Matthew 5 · Verse 33

Matthew 5:33

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

Matthew 5:33, King James Version

Matthew 5:33 in other translations

BSB	Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
WEB	“Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’
ASV	Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
YLT	‘Again, ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not swear falsely, but thou shalt pay to the Lord thine oaths;
DARBY	Again, ye have heard that it has been said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt render to the Lord what thou hast sworn.
BBE	Again, you have knowledge that it was said in old times, Do not take false oaths, but give effect to your oaths to the Lord:
Webster	Again, ye have heard that it hath been said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform to the Lord thy oaths:

What does Matthew 5:33 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

33. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself--These are not the precise words of Ex 20:7; but they express all that it was currently understood to condemn, namely, false swearing (Le 19:12, &c.). This is plain from what follows. But I say unto you, Swear not at all--That this was meant to condemn swearing of every kind and on every occasion--as the Society of Friends and some other ultra-moralists allege--is not for a moment to be thought. For even Jehovah is said once and again to have sworn by Himself; and our Lord certainly answered upon oath to a question put to Him by the high priest; and the apostle several times, and in the most solemn language, takes God to witness that he spoke and wrote the truth; and it is inconceivable that our Lord should here have quoted the precept about not forswearing ourselves, but performing to the Lord our oaths, only to give a precept of His own directly in the teeth of it. Evidently, it is swearing in common intercourse and on frivolous occasions that is here meant. Frivolous oaths were indeed severely condemned in the teaching of the times. But so narrow was the circle of them that a man might swear, says Lightfoot, a hundred thousand times and yet not be guilty of vain swearing. Hardly anything was regarded as an oath if only the name of God were not in it; just as among ourselves, as Trench well remarks, a certain lingering reverence for the name of God leads to cutting off portions of His name, or uttering sounds nearly resembling it, or substituting the name of some heathen deity, in profane exclamations or asseverations. Against all this our Lord now speaks decisively; teaching His audience that every oath carries an appeal to God, whether named or not. neither by heaven; for it is God's throne--(quoting Is 66:1);

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 33. Thou shalt not forswear thyself. Christ here proceeds to correct another false interpretation of the law. The law respecting oaths is found in Lev 19:12, De 23:23. By those laws, men were forbid to perjure themselves, or to forswear, that is, swear falsely.

Perform unto the Lord. Perform literally, really, and religiously, what is promised in an oath.

Thine oaths. An oath is a solemn affirmation, or declaration, made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed, and imprecating his vengeance, and renouncing his favour, if what is affirmed is false. A false oath is called perjury; or, as in this place, forswearing.

It appears, however, from this passage, as well as from the ancient writings of the Jewish Rabbins, that while they professedly adhered to the law, they had introduced a number of oaths in common conversation, and oaths which they by no means considered as binding. For example, they would swear by the temple, by the head, by heaven, by the earth. So long as they kept from swearing by the name Jehovah, and so long as they observed the oaths publicly taken, they seemed to consider all others as allowable, and allowedly broken. This is the abuse which Christ wished to correct. It was the practice of swearing in common conversation, and especially swearing by created things. To do this, he said that they were mistaken in their views of the sacredness of such oaths. They were very closely connected with God; and to trifle with them was a species of trifling with God. Heaven is his throne; the earth his footstool; Jerusalem his peculiar abode; the head was made by him, and was so much under his control, that we could not make one hair white or black. To swear by these things, therefore, was to treat irreverently objects created by God; and could not be without guilt

Our Saviour here evidently had no reference to judicial oaths, or oaths taken in a court of justice. It was merely the foolish and wicked habit of swearing in private conversation; of swearing on every occasion, and by everything, that he condemned. This he does condemn in a most unqualified manner. He himself, however, did not refuse to take an oath in a court of law, Mt 26:63,64. So Paul often called God to witness his sincerity, which is all that is meant by an oath. See Rom 1:9, 9:1, Gal 1:20, Heb 6:16. Oaths were, moreover, prescribed in the law of Moses, and Christ did not come to repeal those laws. See Ex 22:11, Lev 5:1, Nu 5:19 De 29:12,14.

(z) "not forswear thyself" Lev 19:12, Nu 30:2, De 23:23

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 33 Thou shalt not forswear thyself - They dishonor the great God, and break this commandment, who use frequent oaths and imprecations, even in reference to things that are true; and those who make vows and promises, which they either cannot perform, or do not design to fulfill, are not less criminal. Swearing in civil matters is become so frequent, that the dread and obligation of an oath are utterly lost in it. In certain places, where oaths are frequently administered, people have been known to kiss their thumb or pen, instead of the book, thinking thereby to avoid the sin of perjury; but this is a shocking imposition on their own souls. See the notes on Deu 4:26; Deu 6:13. Perform unto the Lord thine oaths - The morality of the Jews on this point was truly execrable: they maintained, that a man might swear with his lips, and annul it in the same moment in his heart. Rab. Akiba is quoted as an example of this kind of swearing. See Schoettgen.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 5:33-37

There is no reason to consider that solemn oaths in a court of justice, or on other proper occasions, are wrong, provided they are taken with due reverence. But all oaths taken without necessity, or in common conversation, must be sinful, as well as all those expressions which are appeals to God, though persons think thereby to evade the guilt of swearing. The worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less there is need for them. Our Lord does not enjoin the precise terms wherein we are to affirm or deny, but such a constant regard to truth as would render oaths unnecessary.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Matthew 5:33 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ΠάλινPalinAgainG3825

ἠκούσατεēkousateyou have heardG191

ὅτιhotithatG3754

ἐρρέθηerrethēit was saidG2046

τοῖςtoisto theG3588

ἀρχαίοις·archaioisancients;G744

οὐκoukNotG3756

ἐπιορκήσεις,epiorkēseiswill you swear falsely,G1964

ἀποδώσειςapodōseisyou will keepG591

δὲdenowG1161

τῷtōto theG3588

κυρίῳkuriōLordG2962

τοὺςtoustheG3588

ὅρκουςhorkousoathsG3727

σου.souof you.G4771

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 5:33

Deuteronomy 23:21
When 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.
Leviticus 19:12
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.
Ecclesiastes 5:4-6
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
Deuteronomy 23:23
That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
Psalms 76:11
Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
Numbers 30:2-16
If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth; And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the Lord shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. …
Deuteronomy 5:11
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exodus 20:7
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Matthew 23:16-22
Woe 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! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? …
Psalms 50:14
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
Nahum 1:15
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

it hath.
23:16
Thou.
Ex 20:7; Le 19:12; Nu 30:2-16; De 5:11; 23:23; Ps 50:14; 76:11
Ec 5:4-6; Na 1:15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Matthew 5:32
But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Matthew 5:33
Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Matthew 5:34
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

Read all of Matthew 5

Matthew 5:33 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Además habéis oído que fué dicho á los antiguos: No te perjurarás; mas pagarás al Señor tus juramentos.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Vous avez encore entendu qu’il a été dit aux anciens: « Tu ne te parjureras pas, mais tu rendras justement au ✶Seigneur tes serments ».
German Elberfelder 1871	Wiederum habt ihr gehört, daß zu den Alten gesagt ist: Du sollst nicht fälschlich schwören, du sollst aber dem Herrn deine Eide erfüllen.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Iterum audistis quia dictum est antiquis: Non perjurabis: reddes autem Domino juramenta tua.