Matthew 5:34 KJV
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
Matthew 5:34 NKJV
“But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
Matthew 5:34 MKJV
But I say to you, Do not swear at all! Not by Heaven, because it is God’s throne;
Matthew 5:34 KJV 2000
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
Interlinear KJV
But /de/ I /ego/ say /lego/ unto you, /humin/ Swear /omnuo/ not /me/ at all; /holos/ neither /mete/ by /en/ heaven; /ouranos/ for /hoti/ it is /esti/ God’s /theos/ throne: /thronos/
British Family Bible
— Swear not at all; That is, Swear not at all in common conversation; invoke not the name of God upon light occasions; but let your conversation be always so sincere and true, that your affirmation may be received as an oath. Dr. S. Clarke. Although this expression seems general and absolute, we must nevertheless understand it with some restriction. Our Saviour forbids, first, the swearing by created things; secondly, the profane and rash use of oaths, such as the Jews were accustomed to employ, without necessity, from mere habit, or, what was worse, from a design to deceive. It appears from other passages of Scripture, that, on some occasions, oaths were not only lawful but necessary. See Ex 22:11; Ps 110:4; Ro 9:1; 2Co 1:23; 11:31; Ga 1:20; Heb 6:16; Re 10:6. Beausobre. It is plain, that if the prohibition, “Swear not at all,” were understood absolutely, the good of society would be much affected; as, in important matters, there would be wanting the strongest human assurance and the best human testimony, which derive their greatest force from a solemn appeal to God; and, therefore, our Lord restrains his command to ordinary discourse, Mt 5:37,) and opposes it to the unnecessary and ensnaring oaths and vows, then so frequent amongst the Jews. Abp. Newcome.
— neither by heaven; &c. Our Saviour’s design in these words cannot be better understood than by considering what those corrupt principles were concerning swearing, which had crept in among the Jews. And, first, as their own authors tell us, it was generally held among them that they ought not to swear by the name of God in light and trivial cases, but they believed it was not sin to swear upon any occasion by a creature that was a remarkable object of God’s favour and providence, as by heaven, or by the earth, or by Jerusalem, or by their head, which are the instances here noted by our Saviour. Secondly, some of them, and the Pharisees especially, taught that the guilt of perjury was not incurred when a falsehood was attested by an oath of this kind. Hence, our Saviour’s words being spoken to persons who well understood the doctrines and practices of their countrymen in this matter, enjoined that they should not swear by the creatures of God in any of those cases in which it was unlawful to swear by the Almighty Himself, that is, in their usual communications with each other. For, it seems, the Jews themselves were not in those days arrived at that insolence, which, it is dreadful to think, is too frequent with Christians, of profaning the name of the most high God, by calling upon Him, on every trivial occasion, to bear witness to what they say. Dr. Clagett.