33Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
(Matthew 5:33-37, KJV)
One of the most abhorrent human evils is dishonesty. When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in a garden of perfection. Harmony exists between God and man. Satan’s entrance brings deceit, and the truth of God is exchanged for a lie.
In this section (verses 33–37), Jesus reminds us that citizens of God’s kingdom are to speak only the truth. God is truth so He expects His children to possess this characteristic (Proverbs 6:16–17; 12:22; Psalm 119:163; Revelation 21:8). To illustrate this expectation, Jesus discusses the issue of swearing.
Thou shalt not forswear thyself: The Mosaic Law teaches the Jew is not to perjure himself (epiorkeo—forswear) and that all oaths are to be made in a special way. To understand Jesus’ new teaching, note the teaching about oath taking in the Old Testament.
Oath taking in the Old Testament is addressed even in the patriarchal age. Various practices are connected with swearing. In Genesis 14:22, Abram lifts his hand toward God and calls Him as a witness. In Genesis 24:2–9, a hand is placed under the thigh as the oath is taken to underscore the solemnity of the vow. Although oath taking is quite pervasive in scripture, no single formula seems to be followed in the making of oaths. The following scriptures are a few Old Testament references that describe the practice of swearing: Genesis 24:7; 31:50, 53; 47:29; 50:5, 25; Judges 21:5; Ruth 1:17; 3:13; 1 Samuel 1:26; 17:55; 19:6; 20:3; 25:26; 2 Samuel 2:27; 3:9; 11:11; 15:21; 1 Kings 2:23; 18:10; 2 Kings 2:2; 6:31; Ezra 10:3–5.
Swearing may be defined as a solemn declaration or promise about someone or something with God being called as witness to the inviolability of the speaker’s words. The logic seems to be that Deity fills the void in humanity’s credibility gap. Hebrews 6:16 corroborates this basic definition.
Under Mosaic Law oaths not only are accepted but are commanded at times. Three basic oaths are taken:
The Exculpatory Oath—designed to clear oneself from guilt when no witnesses are available as in cases of stolen property (Exodus 22:11), shedding of innocent blood (Deuteronomy 21), and suspected violation of marriage vows.
The Adjuration—a summons to appear and give testimony or information. Leviticus 5:1 addresses the necessity of adhering to such a summons.
The Voluntary Oath—though voluntary, once this oath is made it becomes obligatory (Leviticus 5:4). Psalm 15 speaks about the necessity of keeping one’s oath even if made in rashness. The evil wrought in Joshua 9:15, Judges 11:30, 1 Samuel 14:24, and Matthew 14:7 is verdict against rash oath taking.
‘but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:’ God is to be the only object of the Jews’ oath. They are not to swear by any other name. The third commandment of the Decalogue says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” While often viewed solely in the context of profanity, in its strictest sense it refers to false swearing. Keil and Delitzsch say it “prohibits all employment of the name of God for vain and unworthy objects, and includes not only false swearing… but trivial swearing in the ordinary intercourse of life” (Keil and Delitzsch, The Pentateuch 118).
Swearing is not wrong in the Old Testament, but it is minutely regulated. It must follow the prescribed formulas as found in passages such as Numbers 30 and must be done only in God’s name (Deuteronomy 6:13). As will be noted, however, the scribes eventually encourage swearing by other than God’s name. They reason that swearing by less important things makes their word less binding. Jesus places this on par with lying.
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Swear not at all: If our Lord’s words “Swear not at all” (me omosai holos) are taken alone, this seems to be a universal prohibition of all oath taking. History is not without those who so interpret this command. Broadus lists several groups who have traditionally opposed swearing: Anabaptists, Waldensians, Mennonists, Quakers, etc. He also indicates that such early notables as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, and Jerome decline the practice (115).
We find, however, various occasions in the New Testament where individuals call God as a witness or take vows. Jesus himself answers under oath before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin council. The term used in the Authorized Version is “adjure” (exorkidzo) and refers to being placed under oath (Robertson 217). In Romans 1:19, the Apostle Paul calls God to witness the solemnity of his love toward the saints at Rome (see also 2 Corinthians 1:18–23; Galatians 1:20; Philippians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 10). In 1 Thessalonians 5:27, Paul puts the church under oath as he charges them before the Lord that his epistle be read to all. In Romans 14:11, Paul applies to Christians an Old Testament passage that includes swearing (Isaiah 45:23). Other New Testament passages (such as Luke 1:73; Acts 2:30; Hebrews 3:11, 18; Hebrews 6:13; Revelation 10:5–6) also indicate that swearing is practiced.
The above evidence suggests that Jesus’ prohibition is qualified. The lists of “neither and nor” that follow verse 34 provide the key to understanding God’s restrictions on swearing.
