Profanity. In the words before us our Lord brings out the very spirit of the third commandment. We have to distinguish— I. THE SWEARING THAT IS NOT FORBIDDEN . This is of two kinds, viz. religious and civil—spiritual and judicial. 1 . Spiritual swearing. 2 . Judicial swearing. II. THE SWEARING FORBIDDEN IS THE PROFANE . 1 . False swearing is emphatically such. 2 . -Promissory vows are especially to be avoided. 3 . Habitual swearing... read more
Thou shalt not forswear thyself - Christ here proceeds to correct another false interpretation of the law. The law respecting oaths is found in Leviticus 19:12, and Deuteronomy 23:23. By those laws people 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,... read more
Matthew 5:33-37. Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time Or rather, was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, &c. See the margin. The Jewish doctors affirmed, that oaths were obligatory according to the nature of the things by which a man swears: Matthew 23:10. Hence they allowed the use of such oaths in common conversation as they said were not obligatory; pretending that there was no harm in them, because the law, which forbade them to forswear... read more
40. Legal obedience is not enough (Matthew 5:21-48; Luke 6:27-36; Luke 12:57-59)After his explanation concerning right and wrong attitudes to the law, Jesus gives a number of examples. He introduces these examples with statements such as ‘You have heard that it was said in the past’. This is not the same as ‘It is written’. Jesus is not quoting from the Old Testament but from the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. He is not contradicting the law but the interpretations of the law that the... read more
THE LAW OF PERJURY. it hath been said = it was said. See Leviticus 19:12 ; also App-107 . Thou shalt not, &c. Quoted from Exodus 20:7 . Numbers 30:2 .Deuteronomy 23:21 . forswear = swear falsely. Greek. epiorkeo. Occurs only here. the LORD. See App-98 . read more
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.THE NINTH COMMANDMENT; REVISED (MATT. 5:33-37)In this passage, Christ does not quote verbatim from the Ninth Commandment, but rather deals with Pharisaical deductions, extensions, and exceptions on the Great Word which said, "THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS," It was far more offensive to the priestly mentality for one to violate his oath, especially with... read more
Matthew 5:33-37. Again, ye have heard, &c.— As to oaths, the doctors affirmed, that they were obligatory, according to the nature of the things by which a man swears. See ch. Matthew 23:16. Hence they allowed the use of such oaths in common conversation as they said were not obligatory; pretending that there was no harm in them, because the law which forbad them to forswear themselves, and enjoined them to perform their vows, meant such solemn oaths only, as were of a binding nature. It was... read more
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 :-; but they express all that it was currently understood to condemn, namely, false swearing ( :-, 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... read more
Righteousness and the Scriptures 5:17-48In His discussion of righteousness (character and conduct that conforms to the will of God), Jesus went back to the revelation of God’s will, namely, God’s Word, the Old Testament. read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 5:33-37
The true fulfilling of the Law: Christ's fourth illustration. The consideration of this passage asks careful and fair understanding of the correct exposition of it (for which see also Exposition foregoing). Matthew 5:37 of itself, when strictly rendered, and the word "communication" replaced by "speech," or even "conversation,'' is sufficient to show that our Lord's pronouncements here do not refer either to solemn judicial occasions, or to those supremely solemn instances in which God is... read more