsidering a vow a trap, aligning with the wisdom of not vowing rather than vowing and failing to pay.
Leviticus 22:21 requires that an animal offered to fulfill a vow be without blemish—reinforcing the need to properly keep vows made to God.
Numbers 30:2 commands that a man must not break his word but fulfill whatever he vows—the very principle behind the warning in Ecclesiastes.
Deuteronomy 23:21 says not to delay fulfilling a vow, for it is sin—directly echoing the caution against unfulfilled vows.
Deuteronomy 23:23 insists on careful performance of voluntary vows—reinforcing the seriousness of making vows to God.
Judges 11:30 records Jephthah's rash vow that led to tragedy—an example of why it's better not to make a dangerous vow.
Psalm 22:25 declares that the psalmist will pay his vows before the congregation—a positive example of fulfilling vows to God.
Psalm 50:14 commands to fulfill vows to the Most High—directly reinforcing the duty to keep what is vowed.
Psalm 116:18 shows the ideal of paying vows, directly contrasting the warning against vowing and not paying here.
Psalm 119:106 demonstrates commitment to keep an oath, reinforcing the importance of fulfilling what is sworn.
Jonah 2:9 has Jonah paying his vow from the fish, exemplifying the proper response urged here.
Malachi 1:14 condemns those who vow but offer a blemished sacrifice, a specific form of not paying vows.