Swear not at all: As noted above, this statement is qualified and must be taken in the context in which it is given. Jesus now gives some examples of the type of swearing Christians are to avoid. The gospels adequately show that by Jesus’ day many religious perversions exist (15:9; Mark 7:11). Oath taking has not escaped such perversion. While the scribes despise outright lying, they have concocted a more subtle way of deceit—a loophole to the law. They teach the obligation to honor their oaths depends on the value of the object by which they swear. They teach that the vow is absolutely binding only when God’s name is used. If lesser objects are sworn upon, the oath is valued in relation to the object used and might even be forgotten (Lenski 235).
neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: To swear by heaven instead of by God is an attempt to circumvent one’s promise. Heaven was created by God and is where His throne is. Therefore, since God cannot be divorced from His place of residence, to swear by one is paramount to swearing by the other.
Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: Likewise, the earth is God’s creation and cannot be divorced from Him. To swear by the earth not only violates Old Testament passages but ignores the fact that God’s presence is everywhere therein.
neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King: To swear by Jerusalem accomplishes nothing in an attempt to remove oneself from the all-seeing eyes of God. Jerusalem is not only where the Temple is but is the city of David and is the representation of the kingdom of heaven.
Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black: Ultimately, God controls everything. He not only determines the color of man’s hair, He is the creator of man’s head. Thus, to swear by one’s head is to acknowledge God’s presence.
The custom of false swearing Jesus addresses here is further addressed in chapter twenty-three. Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees and shows again that God cannot be removed from everyday life (see 23:16–19).
Notable Scholars on the Issue of Swearing
From the above it seems clear that Jesus does not forbid all oaths. Judicial oaths and vows made to God on solemn religious occasions are not condemned. McGarvey, however, is right when he says, “But as these are the only exceptions found in the scriptures, we conclude that all other oaths are forbidden” (Commentary on Matthew 57).
Barnes says, “It was merely the foolish and wicked habit of swearing in private conversation; of swearing on every occasion and by everything that he condemned” (57).
Lenski remarks:
Jesus shows why oaths are still necessary. The prince of this world rules so many men that the state, which has to deal with the ungodly as well as with the godly, is compelled to require oaths in order to establish truth and to confirm promises. Since the world is so full of liars, the state cannot trust a simple “yea” or “nay.” Hence the scriptures permit necessary oaths (239).
A Matter of Conscience
In similar fashion to the groups mentioned above, many in the church of Christ also universally decline the practice of swearing. This view is to be highly respected. Although scripture indicates that Matthew 5:34 be interpreted in light of Jewish perversion, one must never violate his conscience. While it may be acceptable to swear on solemn occasions and in judicial settings, it is certainly acceptable not to swear. Jesus will illustrate in verse 37 that a Christian’s simple “yes” or “no” should be enough to establish the truth. Swearing is not bound on Christians as a positive imperative. No matter one’s conscience, it should generally be avoided as familiarity may lead to levity.
For those, however, whose consciences are not settled on the issue, the following questions should be considered:
- What is the difference between swearing an oath and vowing a vow? Does a Christian violate Matthew 5:34 during a wedding ceremony?
- How may we harmonize those occasions in the life of Paul where he called upon God as witness if all swearing is forbidden?
- What criteria might we use in determining on which occasions swearing is acceptable?
- What general need is there to swear in today’s society?
- How could solemn, or judicial oaths, made respectfully before God, be rightfully attributed to the “evil one” (see verse 37)?
- In substance, what is the real difference in judicial settings between taking an oath and saying, “I affirm”?
- When one who administers baptism raises his right hand, what significance does the act have? How do Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 10:5 relate to this practice?
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: A Christian’s simple “yes” or “no” should be sufficient to establish the truth. Anything more than this comes of evil (the evil one). The Christian does not need an elaborate system by which he can renege on his word or deceive those who hear him. A Christian means what he says and says what he means. Because believers are children of the King (5:45; 1 John 3:1), they ought to possess the Father’s divine attributes. Therefore, since God is truth, Christians must always speak truthfully.
To swear flippantly in everyday conversation harms credibility, for swearing by its nature elevates certain statements above others. Everything a Christian says should be true! Lenski writes, “The man whose heart is true to God utters every statement he makes (logos) as though it were made in the very presence of God before whom even his heart with its inmost thought lies bare” (238).
for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil: Any deliberate speech other than the truth comes from an evil motive and has the devil (“the evil one”) as its source. Both “evil” and “evil one” are appropriate interpretations of Jesus’ statement with commentators differing in preference. James, however, indicates that the former is probably correct and says, “lest you fall into judgment” (5:12).
Evangelist Mike Criswell
—Evangelist Mike Criswell, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew