Reference: Oath
American
A solemn affirmation accompanied by an appeal to the Supreme Being. God has prohibited all false oaths, and all useless and customary swearing in ordinary discourse; but when the necessity or importance of a matter requires an oath, he allows men to swear by his name, Ex 22:11; Le 5:1. To swear by a false god was an act of idolatry, Jer 5:7; 12:16.
Among the Hebrews an oath was administered by the judge, who stood up, and adjured the party who was to be sworn. In this manner our Lord was adjured by Caiaphas, Mt 26:63. Jesus had remained silent under long examination, when the high priest, rising up, knowing he had a sure mode of obtaining an answer said, "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ." To this oath, thus solemnly administered, Jesus replied that he was indeed the Messiah.
An oath is a solemn appeal to God, as to an all-seeing witness that what we say is true, and an almighty avenger if what we say be false, Heb 6:16. Its force depends upon our conviction of the infinite justice of God; that he will not hold those guiltless who take his name in vain; and that the loss of his favor immeasurable outweighs all that could be gained by false witness. It is an act of religious worship; on which account God requires it to be taken in his name, De 10:20, and points out the manner in which it ought to be administered, and the duty of the person who swears, Ex 22:11; De 6:18; Ps 15:4; 24:4. Hence atheists, who profess to believe that there is no God, and persons who do not believe in a future state of reward and punishment, cannot consistently take an oath. In their mouths an oath can be only profane mockery.
God himself is represented as confirming his promise by oath, and thus conforming to what is practiced among men, Heb 6:13,16-17. The oaths forbidden in Mt 5:34-35; Jas 5:12, must refer to the unthinking, hasty, and vicious practices of the Jews; otherwise Paul would have acted against the command of Christ, Ro 1:9; Ga 1:20; 2Co 1:23. That person is obliged to take an oath whose duty requires him to declare the truth in the most solemn and judicial manner; though undoubtedly oaths are too often administered unnecessarily and irreverently, and taken with but slight consciousness of the responsibility thus assumed. As we are bound to manifest every possible degree of reverence towards God, the greatest care is to be taken that we swear neither rashly nor negligently in making promises. To neglect performance is perjury, unless the promise be contrary to the law of nature and of God; in which case no oath is binding. See CORBAN, and VOWS.
A customary formula of taking an oath was "The Lord do so to me, and more also;" that is, the lord slay me, as the victim sacrificed on many such occasions was slain, and punish me even more than this, if I speak not the truth, Ru 1:17; 1Sa 3:17. Similar phrases are these: "As the Lord liveth," Jg 8:19 "Before God I lie not," Ro 9:1; "I say the truth in Christ," 1Ti 2:7; "God is my record," Php 1.8. Several acts are alluded to as accompaniments of an oath; as putting the hand under the thigh, Ge 24:2; 47:29; and raising the hand towards heaven, Ge 14:22-23; De 32:40; Re 10:5.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abram said unto the king of Sodom, - I have lifted up my hand unto Yahweh GOD Most High, possessor of the heavens and earth: That not from a thread even unto a sandal-thong, - will I take, anything, that is thine, - Lest thou shouldst say, I, enriched Abram!
So Abraham said unto his servant, elder of his house, ruler of all that he had, - Place, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh;
And the days of Israel drew near that he must die, so he called for his son for Joseph and said to him - If, I pray thee I have found favour in thine eyes, place, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh, - so shalt thou deal with me in lovingkindness and faithfulness - Do not I pray thee, bury me in Egypt.
the oath of Yahweh, shall come between them both, That he hath not laid his hand on the property of his neighbour, - then shall the owner thereof accept it and he shall not make restitution.
the oath of Yahweh, shall come between them both, That he hath not laid his hand on the property of his neighbour, - then shall the owner thereof accept it and he shall not make restitution.
Any person, moreover, whensoever he shall sin in that, when he heareth a voice of swearing, he himself, being a witness either seeing or knowing, - if he do not tell and so hath to bear his iniquity: -
so shalt thou do what is right and what is pleasing in the eyes of Yahweh, - that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest enter in and possess the good land, which Yahweh sware unto thy fathers;
Yahweh thy God, shalt thou revere, Him, shalt thou serve, - And unto him, shalt thou cleave, And in his name, shalt thou swear.
For I lift up unto the heavens my hand, - And say, Living am, I, unto times age-abiding:
And he said: My brethren, sons of my mother, they were! As Yahweh liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not have slain you.
where thou diest, I will die, and, there, will I be buried: So, let Yahweh do to me, and, so, let him add, if, death itself, part me and thee.
