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 to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of the heavens and of the earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet; I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou should say, I have made Abram rich,
And Abraham said unto his eldest slave of his house, who ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh,
And the time drew nigh that Israel must die; and he called his son Joseph and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh and deal with me in mercy and truth; do not bury me, I pray thee, in Egypt;
then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he has not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods, and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he has not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods, and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
And when a person commits sin, because they were called to testify under oath, and he was a witness that has seen or known of it, if he does not declare it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD that it may be well with thee and that thou may enter in and inherit the good land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave and swear by his name.
When I shall lift up my hand to the heavens and shall say, I live for ever,
And he said, They were my brethren, the sons of my mother; as the LORD lives, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.
Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried; let the LORD do so unto me and let him give unto me that only death shall part thee and me.
In whose eyes the vile person is not esteemed; but he honours those that fear the LORD. He that swears to his own hurt and does not change.
He that has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not taken my name in vain, nor sworn deceitfully.
How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy sons have forsaken me and sworn by them that are not gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear in my name, saying, The LORD lives; as they taught my people to swear by Baal then they shall be prospered in the midst of my people.
but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God.
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I always remember you in my prayers,
I say the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I do not lie.
if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard and which is preached to every creature which is under heaven, of which I Paul am made a minister,
of which I am ordained a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth in Christ and do not lie), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
For when God promised unto Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,
For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy.
For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy. In which God, desiring to show more abundantly unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath,
But above all things, my brethren, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; lest ye fall into condemnation.
And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the land lifted up his hand to 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 to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of the heavens and of the earth,
Then Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee; I have given my maid into thy bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes; the LORD judge between me and thee.
And Abraham said unto his eldest slave of his house, who ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh,
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God and serve him and shalt swear by his name.
Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried; let the LORD do so unto me and let him give unto me that only death shall part thee and me.
And thou shalt swear, The LORD lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteous ness; and the Gentiles shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah be guilty; and do not come unto Gilgal, neither go up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD lives,
but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is God's throne,
But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no; for whatsoever is more than this comes of evil.
Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said it; nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I always remember you in my prayers,
I say the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I do not lie.
For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy. In which God, desiring to show more abundantly unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, read more. that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,
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 to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of the heavens and of the earth,
And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old and a she goat three years old and a ram three years old and a turtledove and a young pigeon. read more. And he took unto him all these and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against another, but he did not divide the birds. And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, behold, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. Then he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, I will judge; and afterward shall they come out with great riches. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come here again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass that when the sun went down and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand that they may be a witness unto me that I have dug this well.
And Abraham said unto his eldest slave of his house, who ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh,
All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were sixty-six;
And the time drew nigh that Israel must die; and he called his son Joseph and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh and deal with me in mercy and truth; do not bury me, I pray thee, in Egypt;
And when a person commits sin, because they were called to testify under oath, and he was a witness that has seen or known of it, if he does not declare it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
and the Israelite woman's son pronounced the Name and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.
Bring forth the one that has blasphemed outside the camp and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
And he that pronounces the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him; the same with the stranger as with the natural, if he pronounces the Name, he shall be put to death.
And the priest shall charge her by an oath and say unto the woman, If no man has lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone astray from thy husband to uncleanness, thou shalt be clean from this bitter water that brings the curse. But if thou hast gone astray from thy husband and hast defiled thyself and some man has placed seed in thee other than thine husband, read more. (the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing) and the priest shall say unto the woman, Let the LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people when the LORD makes thy thigh to fail and thy belly to swell, and this water that causes the curse shall go into thy bowels and cause thy belly to swell and thy thigh to fail. And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water;
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God and serve him and shalt swear by his name.
When a false witness rises up against any man to testify rebellion against him, then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, who shall be in those days; read more. and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and, behold, if the witness is a false witness and has testified falsely against his brother, then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother; so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
When I shall lift up my hand to the heavens and shall say, I live for ever,
that ye not enter in among these Gentiles that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them,
And when he was come into his house, he took a knife and laid hold on his concubine and divided her, together with her bones into twelve pieces, and sent them into all the borders of Israel.
in that day he shall swear, saying, I will not be a healer for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: do not make me a ruler of the people.
In that day five cities in the land of Egypt shall speak the language of Canaan and swear to the LORD of the hosts; one shall be called The city of destruction.
