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:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
When Jesus said “ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time,” He was referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. A crucial question arises: Did Jesus change or contradict God’s commandments? To answer this, let’s examine what the Old Testament actually says about swearing oaths.
12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
2 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.
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.
Where is the difference? Jesus said, “Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay.” How does this differ from the Old Testament, which instructs us to fulfill and keep the oaths that come out of our mouths? But where is the difference? This question isn’t so straightforward. Here’s why:
13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
Here we find a direct commandment to swear by God’s name, seemingly in opposition to Jesus’s instruction to “swear not at all.” This apparent contradiction requires careful examination, especially considering Jesus’s own words in the context:
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
If Jesus declared that not even the smallest detail of the law would pass away, and the law explicitly commanded swearing by God’s name, how do we reconcile His statement to “swear not at all”? The answer lies not in contradiction but in Jesus’s role in revealing the deeper spiritual nature of God’s law. He was addressing its misuse rather than abolishing it.
The Spiritual Implication of Swearing by God’s Name
To understand the true meaning of swearing by God’s name, let’s examine instances where God Himself swears by His own name:
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
This passage reveals a crucial insight: swearing inherently involves invoking a higher authority. When God swears, He can only swear by Himself as the ultimate authority. His word, proceeding from His mouth in righteousness, stands firm and unchangeable. Note that the prophecy states “every tongue shall swear,” including those to whom Jesus spoke. This confirms that Jesus wasn’t contradicting God’s word but rather illuminating its proper application.
In Isaiah, when describing the New Earth, it is said that on the New Earth, we shall be swearing by the God of truth.
15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
In Psalms, it is said that swearing by God’s name brings glory to God.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
These passages demonstrate that swearing by God’s name carries profound significance. God commands us to swear by His name because His authority provides absolute certainty. When we swear by His name, we express faith in His promises, thereby bringing Him glory. This principle is further illustrated in:
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
This is a reference to Genesis 22:16-17.
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
In this, God swore to Abraham that through Isaac, His Seed would come, and God would multiply his offspring, signifying the assurance of God’s salvation to lost humanity. For more information, see The Covenant with Abraham and Christ - the Everlasting Father.
God’s oath to Abraham demonstrates the true purpose of divine oaths:
17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Conclusion
As God provides assurance through His oath, so we too can have this assurance. However, we should not swear by God’s name concerning anything that He has not promised to fulfill. God will always fulfill His promises and oaths, and by swearing by His name on His promises, we demonstrate our faith in Him. In this way, God is glorified.
The Issue Jesus Addressed in His Sermon on the Mount
The context for Jesus’s teaching becomes clearer when we examine His later criticism of the religious leaders:
16 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!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
This highlights the customs of the Jews during Jesus’ time, which He was addressing. Man’s traditions had rendered God’s law void. For example, they allowed swearing by the temple—”by Him that dwelleth therein”—and claimed, “it is nothing.” In doing so, they were breaking God’s law.
When Jesus said, “Swear not at all,” He was referring to swearing by the Earth, Heaven, Jerusalem, the Temple, or the Throne. These were empty promises in the sight of men, but in God’s eyes, they revealed presumption. For this reason, He commanded not to swear by heaven, earth, or any other oath. Instead, let our Yea be yea, and our Nay be nay, lest we fall into condemnation.
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.