But I say to you, take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
Parallel translations
- WEB but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
- KJV But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
- 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;
- 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 brothers, don’t swear — not by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”; so that you don’t fall into hypocrisy.
- Isa 66:1Yahweh says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build to me? Where will I rest?
- Deut 23:21–23When you vow a vow to Yahweh your God, you shall not be slack to pay it; for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you.
- Matt 23:16–22“Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’
- Eccl 9:2All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who doesn’t sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath.
- Isa 57:15For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
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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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