41 Bible Verses about Promises, Human

And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe thong, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich: Except only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the chief captain of his host spoke unto Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you do: Now therefore swear unto me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto you, you shall do unto me, and to the land in which you have sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear.

And the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in your sight, put, I pray you, your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray you, in Egypt: But I will lie with my fathers, and you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place. And he said, I will do as you have said. And he said, Swear unto me. And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the head of the bed.

And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD has commanded. If a man vows a vow unto the LORD, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. If a woman also vows a vow unto the LORD, and binds herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth;read more.
And her father hears her vow, and her bond with which she has bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond with which she has bound her soul shall stand. But if her father forbids her in the day that he hears; not any of her vows, or of her bonds with which she has bound her soul, shall stand: and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father forbade her. And if she had indeed a husband, when she vowed, or uttered anything out of her lips, with which she bound her soul; And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds with which she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband forbade her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, with which she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her. But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, with which they have bound their souls, shall stand against her. And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath; And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and forbade her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond with which she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband has truly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband has made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. But if her husband altogether holds his peace at her from day to day; then he establishes all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirms them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. But if he shall in any way make them void after that he has heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity. These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father's house.

Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that you will also show kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true sign: And that you will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if you utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.read more.
Then she let them down by a rope through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may you go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be guiltless concerning this your oath which you have made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, you shall bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which you did let us down by: and you shall bring your father, and your mother, and your brethren, and all your father's household, home unto you. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if you utter this our business, then we will be free of your oath which you have made us to swear. And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If you shall without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever comes forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.read more.
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. And he crushed them from Aroer, even till you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you are one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. And she said unto him, My father, if you have opened your mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth; since the LORD has taken vengeance for you of your enemies, even of the children of Ammon. And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and lament my virginity, I and my companions. And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and lamented her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give unto your handmaid a male child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli observed her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunk.read more.
And Eli said unto her, How long will you be drunk? put away your wine from you. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not your handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I been speaking. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant you your petition that you have asked of him. And she said, Let your handmaid find grace in your sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. Therefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray you, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD, in Hebron. For your servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Aram, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron.read more.
But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, Absalom reigns in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went along innocently, and they knew not any thing. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; They joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;

You shall fear the LORD your God, and serve him, and shall swear by his name.

And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

And Abraham said, I will swear.

And he said, Swear unto me. And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the head of the bed.

Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that you will also show kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true sign: And that you will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if you utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.

They joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;

And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David swore, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or anything else, till the sun be down.

Where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.

And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had lain an oath on the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eats any food until evening, that I may be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.

So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the LORD has sworn to David, even so I do to him; To transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.

Then king Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.

And after awhile came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them; for your speech betrays you. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crowed. And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, who said unto him, Before the cock crows, you shall deny me three times. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

And he denied it again. And after a little, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely you are one of them: for you are a Galilean, and your speech agrees with it. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom you speak. And the second time the cock crowed. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crows twice, you shall deny me three times. And when he thought on this, he wept.

And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD has commanded. If a man vows a vow unto the LORD, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay your vows unto the most High:

Let your fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of your youth. Let her be as the loving deer and graceful doe; let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and be ravished always with her love. And why will you, my son, be infatuated with an immoral woman, and embrace the bosom of a seductress?read more.
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be held with the cords of his sins. He shall die for lack of instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Yet you say, Why? Because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously: yet is she your companion, and the wife of your covenant. And did not he make them one? Yet had he the remnant of the spirit. And why one? That he might seek a godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the LORD, the God of Israel, says that he hates putting away: For one covers violence with his garment, says the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously.

And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read, that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh? Therefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.read more.
They said unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He said unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts allowed you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery: and whoever marries her who is put away does commit adultery.

And you shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.

When you shall vow a vow unto the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it: for the LORD your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin to you.

For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their punishment they shall be cast down, says the LORD.

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say you unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear you the word of the LORD; Thus says the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!read more.
O Israel, your prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the breaches, neither built up the wall for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD says: and the LORD has not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have you not seen a vain vision, and have you not spoken a lying divination, whenever you say, The LORD says it; although I have not spoken?

And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, says the LORD.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that have just escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

It is a snare to the man to declare something is holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows.

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.read more.
For John said unto him, It is not lawful for you to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. So that he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John the Baptist's head on a platter. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them who sat with him to eat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the girl: and she brought it to her mother.

And when an opportune day was come, Herod on his birthday made a supper for his lords, high captains, and chief men of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the girl, Ask of me whatsoever you will, and I will give it to you. And he swore unto her, Whatsoever you shall ask of me, I will give it to you, unto the half of my kingdom.read more.
And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in immediately with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that you give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes who sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl: and the girl gave it to her mother.

Woe unto you, you 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 bound! You fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is bound.read more.
You fools and blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Whoever therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it, and by all things thereon. And whoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits thereon.

Again, you have heard that it has been said by them of old time, You shall not perjure yourself, but shall perform unto the Lord your oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by 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 shall you swear by your head, because you can not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these comes from evil.

But if you shall abstain to vow, it shall be no sin to you. That which is gone out from your lips you shall keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as you have vowed unto the LORD your God, which you have promised with your mouth.