A Pragmatic Study of Vow in Biblical Verses

Vow is a voluntarily act in which the speaker promises God something if his petition is granted. The present study attempts to study vow in biblical texts from a pragmatic perspective. Consequently, it has set the following aims: (1) identifying the types of vow used in the Bible; (2) looking for the functions of vow in the Bible; (3)shedding light on the different structures that are used in performing vow; (4) investigating the speech act of vow in relation to other speech acts like pledges, promises, and oaths; (5) identifying the pragmatic components and strategies used in making vow; (6) finding out how rhetorical devices are utilized in making vow; (7) and using an eclectic model for the analysis of biblical texts of vow. The study consists of five chapters. Chapter one presents the introduction. Chapter two is devoted to the theoretical background of vow. Chapter three presents a pragmatic perspective of vow. Chapter Four presents the practical side of the study. Chapter five sums up the conclusions, recommendations, as well as suggestions for further studies