Despised in his sight, is the reprobate, but, them who revere Yahweh, he doth honour, he hath sworn to his neighbour, and will not change;
The clean of hands, and pure of heart, - who hath not uplifted, to falsehood, his soul, nor sworn deceitfully,
How, for this, can I pardon thee? Thine own sons, have forsaken me, And have sworn by No-gods, - When I had fed them to the full, Then committed they adultery, And the house of the unchaste woman, they used to throng:
And it shall come to pass - If they will, diligently learn, the ways of my people - To swear by my Name saying, By the life of Yahweh, As they taught my people to swear by Baal, Then shall they be built in the midst of my people.
But, I, tell you - not to swear, at all: Neither by heaven, because it is the, throne of God, - Nor by the earth, because it is his, footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because, it is the, city, of the Great King;
But, Jesus, was silent. And, the High-priest, said unto him: I put thee on oath, by the Living God, that, to us, thou say - Whether, thou, art the Christ, the Son of God.
For God is, my witness, - unto whom I am rendering divine service in my spirit, in the glad message of his Son, - how incessantly, I am making mention of you
Truth, say I, in Christ, I utter no falsehood, - my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, -
Now, as touching the things which I am writing to you, lo! before God, I am not guilty of falsehood: -
If, at least, ye are abiding still in the faith, founded and firm, and not to be moved away from the hope of the glad-message which ye have heard, which hath been proclaimed in all creation which is under heaven, - of which, I Paul, have become minister.
Unto which, I, have been appointed proclaimer and apostle - Truth I speak, I utter no falsehood - a teacher of nations, in faith and truth.
For, when to Abraham God made promise, seeing he had no one greater by whom to swear, He sware, by himself, -
For, men, by the greater one, swear, and, with them, an end of all gainsaying by way of confirmation is, the oath:
For, men, by the greater one, swear, and, with them, an end of all gainsaying by way of confirmation is, the oath: Wherein God, being, more abundantly disposed to shew forth unto the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his counsel, mediated, with an oath, -
But, before all things, my brethren, do not swear, - either by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your Yea be yea, and your Nay nay, - lest, under judgment, ye fall.
And, the messenger, whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the land, lifted up his right hand unto heaven,
Easton
a solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (De 6:13; Jer 4:2), in various forms (Ge 16:5; 2Sa 12:5; Ru 1:17; Ho 4:15; Ro 1:9), and taken in different ways (Ge 14:22; 24:2; 2Ch 6:22). God is represented as taking an oath (Heb 6:16-18), so also Christ (Mt 26:64), and Paul (Ro 9:1; Ga 1:20; Php 1:8). The precept, "Swear not at all," refers probably to ordinary conversation between man and man (Mt 5:34,37). But if the words are taken as referring to oaths, then their intention may have been to show "that the proper state of Christians is to require no oaths; that when evil is expelled from among them every yea and nay will be as decisive as an oath, every promise as binding as a vow."
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abram said unto the king of Sodom, - I have lifted up my hand unto Yahweh GOD Most High, possessor of the heavens and earth:
Then said Sarai unto Abram: My wrong, is, on thee! I, gave my handmaid into thy broom, and when she seeth that she hath conceived, then am lightly esteemed in her eyes Yahweh judge betwixt me and her.
So Abraham said unto his servant, elder of his house, ruler of all that he had, - Place, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh;
Yahweh thy God, shalt thou revere And him, shalt thou serve, - And by his name, shalt thou swear.
where thou diest, I will die, and, there, will I be buried: So, let Yahweh do to me, and, so, let him add, if, death itself, part me and thee.
If thou wilt swear, By the life of Yahweh! in faithfulness in justice and in righteousness, Then shall the nations bless themselves in him, And, in him, shall they glory.
Though unchaste art thou, O Israel, let not Judah, become guilty, neither let them enter Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, and then swear, By the life of Yahweh!
But, I, tell you - not to swear, at all: Neither by heaven, because it is the, throne of God, -
But let your word be, Yea, yea, - Nay, nay; and, what goeth beyond these, is, of evil.
Jesus saith unto him: Thou, hast said; Moreover, I say unto you - Hereafter, ye will see the Son of Man, sitting on the right hand of power, and coming upon the clouds of heaven.
For God is, my witness, - unto whom I am rendering divine service in my spirit, in the glad message of his Son, - how incessantly, I am making mention of you
Truth, say I, in Christ, I utter no falsehood, - my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, -
Now, as touching the things which I am writing to you, lo! before God, I am not guilty of falsehood: -
For God is, my witness, how I long for you all in the tender affections of Christ Jesus.