He who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth because the former troubles shall be forgotten and shall be covered from my eyes.
How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy sons have forsaken me and sworn by them that are not gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear in my name, saying, The LORD lives; as they taught my people to swear by Baal then they shall be prospered in the midst of my people.
And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts thereof,
and has taken of the seed of the kingdom and made a covenant with him and has brought him to an oath: he has also taken the mighty of the land: that the kingdom might be cast down, that it might not lift itself up, but that it might keep his covenant and stay in her. read more. But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors unto Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he be prospered, shall he that does such things escape? And shall he who broke the covenant be able to flee? As I live, said the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwells that made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon, he shall die. And not with a mighty army, nor with a great company shall Pharaoh do anything for him in the battle when they cast up mounts, and build forts to cut off many lives: seeing he despised the oath to invalidate the covenant when, behold, he had given his hand and has done all these things, he shall not escape. Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: As I live, surely my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken, even it will I turn upon his own head. And I will spread my net upon him and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass with which he has rebelled against me.
And say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; In the day when I chose Israel and lifted up my hand for the seed of the house of Jacob and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt when I lifted up my hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God; in the day that I lifted up my hand unto them with an oath that I would bring them forth from the land of Egypt into a land that I had prepared for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the most beautiful of all lands,
Those that swear by the guiltiness of Samaria and say, As thy God of Dan lives; and, As the way of Beersheba lives, even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is God's throne,
But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God.
But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God.
But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God.
And Paul said, I desire before God that by little or by much, not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were such as I am, except these bonds.
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I always remember you in my prayers,
I say the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I do not lie.
For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard and which is preached to every creature which is under heaven, of which I Paul am made a minister,
For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy.
For the law makes men high priests who have weakness; but the word of the oath, which was after the law, has made perfect a Son forever.
Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion. read more. But above all things, my brethren, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; lest ye fall into condemnation.
But above all things, my brethren, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is anyone among you afflicted? let them pray. Is anyone happy? let them sing.
and swore by him that lives for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth, and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer;
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
And when a person commits sin, because they were called to testify under oath, and he was a witness that has seen or known of it, if he does not declare it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
The LORD has sworn and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. read more. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no; for whatsoever is more than this comes of evil.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? read more. And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind, for which one is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it and by all things thereon. And whosoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him that dwells therein. And he that shall swear by the heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him that sits thereon.
But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said it; nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
For when God promised unto Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,
For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy.
For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy. In which God, desiring to show more abundantly unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, read more. that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,
(for the others indeed without an oath were made priests, but this one with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord swore and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec);
But above all things, my brethren, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; lest ye fall into condemnation.
and swore by him that lives for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth, and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer;
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 to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of the heavens and of the earth,
And he took unto him all these and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against another, but he did not divide the birds.
And it came to pass that when the sun went down and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
And Abraham said unto his eldest slave of his house, who ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh,
Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth from here unless your youngest brother comes here.
And the time drew nigh that Israel must die; and he called his son Joseph and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh and deal with me in mercy and truth; do not bury me, I pray thee, in Egypt;
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain for the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone that takes his name in vain.
And in all things that I have said unto you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
And as the LORD passed by before him, he proclaimed, I AM, I AM strong, merciful, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in mercy and truth,
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou defile the name of thy God. I am the LORD.
Bring forth the one that has blasphemed outside the camp and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
that thou may enter into covenant with the LORD thy God and into his oath, which the LORD thy God makes with thee today,
When anyone shall have sinned against his neighbour, and an oath is laid upon him to cause him to swear and the oath comes before thy altar in this house,
And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts thereof,
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? read more. And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind, for which one is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it and by all things thereon. And whosoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him that dwells therein. And he that shall swear by the heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him that sits thereon.
For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy.
But above all things, my brethren, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; lest ye fall into condemnation.
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
And Abraham said unto his eldest slave of his house, who ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh,
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God and serve him and shalt swear by his name.
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave and swear by his name.
whose mouth speaks vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is God's throne,
But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said it; nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I always remember you in my prayers,
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I do not lie.
And he is the head of the body, the congregation , who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For when God promised unto Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee. read more. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy. In which God, desiring to show more abundantly unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath,
And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the land lifted up his hand to heaven