Oaths
57 passages listed in Nave’s Topical Bible and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook. Verse text: Berean Standard Bible; links open in your translation.
36 sections
- Antiquity of
- Custom of Swearing by the Life of the King
- Expressions Used as As the Lord Liveth
- Expressions Used as As Thy Soul Liveth
- Expressions Used as Before God I Lie Not
- Expressions Used As by the Fear of Isaac
- Expressions Used As by the Lord
- Expressions Used as God do So to Thee and More Also
- Expressions Used as God do So to Thee, and More Also
- Expressions Used as God is Witness
- Expressions Used as I Call God for a Record
- Expressions Used as I Charge You by the Lord
- Expressions Used as The Lord do So to Me, and More Also
- God Used, to Show the Immutability of his Counsel
- Judicial from of Administering
- Often Accompanied by Placing the Hand Under the Thigh of The
- Often Accompanied by Raising up the Hand
- Rash: Herod
- Rash: Jephthah
- Rash: Joshua
- Rash: Saul
- Rash: The Jews Who Sought to Kill Paul
- The Jews: Condemned for False
- The Jews: Condemned for Profane
- The Jews: Fell Into Many Errors Respecting
- The Jews: Forbidden to Take False
- The Jews: Forbidden to Take in the Name of Any Created Thing
- The Jews: Forbidden to Take Rash, or Unholy
- The Jews: Forbidden to Take, in Name of Idols
- The Jews: Generally Respected the Obligation of
- The Jews: Often Guilty of Falsely Taking
- The Jews: Often Guilty of Rashly Taking
- The Jews: To Take, in Truth, Judgment
- The Jews: To Use God's Name Alone In
- The Lawful Purpose of, Explained
- To be Taken in Fear and Reverence
Antiquity of
- Genesis 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
- Genesis 24:3 and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,
- Genesis 24:8 And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”
Custom of Swearing by the Life of the King
- Genesis 42:15–16 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. …
Expressions Used as As the Lord Liveth
- Judges 8:19 “They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
- Ruth 3:13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.”
Expressions Used as As Thy Soul Liveth
- 1 Samuel 1:26 “Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 25:26 Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, since the LORD has held you back from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, may your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal.
Expressions Used as Before God I Lie Not
- Galatians 1:20 I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie.
Expressions Used As by the Fear of Isaac
- Genesis 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
Expressions Used As by the Lord
- 2 Samuel 19:7 Now therefore get up! Go out and speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the adversity that has befallen you …
- 1 Kings 2:42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, ‘On the day you leave and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’
Expressions Used as God do So to Thee and More Also
- 1 Samuel 3:17 “What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
Expressions Used as God do So to Thee, and More Also
- 1 Samuel 3:17 “What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
Expressions Used as God is Witness
- 1 Thessalonians 2:5 As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!
Expressions Used as I Call God for a Record
- 2 Corinthians 1:23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
Expressions Used as I Charge You by the Lord
- 1 Thessalonians 5:27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
Expressions Used as The Lord do So to Me, and More Also
- Ruth 1:17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
God Used, to Show the Immutability of his Counsel
- Genesis 22:16 saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,
- Numbers 14:28 So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.
- Numbers 6:17 He shall also offer the ram as a peace offering to the LORD, along with the basket of unleavened bread. And the priest is to offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.
Judicial from of Administering
- 1 Kings 22:16 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
- Matthew 26:63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Often Accompanied by Placing the Hand Under the Thigh of The
- Genesis 24:2 So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,
- Genesis 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
- Genesis 47:29 When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,
Often Accompanied by Raising up the Hand
- Genesis 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
- Daniel 12:7 And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, and times, and half a …
- Revelation 10:5–6 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven. …
Rash: Herod
- Matthew 14:7–9 so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked. …
Rash: Jephthah
- Judges 11:30–36 Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand, …
Rash: Joshua
- Joshua 9:15–16 And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. …
Rash: Saul
- 1 Samuel 14:27 Jonathan, however, had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
- 1 Samuel 14:44 And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”
Rash: The Jews Who Sought to Kill Paul
- Acts 23:21 Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they are ready now, awaiting your consent.”
The Jews: Condemned for False
- Zechariah 5:4 I will send it out, declares the LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.”
- Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and …
The Jews: Condemned for Profane
- Jeremiah 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers — because of the curse, the land mourns and the pastures of the wilderness have dried up — their course is evil and their power is misused.
- Hosea 4:2 Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.
The Jews: Fell Into Many Errors Respecting
- Matthew 23:16–22 Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ …
The Jews: Forbidden to Take False
- Leviticus 6:3 or finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a man might commit—
- Zechariah 8:17 do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely, for I hate all these things,” declares the LORD.
The Jews: Forbidden to Take in the Name of Any Created Thing
- Matthew 5:34–36 But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; …
- James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.
The Jews: Forbidden to Take Rash, or Unholy
- Leviticus 5:4 Or if someone swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do anything good or evil— in whatever matter a man may rashly pronounce an oath— even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty in the matter.
The Jews: Forbidden to Take, in Name of Idols
- Joshua 23:7 So you are not to associate with these nations that remain among you. You must not call on the names of their gods or swear by them, and you must not serve them or bow down to them.
The Jews: Generally Respected the Obligation of
- Joshua 9:19–20 All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. …
- 2 Samuel 21:7 Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
- Psalm 15:4 who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,
- Matthew 14:9 The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted
The Jews: Often Guilty of Falsely Taking
- Leviticus 6:3 or finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a man might commit—
- Jeremiah 5:2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”
- Jeremiah 7:9 Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known,
The Jews: Often Guilty of Rashly Taking
- Judges 21:7 What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”
- Matthew 14:7 so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked.
- Matthew 26:72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man!”
The Jews: To Take, in Truth, Judgment
- Jeremiah 4:2 and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
The Jews: To Use God's Name Alone In
- Deuteronomy 6:13 Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
- Deuteronomy 10:20 You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.
- Isaiah 65:16 Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth, and whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the former troubles will be forgotten and hidden from My sight.
The Lawful Purpose of, Explained
- Hebrews 6:16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument.
To be Taken in Fear and Reverence
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for …
Related topics
Oaths used for Binding to Performance of Sacred DutiesOaths used for Confirming CovenantsOaths used for Binding to Performance of Any Particular ActOaths used for Deciding Controversies in Courts of LawOaths used for Pledging Allegiance to SovereignsOath
Topics: Nave’s Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook (1897), public domain, via the Berean Bible topical index.