For, men, by the greater one, swear, and, with them, an end of all gainsaying by way of confirmation is, the oath: Wherein God, being, more abundantly disposed to shew forth unto the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his counsel, mediated, with an oath, - read more. In order that, through means of two unchangeable things, in which it was impossible for God to make himself false, a mighty consolation, we might have, who have fled along to grasp, the fore-lying hope,
Fausets
Heb 6:16; "an oath for confirmation is the end of strife (contradiction)." Therefore, Christianity sanctions oaths, but they are to be used only to put an end to contradiction in disputes and for confirmation of solemn promises. God, in condescension to man's mode of confirming covenants, confirmed His word by oath; by these "two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us." And "because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself": also Heb 7:28. Jesus Himself accepted the high priest's adjuration (Mt 26:63). Paul often calls God to witness the truth of his assertions (Ac 26:29; Ro 1:9; 9:1; 2Co 1:23; 11:31; Ga 1:20; Php 1:8). So the angel, Re 10:6. The prohibition "swear not at all" (Mt 5:34; Jas 5:12) refers to trivial occasions, not to oaths on solemn occasions and before magistrates. In every day conversation your simple yea or nay suffices to establish your word.
The Jews held oaths not binding if God's name did not directly occur (Lightfoot, Hor. Heb.). "Thou shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths" meant in the Jews' view, which Christ combats, if not sworn to the Lord the oath is not binding. Jesus says on the contrary, every oath by the creature, heaven, earth, etc., is by the Creator whether His name be mentioned or not, and is therefore binding. In the perfect Christian state all oaths would be needless, for distrust of another's word and untruth would not exist. Meantime, they are needed on solemn occasions. But men do not escape the guilt of "taking God's name in vain" by avoiding the name itself, as in the oaths, "faith!" "gracious!" "by heaven," etc. The connection in Jas 5:12 is, Swear not through impatience to which trials may tempt you (Jas 5:10-11); in contrast stands the proper use of the tongue, Jas 5:13.
To appeal to a pagan god by oath is to acknowledge his deity, and is therefore forbidden (Jos 23:7; Jer 5:7; 12:16; Am 8:14), as in swearing to appeal to God is recognizing Him (De 6:13; Isa 19:18; 65:16). An oath even to a pagan king is so binding that Jehovah's chief reason for dethroning Zedekiah and giving him over to die in Babylon was his violating his oath to Nebuchadnezzar (Eze 17:13-20; 2Ch 36:13). Jewish criminal procedure admitted the accused to clear himself or herself by oath (Nu 5:19-22; 1Ki 8:31); our Lord, Mt 26:63. Oath gestures were "lifting up the hand" (De 32:40; Ge 14:22; Isa 3:7; Eze 20:5-6). Witnesses laid their hands on the head of the accused (Le 24:14).
Putting the hand under the thigh of the superior to whom the oath was taken in sign of subjection and obedience (Aben Ezra): Ge 24:2; 47:29; or else because the hip was the part from which the posterity issued (Ge 46:26) and the seat of vital power. In making (Hebrew "cutting") a covenant the victim was divided, and the contracting parties passed between the portions, in token that the two became joined in one. (See COVENANT.) In Ge 15:8-17 Abram was there, and God signified His presence by the burning lamp which passed between the pieces (Jer 34:18). Compare Jg 19:29; 1Sa 11:7, where a similar slaughter of the oxen of any who should not follow Saul is symbolized.
The false witness was doomed to the punishment due to the crime which he attested (De 19:16-19). Blasphemy was punishable with death (Le 24:11,16). The obligation in Le 5:1 to testify when adjured (for "swearing" translated "adjuration," 'alah) was that on which our Lord acted before Caiaphas (Mt 26:63). Alah, from 'Eel "God," is used for "imprecations" (Nu 5:23). "Shaba," from sheba' "seven" the sacred number, is the general word "swear"; compare the seven ewe lambs given by Abraham to Abimelech in covenanting (Ge 21:30).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abram said unto the king of Sodom, - I have lifted up my hand unto Yahweh GOD Most High, possessor of the heavens and earth:
And he said, My Lord Yahweh, whereby, can I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take for me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove and a young pigeon. read more. So he took for him all these, and divided them, in the midst, and placed each piece over against its fellow, hut the birds, divided he not. Then came down the birds of prey upon the carcass, and Abram drove them away. And it came to pass when, the sun, was shout to go in. and a deep sleep, had fallen upon Abram, lo! a terror a great darkness, was falling upon him. And he said to Abram - Thou must surely know, that, sojourners, will thy seed become in a land not theirs, and shall serve them and they will humble them, four hundred years; moreover also, the nation whom they will serve, I, am going to judge, and after that, shall they come forth with great substance. But, thou, shalt go in unto thy fathers in peace, thou shalt be buried in a good old age. And, in the fourth generation, shall they return hither, - for not complete, is the iniquity of the Amorites, as yet, So it came to pass when, the sun, had gone in, and Ira thick darkness, had come on, that lo there was a smoking hearth and torch of fire, which passed through between these pieces.
