Matthew 5 · Verse 34

Matthew 5:34

But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
Matthew 5:34, King James Version

Matthew 5:34 in other translations

BSBBut I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
WEBbut I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
ASVbut I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God;
YLTbut I--I say to you, not to swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is the throne of God,
DARBYBut I say unto you, Do not swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is the throne of God;
BBEBut I say to you, Take no oaths at all: not by the heaven, because it is the seat of God;
WebsterBut I say to you, Swear not at all: neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

What does Matthew 5:34 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verses 34,35. Swear not at all. That is, in the manner which he proceeds to specify. Swear not in any of the common and profane ways customary at that time.

By Heaven; for it is God's throne. To swear by that was, if it meant anything, to swear by Him that sitteth thereon, Mt 23:22.

The earth; for it is his footstool. Swearing by that, therefore, is really swearing by God. Or perhaps it means,

(1.) we have no right to pledge, or swear by, what belongs to God; and,

(2.) that oaths by inanimate objects are unmeaning and wicked. If they are real oaths, they are by a living Being, who has power to take vengeance. A footstool is that on which the feet rest when sitting. The term is applied to the earth, to denote how lowly and humble an object it is when compared with God.

Jerusalem. Mt 2:1.

City of the great King. That is, of God; called the great King because he was the King of the Israelites, and Jerusalem was the capital of the nation, and the place where he was peculiarly honoured as King.

(a) "neither by heaven" Mt 23:16-22, Jas 5:12

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 34 Neither by heaven, etc. - It was a custom among the Scythians, when they wished to bind themselves in the most solemn manner, to swear by the king's throne; and if the king was at any time sick, they believed it was occasioned by some one's having taken the oath falsely. Herod. l. iv. Who is there among the traders and people of this world who obey this law? A common swearer is constantly perjuring himself: such a person should never be trusted. When we make any promise contrary to the command of God, taking, as a pledge of our sincerity, either God, or something belonging to him, we engage that which is not ours, without the Master's consent. God manifests his glory in heaven, as upon his throne; he imprints the footsteps of his perfections upon the earth, his footstool; and shows that his holiness and his grace reign in his temple as the place of his residence. Let it be our constant care to seek and honor God in all his works.

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…

Read the full comment on Matthew 5:33-37 →

Matthew 5:34 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.

ἐγὼegōI myselfG1473
δὲdehoweverG1161
λέγωlegōsayG3004
ὑμῖνhuminto youG4771
μὴmēnotG3361
ὀμόσαιomosaito swearG3660
ὅλως,holōsat all,G3654
μήτεmēteneither [swear]G3383
ἐνenbyG1722
τῷtō<the>G3588
οὐρανῷouranōheavenG3772
ὅτιhotibecauseG3754
θρόνοςthronos[the] throneG2362
ἐστὶνestinit isG1510
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦ,theouof God,G2316

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

Cross references for Matthew 5:34

  • James 5:12

    But 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.

  • Isaiah 66:1

    Thus 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?

  • Deuteronomy 23:21-23

    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. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 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.

  • 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? …

  • Ecclesiastes 9:2

    All 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.

  • Isaiah 57:15

    For 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.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Swear.
De 23:21-23; Ec 9:2; Jas 5:12
heaven.
23:16-22; Isa 57:15; 66:1

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

Context

  • 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:

  • Matthew 5:35

    Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

Read all of Matthew 5

Matthew 5:34 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mas yo os digo: No juréis en ninguna manera: ni por el cielo, porque es el trono de Dios;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mais moi, je vous dis de ne pas jurer du tout; ni par le ciel, car il est le trône de Dieu;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Ich aber sage euch: Schwöret überhaupt nicht; weder bei dem Himmel, denn er ist Gottes Thron;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ego autem dico vobis, non jurare omnino, neque per cælum, quia thronus Dei est: