The Meaning of Matthew 5:33 Explained

Matthew 5:33

KJV: 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:

YLT: 'Again, ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not swear falsely, but thou shalt pay to the Lord thine oaths;

Darby: Again, ye have heard that it has been said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt render to the Lord what thou hast sworn.

ASV: 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:

Discover Matthew 5:33

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Matthew 5:33?

MEANING: What does Matthew 5:33 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Matthew 5:33 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Matthew 5:33?

What is the context of Matthew 5:33?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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:

What does Matthew 5:33 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus next gave a condensation of several commands in the Old Testament that forbade taking an oath, invoking the Lord"s name to guarantee the oath, and then breaking it ( Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 5:11; Deuteronomy 6:3; Deuteronomy 23:21-23). God has always intended simple truthfulness in speech as well as lifelong marriage. The rabbis had developed an elaborate stratification of oaths. They taught that swearing by God"s name was binding, but swearing by heaven and earth was not binding. Swearing toward Jerusalem was binding, but swearing by Jerusalem was not. In some cases they even tried to deceive others by appealing to various authorities in their oaths. ^[1] Jesus was not talking about "cursing" here but using oaths to affirm that what one said was true.

Context Summary

Matthew 5:27-37 - Pure Eyes And Clean Speech

The legislation of the old time insisted that no member of the commonwealth should commit adultery, and enforced terrible penalties. See Deuteronomy 22:22-24. But the Divine Man, who reads the human heart with perfect accuracy, goes behind the deed to its premonitory stages, legislates about the look that may inflame passion, and condemns the soul that does not instantly turn the eye from that which allures it, to the All-Holy, asking to be cleansed not with tears only but with blood. The first act in the religious life is to detect right and wrong in the thought or intention. If the tempter is arrested there, He is powerless to hurt. Kill the snake in the egg!

The prohibition against swearing does not deal with taking an oath in the law court. During His trial by the high priest, our Lord did not resent being put on His oath. On rare and solemn occasions we may have to bare our heads before God and ask Him to corroborate our word. But how different is this from the frequent and flippant use of expletives and extravagances of speech. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 5

¹ Jesus' sermon on the mount:
³ The Beattitudes;
¹³ the salt of the earth;
¹⁴ the light of the world
¹⁷ He came to fulfill the law
²¹ What it is to kill;
²⁷ to commit adultery;
³³ to swear
³⁸ He exhorts to forgive wrong,
⁴³ to love our enemies;
⁴⁸ and to labor after perfection

What do the individual words in Matthew 5:33 mean?

Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients Not shall you swear falsely you shall keep now to the Lord the oaths of you

Πάλιν ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις Οὐκ ἐπιορκήσεις ἀποδώσεις δὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ τοὺς ὅρκους σου

Πάλιν	Again
Parse: Adverb Root: πάλιν Sense: anew, again.
ἠκούσατε	you have heard
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural Root: ἀκουστός Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
ὅτι	that
Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since.
ἐρρέθη	it was said
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to utter, speak, say.
τοῖς	to the
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀρχαίοις	ancients
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Plural Root: ἀρχαῖος Sense: that has been from the beginning, original, primal, old ancient.
ἐπιορκήσεις	shall you swear falsely
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular Root: ἐπιορκέω Sense: to swear falsely, forswear one’s self.
ἀποδώσεις	you shall keep
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular Root: ἀποδίδωμι Sense: to deliver, to give away for one’s own profit what is one’s own, to sell.
δὲ	now
Parse: Conjunction Root: δέ Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
τῷ	to the
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Κυρίῳ	Lord
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular Root: κύριος Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
ὅρκους	oaths
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: ὅρκος Sense: that which has been pledged or promised with an oath.
σου	of you
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular Root: σύ Sense: you.

What are the major concepts related to Matthew 5:33?

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Similar Scriptures for Matthew 5:33

		Deuteronomy 23:21 [19]
		Leviticus 19:12 [12]
		Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 [11]
		Deuteronomy 23:23 [9]
		Psalms 76:11 [5]
		Numbers 30:2-16 [4]
		Psalms 50:14 [4]
		Nahum 1:15 [3]
		Matthew 23:16-22 [3]
		Exodus 20:7 [2]
		Deuteronomy 5:11 [2]
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		Matthew 5:27 [1]
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