And he said, The seven young sheep, shalt thou take at my hand, - that they may serve as my witness, that I digged this well.
So Abraham said unto his servant, elder of his house, ruler of all that he had, - Place, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh;
All the souls that came in with Jacob to Egypt that had come forth of his loins, besides Jacob's sons wives, - all the souls, were sixty-six;
And the days of Israel drew near that he must die, so he called for his son for Joseph and said to him - If, I pray thee I have found favour in thine eyes, place, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh, - so shalt thou deal with me in lovingkindness and faithfulness - Do not I pray thee, bury me in Egypt.
Any person, moreover, whensoever he shall sin in that, when he heareth a voice of swearing, he himself, being a witness either seeing or knowing, - if he do not tell and so hath to bear his iniquity: -
and the son of the woman of Israel, and a man of Israel, reviled one another in the camp. And the son of the Israelitish woman uttered contemptuously the Name, and reviled. So they brought him in unto Moses, - now, the name of his mother, was Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan;
Bring forth him that reviled unto the out-side of the camp, then shall all that heard him lean their hands upon his head, - and all the assembly shall stone him.
And, he that contemptuously uttereth the name of Yahweh, shall be, surely put to death, all the assembly shall, surely stone, him, - as the sojourner so the home-born, when he contemptuously-uttereth the Name, he shall be put to death.
and the priest shall put her on oath and shall say unto the woman: - If no man hath lain with thee, and if thou hast not turned aside in uncleanness, unto another instead of thy husband, be thou clear from this deadly water that causeth a curse. But, if, thou, hast turned aside, to another instead of thy husband and if thou hast made thyself unclean, - in that a man hath known thee carnally, other than thy husband, read more. then shall the priest put the woman on oath with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, Yahweh give thee up for a curse and for an oath in the midst of thy people, - in that Yahweh shall give up thy thigh to fall away, and thy womb to swell: so shall this water that causeth a curse enter into thy body, causing womb to swell and thigh to fall away. And the woman shall say, Amen, Amen. Then shall the priest write these curses in a scroll, - and wipe them out into the deadly water;
Yahweh thy God, shalt thou revere And him, shalt thou serve, - And by his name, shalt thou swear.
When there shall rise up a wrongful witness against a man, - to answer against him perversely, then shall the two men who are at variance stand before Yahweh, - before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days; read more. and the judges shall make diligent inquisition, - and lo! if the witness be, a false witness and, falsely, have answered against his brother, then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to de unto his brother, - so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy midst;
For I lift up unto the heavens my hand, - And say, Living am, I, unto times age-abiding:
so as not to go in among these nations, these which remain with you, - and, with the name of their gods, shall ye neither make memorial nor put on oath, and neither serve them, - nor bow down to them.
And, when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, - and sent her throughout all the bounds of Israel.
He will swear, in that day, saying - I will take no control, When in mine own house, is neither food nor clothing, - Ye must not set me for a ruler of people!
In that day, shall there be five cities in the land of Egypt Speaking the language of Canaan, And swearing unto Yahweh of hosts, - The city of destruction, shall be the name of one!
So that he who blesseth himself in the earth, Will bless himself in the God of faithfulness, And he who sweareth in the earth Will swear by the God of faithfulness - Because the former troubles have been forgotten, and Because they are hid from mine eyes.
