But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will forgive her because her father had forbidden her.I'm not quite sure what kind of vows they're talking about here. I can think of several types that might apply: vows of chastity, or commitment to a particular man, or to some task she shall perform, or some type of commitment of service to God all would seem possible. I'm honestly not sure which type it might be, given how vague the text is, but I'm guessing that the service to God is the most likely. Perhaps serving in the temple, or doing some particular undesirable duty.
Whatever the vow was for, it's interesting that an unmarried woman does not have final say. Her father must agree, or at least not immediately object, for her vow to be binding. Until the time of her marriage, a woman is not apart from her family, but subservient to her father's will. Later in the chapter, it says the same thing about husbands to their wives. So while God does permit women equality in some circumstances (like inheritance when there are no sons), they are not completely independent.
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