But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
Parallel translations
- WEB but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
- BSB But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
- NKJV But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
- NASB But I say to you, take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
- NLT But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus says, 'Do not swear at all,' not by heaven, God's throne. It rebukes manipulative oath-taking and calls for straightforward honesty.
Overview
Jesus targets the practice of swearing by various things to lend false weight to one's words while evading accountability. Swearing by heaven still invokes God, for it is His throne. The point is that disciples should be so truthful that elaborate oaths become unnecessary; many take this as forbidding frivolous or evasive oaths rather than all lawful oaths.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Jas 5:12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
- Isa 66:1Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
- Deut 23:21–23When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
- Matt 23:16–22Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
- Eccl 9:2All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
- Isa 57:15For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 5:34 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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