How, for this, can I pardon thee? Thine own sons, have forsaken me, And have sworn by No-gods, - When I had fed them to the full, Then committed they adultery, And the house of the unchaste woman, they used to throng:
And it shall come to pass - If they will, diligently learn, the ways of my people - To swear by my Name saying, By the life of Yahweh, As they taught my people to swear by Baal, Then shall they be built in the midst of my people.
and will give the men who are transgressing my covenant, in that they have not confirmed the words of the covenant, which they solemnised, before me, when they cut the calf, in twain, and passed between the parts thereof;
Yea took of the seed royal And solemnised with him a covenant, And brought him into an oath, Also the mighty ones of the land, did he take. That, the kingdom might be abased, so as not to lift itself up, - By the keeping of his covenant, might be made to stand. read more. But he hath rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt, that there should be given to him horses, and much people. Shall he thrive? Shall he escape that doeth these things? Shall he break a covenant and escape? As I live, Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Very! in the place where dwelleth the king that made him king, Whose oath he hath despised, And whose covenant he hath broken With him in the midst of Babylon, shall he die. Neither shall Pharaoh with a great force. or with a large gathered host, work with him in the war, by casting up an earthwork and by building a siege-wall, - to the cuting off of many lives. Seeing he hath despised an oath. by breaking a covenant - yea lo! hath given his hand and all these things hath done he shall not escape. Therefore, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh As I live, Surely it is mine oath which he hath despised, and my covenant which he hath broken, Therefore will I bring it upon his own head: And I will spread over him my net, And he shall be taken in my snare, And I will bring him into Babylon and will enter into judgment with him there, as to his treachery wherewith he hath been treacherous against me;
So then thou shalt say unto them Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, In the day when I made choice of Israel, then lifted I up my hand. to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them, in the land of Egypt,- Yea I lifted up my hand to them, saying, Yahweh am your God. In that day, lifted I up my hand to them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt, - into a land that I had looked out for them flowing with milk and honey, The beauty, it was of all lands,
They who swear by the Guilt of Samaria, and say, As thy God, liveth, O Dan! and, As the Way of Beer-sheba, liveth, shall fall, and shall not rise any more.
But, I, tell you - not to swear, at all: Neither by heaven, because it is the, throne of God, -
But, Jesus, was silent. And, the High-priest, said unto him: I put thee on oath, by the Living God, that, to us, thou say - Whether, thou, art the Christ, the Son of God.
But, Jesus, was silent. And, the High-priest, said unto him: I put thee on oath, by the Living God, that, to us, thou say - Whether, thou, art the Christ, the Son of God.
But, Jesus, was silent. And, the High-priest, said unto him: I put thee on oath, by the Living God, that, to us, thou say - Whether, thou, art the Christ, the Son of God.
And, Paul, answered - I could pray unto God that, both almost and altogether, not only thou but all they who are hearing me this day, might become such, - as even, I, am, excepting these bonds.
For God is, my witness, - unto whom I am rendering divine service in my spirit, in the glad message of his Son, - how incessantly, I am making mention of you
Truth, say I, in Christ, I utter no falsehood, - my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, -
Now, as touching the things which I am writing to you, lo! before God, I am not guilty of falsehood: -
For God is, my witness, how I long for you all in the tender affections of Christ Jesus.
If, at least, ye are abiding still in the faith, founded and firm, and not to be moved away from the hope of the glad-message which ye have heard, which hath been proclaimed in all creation which is under heaven, - of which, I Paul, have become minister.
For, men, by the greater one, swear, and, with them, an end of all gainsaying by way of confirmation is, the oath:
For, the law, constituteth, men, high-priests, having, weakness; but, the word of the oath-taking, which cometh after the law, A Son, age-abidingly, made perfect.
An example, take ye, brethren, of distress and patience, - the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord. Lo! we pronounce them happy who have endured; - Of the endurance of Job, ye have heard, and, the end of the Lord, have ye seen, - that, of much tender affection, is the Lord, and full of compassion, read more. But, before all things, my brethren, do not swear, - either by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your Yea be yea, and your Nay nay, - lest, under judgment, ye fall.
But, before all things, my brethren, do not swear, - either by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your Yea be yea, and your Nay nay, - lest, under judgment, ye fall. In distress, is any among you? Let him pray; Cheerful, is any? Let him strike the strings;
and sware, by him that liveth unto the ages of ages, who created heaven, and the things that are therein, and the earth, and the things that are therein, and the sea, and the things that are therein,Delay, no longer, shall there be;
Morish
A solemn asseveration with an appeal to God that what is said is true. The apostle said that among men an oath for confirmation is the "end of all strife" or dispute; and God, willing to show "the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things His word and His oath in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation." Heb 6:16-18. Jehovah swore that the Lord Jesus should be a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. Ps 110:4.
Le 5:1 has been interpreted as signifying that when the voice of adjuration was heard, persons were compelled to confess what they knew as to any charge. Thus the Lord Jesus when adjured by the high priest answered him. The Lord was under an accusation, and was adjured to say if it was true. He acknowledged that He was "the Christ the Son of God." Mt 26:63-64.
