Matius 5:33-37

Oaths

5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, ¹  ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ ²  5:34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all – not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 5:35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, ³  because it is the city of the great King. 5:36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 5:37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one. ⁴ 

Matius 23:16-22

23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. ⁵  But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. ⁶  But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

Matius 26:63-64

26:63 But Jesus was silent. The ⁷  high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, ⁸  the Son of God.” 26:64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand ⁹  of the Power ¹⁰  and coming on the clouds of heaven.” ¹¹ 

[5:33]  ¹ tn Grk “the ancient ones.”

[5:33]  ² sn A quotation from Lev 19:12.

[5:35]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:37]  ⁴ tn The term πονηροῦ (ponhrou) may be understood as specific and personified, referring to the devil, or possibly as a general reference to evil. It is most likely personified, however, since it is articular (τοῦ πονηροῦ, tou ponhrou). Cf. also “the evildoer” in v. 39, which is the same construction.

[23:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.”

[23:18]  ⁶ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”

[26:63]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[26:63]  ⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[26:63]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.

[26:64]  ⁹ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1. This is a claim that Jesus shares authority with God in heaven. Those present may have thought they were his judges, but, in fact, the reverse was true.

[26:64]  ¹⁰ sn The expression the right hand of the Power is a circumlocution for referring to God. Such indirect references to God were common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.

[26:64]  ¹¹ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13 (see also Matt 24:30).