Again, you have heard that it has been said by them of old time, You shall not forswear yourself, but shall perform to the Lord your oaths:
it hath.
Matthew 23:16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Thou.
Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Leviticus 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
Numbers 30:2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
‘Do not break your oath,
Oaths were a significant part of Jewish life, serving as solemn promises made before God. The Old Testament contains numerous references to the importance of keeping one's word, such as in Numbers 30:2 and Deuteronomy 23:21-23. Breaking an oath was seen as a serious offense, as it not only involved the individual but also invoked God's name, making it a matter of divine accountability. This reflects the cultural and religious emphasis on integrity and truthfulness.
but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
This phrase underscores the obligation to honor commitments made to God. Vows were voluntary promises that, once made, were binding and required fulfillment. The emphasis here is on the sincerity and faithfulness expected in one's relationship with God. This teaching aligns with passages like Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, which warns against making hasty vows. It also foreshadows Jesus' later teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, where He calls for a deeper righteousness that goes beyond mere external compliance to the Law, pointing to the heart's intent and the ultimate fulfillment of the Law in Christ Himself.
Jesus continues a pattern He has already used several times in this chapter.
• Matthew 5:21, 27, 31 all begin with similar wording, showing a series of clarifications.
• Each “again” highlights that the Lord is raising the righteousness bar, not lowering it (Matthew 5:20).
In first-century Israel most people knew Scripture by listening, not by personal reading.
• Jesus points to the common oral teaching of the day—what they had “heard” in synagogues and from rabbis (Mark 7:13).
• By saying “you have heard,” He invites listeners to compare familiar tradition with God’s true intent (Matthew 15:6-9).
The phrase reaches back to the commandments given to Israel’s forefathers at Sinai.
• Exodus 20:7 warns against taking the LORD’s name in vain.
• Numbers 30:2 commands, “When a man makes a vow to the LORD…he must not break his word.”
• Deuteronomy 23:21-23 stresses that vows are voluntary yet binding once spoken.
Jesus honors these original statutes while exposing how later teachers had weakened them.
Breaking an oath is more than poor etiquette; it is sin against a holy God.
• Psalm 15:4 commends the one “who keeps his oath even when it hurts.”
• Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 urges, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it.”
• James 5:12 echoes Jesus by warning against careless swearing.
The Lord underscores that integrity must permeate every promise, public or private.
The positive command finishes the thought: every promise made before God must be completed.
• “Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High” (Psalm 50:14).
• Jonah, rescued from the fish, declared, “I will fulfill what I have vowed” (Jonah 2:9).
• Even common speech is ultimately spoken before God (Colossians 3:17), so honesty is worship.
Jesus will soon say, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’ ” (Matthew 5:37), calling believers to live such transparent truthfulness that elaborate oaths become unnecessary.
Matthew 5:33 confronts casual, loophole-laden oath-making by recalling God’s ancient demand for absolute truthfulness. Jesus reminds His listeners—and us—that every word is spoken in God’s hearing, so promises must be reliable, swift to be kept, and free from manipulation. Living this way reflects the Father’s own faithful character to a watching world.
(33) By them of old time.--Read, to them of old time, as before. Here, again, the reference is to the letter of the Law as taught by the Rabbis, who did not go beyond it to its wider spirit. To them the Third Commandment was simply a prohibition of perjury, as the Sixth was of murder, or the Seventh of adultery. They did not see that the holy name (Leviticus 19:12) might be profaned in other ways, even when it was not uttered; and they expressly or tacitly allowed (See Philo, De Special. Legg.) many forms of oath in which it was not named, as with the view of guarding it from desecration. Lastly, out of the many forms thus sanctioned (as here and in Matthew 23:16-22) they selected some as binding, and others as not binding, and thus by a casuistry at once subtle, irrational, and dishonest, tampered with men's sense of truthfulness.Verses 33-37. - Oaths. Matthew only; but cf. Matthew 23:16-22. Verse 33. - By them of old time (ver. 21, note). Thou shalt not forswear thyself (οὐκ ἐπιορκήσεις). These two words are the substance of Leviticus 19:12, which itself (cf. Rashi, in lee.) includes a reference to the third commandment. To them our Lord joins but shalt perform, etc., which is the substance of Deuteronomy 23:23 (cf. Numbers 30:2). (On our Lord's utterance representing the current form of teaching about oaths, cf. ver. 21, note.) This current teaching was the logical deduction from the statements of the Law, and yet the Law had a higher aim.