The Lord exposed the folly of the tradition that some oaths were not binding. Mt 23:16-22.
In the common intercourse of life there should be no oaths, the simple 'yea' and 'nay' should be enough, "swear not at all," Mt 5:34-37; Jas 5:12; the context of these passages shows that they do not refer to judicial oaths: cf. also Heb 6:13,16; 7:21; Re 10:6.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Any person, moreover, whensoever he shall sin in that, when he heareth a voice of swearing, he himself, being a witness either seeing or knowing, - if he do not tell and so hath to bear his iniquity: -
Yahweh, hath sworn - and will not repent, Thou, shalt be a priest unto times age-abiding, after the manner of Melchizedek.
But, I, tell you - not to swear, at all: Neither by heaven, because it is the, throne of God, - Nor by the earth, because it is his, footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because, it is the, city, of the Great King; read more. Nor, by thine own head, mayest thou swear, because thou art not able to make, one hair, white or black. But let your word be, Yea, yea, - Nay, nay; and, what goeth beyond these, is, of evil.
Alas for you, blind guides! that say - Whosoever shall swear by the Temple, it is, nothing, but, whosoever shall swear by the gold of the Temple, is bound: Foolish and blind! for which is, greater, The gold, or the Temple that hath hallowed the gold? read more. And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is, nothing, but, whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, is bound: Blind! for which is greater, The gift, or the altar that halloweth the gift? He therefore that hath sworn by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all that is upon it; And, he that hath sworn by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by him who dwelleth therein; And, he that hath sworn by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him who sitteth thereupon.
But, Jesus, was silent. And, the High-priest, said unto him: I put thee on oath, by the Living God, that, to us, thou say - Whether, thou, art the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him: Thou, hast said; Moreover, I say unto you - Hereafter, ye will see the Son of Man, sitting on the right hand of power, and coming upon the clouds of heaven.
For, when to Abraham God made promise, seeing he had no one greater by whom to swear, He sware, by himself, -
For, men, by the greater one, swear, and, with them, an end of all gainsaying by way of confirmation is, the oath:
For, men, by the greater one, swear, and, with them, an end of all gainsaying by way of confirmation is, the oath: Wherein God, being, more abundantly disposed to shew forth unto the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his counsel, mediated, with an oath, - read more. In order that, through means of two unchangeable things, in which it was impossible for God to make himself false, a mighty consolation, we might have, who have fled along to grasp, the fore-lying hope,
For, they, indeed, apart from oath-taking, have been made priests, but, he, with an oath-taking, through him that was saying unto him - The Lord sware, and will not regret, - Thou, art a priest, age-abidingly
But, before all things, my brethren, do not swear, - either by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your Yea be yea, and your Nay nay, - lest, under judgment, ye fall.
and sware, by him that liveth unto the ages of ages, who created heaven, and the things that are therein, and the earth, and the things that are therein, and the sea, and the things that are therein,Delay, no longer, shall there be;
Smith
Oath,
The principle on which an oath is held to be binding is incidentally laid down in
viz. as an ultimate appeal to divine authority to ratify an assertion. On the same principle, that oath has always been held most binding which appealed to the highest authority, as regards both individuals and communities. As a consequence of this principle, appeals to God's name on the one hand, and to heathen deities on the other, are treated in scripture as tests of allegiance.
etc. So also the sovereign's name is sometimes used as a form of obligation.
Other forms of oath, serious or frivolous, are mentioned, some of which are condemned by our Lord.
and see
(There is, however, a world-wide difference between a solemn appeal to God and profane swearing.) The forms of adjuration mentioned in Scripture are --
1. Lifting up the hand. Witnesses laid their hands on the head of the accused.
Ge 14:22; Le 24:14; De 17:7; Isa 3:7
2. Putting the hand under the thigh of the person to whom the Promise was made.
3. Oaths were sometimes taken before the altar, or, as some understand the passage, if the persons were not in Jerusalem, in a position looking toward the temple.
4. Dividing a victim and passing between or distributing the pieces.
As the sanctity of oaths was carefully inculcated by the law, so the crime of perjury was strongly condemned; and to a false witness the same punishment was assigned which was due for the crime to which he testified.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abram said unto the king of Sodom, - I have lifted up my hand unto Yahweh GOD Most High, possessor of the heavens and earth:
So he took for him all these, and divided them, in the midst, and placed each piece over against its fellow, hut the birds, divided he not.
So it came to pass when, the sun, had gone in, and Ira thick darkness, had come on, that lo there was a smoking hearth and torch of fire, which passed through between these pieces.
