Matthew 5:34-35
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Jesus isn't just saying "don't lie" when you swear; he's revealing that even seemingly casual oaths by heaven or earth are actually oaths by God. By using these sacred references, people were bypassing direct appeals to God's name but still invoking His authority, which ultimately exposed the emptiness of their words when they didn't live up to them.
But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is continuing his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, correcting common misunderstandings of the Old Testament law by contrasting it with the deeper, heart-level righteousness he calls his followers to. He has just addressed adultery and divorce, and now turns to oaths, showing how the Jewish people were using loopholes to bypass the spirit of the law. His instruction here emphasizes a radical honesty and sincerity that makes elaborate oaths unnecessary.
Why did Jesus connect swearing by heaven and earth to God? It wasn't just about respecting celestial bodies; it pointed to something much bigger.
Jesus is challenging the common practice of the day where people swore by lesser things (heaven, earth, Jerusalem, their own head) to avoid swearing directly by God's name. They thought this made the oath less binding or less sinful if they lied.
But Jesus reveals the truth: These things aren't separate from God.
When you swear by these things, you're really swearing by God, the Creator and Sovereign over all these elements. Jesus is cutting through the loophole mentality, showing that all oaths ultimately involve God, whether people acknowledge it or not.
If swearing by heaven or earth is still swearing by God, why the strong prohibition? Jesus had a radical vision for our speech.
Jesus isn't just correcting a faulty oath-taking system; He's presenting a higher standard for truthfulness.
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The reason people swore by heaven or earth was often because they didn't fully trust each other's word. They needed extra guarantees. Jesus, however, is calling His followers to a life of such integrity that their simple word is sufficient.
His ideal is captured in:
This isn't a literal prohibition of all formal oaths, especially in extreme circumstances (as evidenced by Jesus' own response to the high priest or Paul's attestations). Instead, Jesus is advocating for a life where your default speech is so honest and trustworthy that you don't need to resort to oaths. Your 'yes' should mean 'yes,' and your 'no' should mean 'no,' because your character itself is the guarantee.
Understand the original words
ouranos · Greek Noun
The realm of God's dwelling and the seat of His cosmic authority, often used to signify God’s transcendence.
thronos · Greek Noun
A seat of honor and royal dignity representing the authority, judgment, and majesty of a sovereign ruler.
gē · Greek Noun
The physical world and the land; in biblical imagery, it is the place of human habitation under God's dominion.
hypopodion · Greek Noun
A rest for the feet, symbolizing complete subjection and the vastness of God's presence over His creation.
Hierosolyma · Greek Noun
The holy city of Israel, the location of the Temple, and the symbolic center of God's earthly dwelling and kingdom.
megas basileus · Greek Noun phrase
A title for God emphasizing His absolute sovereignty, power, and universal reign over all the nations.
Jesus' teaching on oaths arose during a time when Jewish tradition had developed complex, often loophole-ridden, ways of swearing. By emphasizing 'yes, yes' and 'no, no,' Jesus wasn't abolishing oaths but calling his followers to a higher standard of integrity where their word was always trustworthy, reflecting God’s own faithfulness.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Captivity of Northern Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was largely destroyed and its people deported by the Assyrian Empire, scattering many Israelites and creating a profound sense of loss and displacement.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled a significant portion of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This event deeply impacted Jewish identity and religious practice.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great of Persia allowed the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, marking a new era of religious observance and national identity.
c. 1st Century AD
Second Temple Period and Rabbinic Judaism
During the Second Temple Period, the Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life. Rabbinic Judaism was also developing, with scholars interpreting and applying the Law to daily life.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
Jesus delivered his most famous sermon, including this teaching on oaths, to his disciples and a crowd in Galilee. This was a core part of his ministry, reinterpreting the Law for his followers.
This passage directly echoes Jesus' teaching here, commanding, 'Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth—but let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,' 'No,' so that you do not fall under judgment.'
Matthew 23:16-22Jesus here further illustrates the same principle, rebuking the Pharisees for their hypocritical distinctions in oaths, showing that swearing by the temple or by gold, or by heaven or the altar, all ultimately implies swearing by God and His authority.
Deuteronomy 6:13This Old Testament passage provides the foundational principle, stating 'It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by His name you shall swear,' highlighting that oaths should rightly be directed to God alone, which Jesus’ teaching on not swearing by lesser things then reinforces.
Isaiah 66:1Jesus uses imagery from this prophecy to explain why swearing by heaven or earth is inappropriate: God declares, 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool,' emphasizing that these are His possessions, not ours to invoke lightly.
barnesMatthew 5:34: "But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:"
But I say unto you, 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, Matthew 23:22. Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool - Swearing by that, therefore, is really swearing by God. Or pe…
calvinMatthew 5:33-37: "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:"
- Again, ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not perjure thyself: but thou shalt perform to the Lord what thou hast sworn. 34. But I charge you, swear not at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God: 35. Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King…
Jesus isn't just saying "don't lie" when you swear; he's revealing that even seemingly casual oaths by heaven or earth are actually oaths by God. By using these sacred references, people were bypassing direct appeals to God's name but still invoking His authority, which ultimately exposed the emptiness of their words when they didn't live up to them.
Jesus is continuing his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, correcting common misunderstandings of the Old Testament law by contrasting it with the deeper, heart-level righteousness he calls his followers to. He has just addressed adultery and divorce, and now turns to oaths, showing how the Jewish people were using loopholes to bypass the spirit of the law. His instruction here emphasizes a radical honesty and sincerity that makes elaborate oaths unnecessary.
Jesus is continuing his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, correcting common misunderstandings of the Old Testament law by contrasting it with the deeper, heart-level righteousness he calls his followers to. He has just addressed adultery and divorce, and now turns to oaths, showing how the Jewish people were using loopholes to bypass the spirit of the law. His instruction here emphasizes a radical honesty and sincerity that makes elaborate oaths unnecessary.
"But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King." — Jesus isn't just saying "don't lie" when you swear; he's revealing that even seemingly casual oaths by heaven or earth are actually oaths by God. By using these sacred references, people were bypassi…
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Last reviewed October 2026
