Leviticus 27:2

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, etc.] This being an affair which only concerned them; for the Jewish writers say f926, by this phrase, the children of Israel, Gentiles are excluded: when a man shall make a singular vow; an unusual, an uncommon one, a very distinguished one, and even what is wonderful, as the word signifies; as when a man, through uncommon zeal for God and his service, devotes himself, or his children, or his cattle, or his houses or fields, to the Lord: the word “man”, the Jewish writers say f927, includes every male, and even a Gentile; yea, it is said all estimate and are estimated, vow and are vowed, priests, and Levites, and Israelites, women and…”

“Rather, When a man makes a special vow which concerns thy valuation of persons to Yahweh, if thy estimation shall be of the male, etc. The expression “thy estimation” is addressed either to Moses or to the priest Leviticus 27:12 : it denoted a legal valuation. The vow of a person was perhaps most frequently made in cases of illness or danger, under the impulse of religions feeling, either in the way of thankfulness for blessings received, or of supplication for something desired. A man might dedicate himself, his wife, his child, or his bondservant. This might have been an old custom; but the Law ordained that he who had taken such a vow should pay a sum of money to the sanctuary, determined…”

“A singular vow - Or, an eminent, or hard vow, not concerning things, which was customary, but concerning persons, which he devoted to the Lord, which was unusual and difficult: yet there want not instances of persons who devoted either themselves or their children, and that either more strictly, as the Nazarites, and the Levites, Sa1 1:11, and for these there was no redemption admitted, but they were in person to perform the service to which they were devoted: or more largely, as some who were not Levites, might yet through zeal to God, or to obtain God's help, which they wanted or desired, devote themselves or their children to the service of God and of the sanctuary, tho' not in such a way…”

“27:2 The vow taken to become a Nazirite is also called a special vow (Num 6:2), but the vow mentioned here was probably a promise made to God when seeking a desired answer to prayer (see Gen 28:20-22). Pagan religions of the time sacrificed infants to their gods, but God outlawed such a practice (Lev 18:21; 20:2-5; cp. Gen 22:12-13). Consequently, the concept of being vowed to the Lord was measured in terms of service given, not in the sacrifice of a life. Whether the vow was made by the person or by another acting for him or her, payment was to be made to the sanctuary, apparently for the person’s expenses during the term of service. See also Num 6:1-21; Judg 13:5, 7; 1 Sam 1:11; Amos…”

“When: Gen 28:20-22; Num 6:2, Num 21:2; Deu 23:21-23; Jdg 11:30, Jdg 11:31, Jdg 11:39; Sa1 1:11, Sa1 1:28 a singular vow: A vow is a religious promise made to God, for the most part with prayer, and paid with thanksgiving. Vows were either of abstinence (Num. 6 and chapter 30), or the devoting of something to the Lord, as sacrifices ( Lev 7:16), or the value of persons, beasts, houses, or lands, concerning which the law is here given. A man might vow or devote himself, his children, his domestics, his cattle, his goods, etc.; and respecting the redemption of all these, rules are laid down in this chapter. But if, after consecrating these things, he refused to redeem them, they then became the…”

“The vowing of persons. - "If any one make a special vow, souls shall be to the Lord according to thy valuation." נדר הפליא does not mean to dedicate or set apart a vow, but to make a special vow (see at Lev 22:21). The words בּערכּך, "according to thy (Moses') valuation," it is more simple to regard as an apodosis, so as to supply to ליהוה the substantive verb תּהיינה, than as a fuller description of the protasis, in which case the apodosis would follow in Lev 27:3, and the verb יקדּישׁ would have to be supplied. But whatever may be the conclusion adopted, in any case this thought is expressed in the words, that souls, i.e., persons, were to be vowed to the Lord according to Moses'…”