So Abraham said unto his servant, elder of his house, ruler of all that he had, - Place, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh;
Hereby, shall ye be proved, - By the life of Pharaoh, ye shall not go forth from hence, save only by the coming in of your youngest brother hither.
And the days of Israel drew near that he must die, so he called for his son for Joseph and said to him - If, I pray thee I have found favour in thine eyes, place, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh, - so shalt thou deal with me in lovingkindness and faithfulness - Do not I pray thee, bury me in Egypt.
Thou shalt not utter the name of Yahweh thy God for falsehood, for Yahweh will not let him go unpunished who uttereth his name for falsehood.
And, in all that I have said unto thee, shalt thou take heed to thyself, - and the name of other gods, shalt thou not mention, it shall not be heard upon thy mouth.
So Yahweh passed before him, and proclaimed, - Yahweh, Yahweh, A God of compassion and favour, - Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and faithfulness:
Nor swear by my name falsely, - And so profane the name of thy God: I, am Yahweh.
Bring forth him that reviled unto the out-side of the camp, then shall all that heard him lean their hands upon his head, - and all the assembly shall stone him.
The hand of the witnesses, shall be upon him first to put him to death, and the hand of all the people, afterwards, - so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy midst.
that thou mayest pass through into the covenant of Yahweh thy God and into his oath, - which Yahweh thy God is solemnising with thee, to-day:
When a man shall sin against his neighbour, and there shall be taken up against him an oath, to put him on oath, - and he shall come in and swear before thine altar, in this house,
and will give the men who are transgressing my covenant, in that they have not confirmed the words of the covenant, which they solemnised, before me, when they cut the calf, in twain, and passed between the parts thereof;
But be seeking first, the kingdom and its righteousness, - and, all these things, shall be added unto you.
Alas for you, blind guides! that say - Whosoever shall swear by the Temple, it is, nothing, but, whosoever shall swear by the gold of the Temple, is bound: Foolish and blind! for which is, greater, The gold, or the Temple that hath hallowed the gold? read more. And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is, nothing, but, whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, is bound: Blind! for which is greater, The gift, or the altar that halloweth the gift? He therefore that hath sworn by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all that is upon it; And, he that hath sworn by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by him who dwelleth therein; And, he that hath sworn by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him who sitteth thereupon.
For, men, by the greater one, swear, and, with them, an end of all gainsaying by way of confirmation is, the oath:
But, before all things, my brethren, do not swear, - either by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your Yea be yea, and your Nay nay, - lest, under judgment, ye fall.
Watsons
OATH, a solemn invocation of a superior power, admitted to be acquainted with all the secrets of our hearts, with our inward thoughts as well as our outward actions, to witness the truth of what we assert, and to inflict his vengeance upon us if we assert what is not true, or promise what we do not mean to perform. Almost all nations, whether savage or civilized, whether enjoying the light of revelation or led only by the light of reason, knowing the importance of truth, and willing to obtain a barrier against falsehood, have had recourse to oaths, by which they have endeavoured to make men fearful of uttering lies, under the dread of an avenging Deity. Among Christians, an oath is a solemn appeal for the truth of our assertions, the sincerity of our promises, and the fidelity of our engagements, to the one only God, the Judge of the whole earth, who is every where present, and sees, and hears, and knows, whatever is said, or done, or thought in any part of the world. Such is that Being whom Christians, when they take an oath, invoke to bear testimony to the truth of their words, and the integrity of their hearts. Surely, then, if oaths be a matter of so much moment, it well behoves us not to treat them with levity, nor ever to take them without due consideration. Hence we ought, with the utmost vigilance, to abstain from mingling oaths in our ordinary discourse, and from associating the name of God with low or disgusting images, or using it on trivial occasions, as not only a profane levity in itself, but tending to destroy that reverence for the supreme Majesty which ought to prevail in society, and to dwell in our own hearts.
The forms of oaths, says Dr. Paley, "like other religious ceremonies, have in all ages been various; consisting, however, for the most part of some bodily action, and of a prescribed form of words." Among the Jews, the juror held up his right hand toward heaven, Ps 144:8; Re 10:5. The same form is retained in Scotland still. Among the Jews, also, an oath of fidelity was taken by the servant's putting his hand under the thigh of his lord, Ge 24:2. Among the Greeks and Romans, the form varied with the subject and occasion of the oath; in private contracts, the parties took hold of each other's hands, while they swore to the performance; or they touched the altar of the god by whose divinity they swore: upon more solemn occasions, it was the custom to slay a victim; and the beast being struck down with certain ceremonies and invocations, gave birth to the expression, ferire pactum; and to our English phrase, translated from this, of "striking a bargain." The form of oaths in Christian countries is also very different: but in no country in the world worse contrived, either to convey the meaning or impress the obligation of an oath, than in our own. The juror with us, after repeating the promise or affirmation which the oath is intended to confirm, adds, "So help me God;" or, more frequently, the substance of the oath is repeated to the juror by the magistrate, who adds in the conclusion, "So help you God." The energy of this sentence resides in the particle so: So, that is, hac lege, upon condition of my speaking the truth, or performing this promise, and not otherwise, may God help me! The juror, while he hears or repeats the words of the oath, holds his right hand upon a Bible, or other book containing the Gospels, and at the conclusion kisses the book. This obscure and elliptical form, together with the levity and frequency of them, has brought about a general inadvertency to the obligation of oaths, which, both in a religious and political view, is much to be lamented; and it merits public consideration, whether the requiring of oaths upon so many frivolous occasions, especially in the customs, and in the qualification for petty offices, has any other effect than to make such sanctions cheap in the minds of the people. A pound of tea cannot travel regularly from the ship to the consumer, without costing half a dozen oaths at least; and the same security for the due discharge of their office, namely, that of an oath, is required from a churchwarden and an archbishop; from a petty constable and the chief justice of England. Oaths, however, are lawful; and whatever be the form, the signification is the same. Historians have justly remarked, that when the reverence for an oath began to diminish among the Romans, and the loose epicurean system, which discarded the belief of providence, was introduced, the Roman honour and prosperity from that period began to decline. The Quakers refuse to swear upon any occasion, founding their scruples concerning the lawfulness of oaths upon our Saviour's prohibition, "Swear not at all," Mt 5:34. But it seems our Lord there referred to the vicious, wanton, and unauthorized swearing in common discourse, and not to judicial oaths; for he himself answered, when interrogated, upon oath, Mt 26:63-64; Mr 14:61. The Apostle Paul also makes use of expressions which contain the nature of oaths, Ro 1:9; 1Co 15:31; 2Co 1:18; Ga 1:20; Heb 6:13-17. The administration of oaths supposes that God will punish false swearing with more severity than a simple lie, or breach of promise; for which belief there are the following reasons:
1. Perjury is a sin of greater deliberation. 2. It violates a superior confidence. 3. God directed the Israelites to swear by his name, De 6:13; 10:20; and was pleased to confirm his covenant with that people by an oath; neither of which, it is probable, he would have done, had he not intended to represent oaths as having some meaning and effect beyond the obligation of a bare promise.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
So Abraham said unto his servant, elder of his house, ruler of all that he had, - Place, I pray thee thy hand under my thigh;
Yahweh thy God, shalt thou revere And him, shalt thou serve, - And by his name, shalt thou swear.
Yahweh thy God, shalt thou revere, Him, shalt thou serve, - And unto him, shalt thou cleave, And in his name, shalt thou swear.
Whose mouth, hath spoken deceit, and, whose right hand, is a right hand of falsehood.
But, I, tell you - not to swear, at all: Neither by heaven, because it is the, throne of God, -
But, Jesus, was silent. And, the High-priest, said unto him: I put thee on oath, by the Living God, that, to us, thou say - Whether, thou, art the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him: Thou, hast said; Moreover, I say unto you - Hereafter, ye will see the Son of Man, sitting on the right hand of power, and coming upon the clouds of heaven.
But, he, was silent, and answered, nothing. Again, the High-priest was questioning him, and saith unto him - Art, thou, the Christ the Son of the Blessed?
For God is, my witness, - unto whom I am rendering divine service in my spirit, in the glad message of his Son, - how incessantly, I am making mention of you
Now, as touching the things which I am writing to you, lo! before God, I am not guilty of falsehood: -
And, he, is the head of the body, the assembly, Who is the beginning, Firstborn from among the dead, in order that, he, might become, in all things, himself, pre-eminent; -
For, when to Abraham God made promise, seeing he had no one greater by whom to swear, He sware, by himself, - saying - Truly, if blessing I will bless thee, and, multiplying, I will multiply thee; read more. And, thus, being patient, he attained unto the promise. For, men, by the greater one, swear, and, with them, an end of all gainsaying by way of confirmation is, the oath: Wherein God, being, more abundantly disposed to shew forth unto the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his counsel, mediated, with an oath, -
And, the messenger, whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the land, lifted up his right hand unto heaven,