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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

New Revised Standard

Matthew 23:22

and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blindness;   Church;   Ecclesiasticism;   Hypocrisy;   Oath;   Pharisees;   Satire;   Teachers;   Temple;   Throne;   The Topic Concordance - Blindness;   Guidance;   Hypocrisy;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Oaths;   Pharisees, the;   Swearing, Profane;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pharisees;   Throne;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Hypocrisy;   Matthew, gospel of;   Pharisees;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Anger;   Blindness;   Ethics;   Fool, Foolishness, Folly;   Worship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Supralapsarians;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Pharisees;   Scribes;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Blindness;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Salutation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hypocrite;   Judas Iscariot;   Scribes;   Sin;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Angels (2);   Anger (2);   Children of God;   Claim;   Common Life;   Courage;   Discourse;   Error;   God (2);   Heaven ;   Judgment;   Law of God;   Manuscripts;   Mental Characteristics;   Oath;   Organization (2);   Paradox;   Profaning, Profanity;   Reality;   Sabbath ;   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Self-Control;   Teaching of Jesus;   Throne (2);   Woe;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Blindness;   Oath;   Scribes;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Pharisee;   Scribe;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Pharisees;   Scribe;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Oath,;   Scribes;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Vow;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Matthew, the Gospel of;   Oath;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hypocrisy;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God’s throne
King James Version (1611)
And he that shall sweare by heauen, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
King James Version
And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
English Standard Version
And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
New American Standard Bible
"And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
New Century Version
The person who swears by heaven is also using God's throne and the One who sits on that throne.
Amplified Bible
"And whoever swears [an oath] by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
Legacy Standard Bible
And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
Berean Standard Bible
And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the One who sits on it.
Contemporary English Version
To swear by heaven is the same as swearing by God's throne and by the one who sits on that throne.
Complete Jewish Bible
And someone who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and the One who sits on it.
Darby Translation
And he that swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him that sits upon it.
Easy-to-Read Version
Whoever uses heaven to make a promise is using God's throne and the one who is seated on it.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he that sweareth by heauen, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
George Lamsa Translation
And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.
Good News Translation
and when someone swears by heaven, he is swearing by God's throne and by him who sits on it.
Lexham English Bible
And the one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by the one who sits on it.
Literal Translation
And the one swearing by Heaven swears by the throne of God, and by the One sitting on it.
American Standard Version
And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Bible in Basic English
And he who takes an oath by heaven, takes it by the seat of God, and by him who is seated on it.
Hebrew Names Version
He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.
International Standard Version
And the one who swears an oath by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.Psalm 11:4; Matthew 5:34; Acts 7:49;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And whosoever sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of Aloha, and by Him who sitteth thereon.
Murdock Translation
And he who sweareth by heaven, sweareth by throne of God, and by him that sitteth on it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he that sweareth by heauen, sweareth by the seate of God, and by hym that sitteth theron.
English Revised Version
And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
World English Bible
He who swears by the heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Weymouth's New Testament
and he who swears by Heaven swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he that swerith in heuene, swerith in the trone of God, and in hym that sittith ther on.
Update Bible Version
And he that swears by the heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him that sits thereon.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth upon it.
New English Translation
And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.
New King James Version
And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
New Living Translation
And when you swear ‘by heaven,' you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.
New Life Bible
Whoever makes a promise by heaven, promises by the throne of God and by Him Who sits there.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, he that hath sworn by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him who sitteth thereupon.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he that sweareth by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and by him that sitteth thereon.
Revised Standard Version
and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And he that sweareth by heve swereth by the seate of God and by hym that sytteth theron.
Young's Literal Translation
and he who did swear by the heaven, doth swear by the throne of God, and by Him who is sitting upon it.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And who so sweareth by heauen, sweareth by the seate of God, and by him that sytteth theron.
Mace New Testament (1729)
and he that swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Simplified Cowboy Version
The cowboy who gives his word by heaven gives his word on the Boss's throne and by the one who sits on it.

Contextual Overview

13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'" 14Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' 19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; 22 and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

by the: Matthew 5:34, Psalms 11:4, Isaiah 66:1, Acts 7:49, Revelation 4:2, Revelation 4:3

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he that shall swear by heaven,.... As the Jews were wont to do in common, but did not look upon such an oath as obligatory on them; :-, though such an one

sweareth by the throne of God; for heaven is God's throne, where he sits, and, in an eminent manner, displays the glory of his majesty:

and by him that sitteth thereon, by God himself. Thus swearing by anything that has any relation to God, is implicitly swearing by him; and therefore ought to be considered as binding, as if he was expressed in it; since an appeal cannot be made to things inanimate, nor indeed to any creature, but to God, the searcher of hearts.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The throne of God - Heaven is his throne, Matthew 5:34. It is so called as being the place where he sits in glory. Jesus says, here, that all who swear at all do, in fact, swear by God, or the oath is good for nothing. To swear by an altar, a gift, or a temple is of no force unless it be meant to appeal to God himself. The essential thing in an oath is calling God to witness our sincerity. If a real oath is taken, therefore, God is appealed to. If not it is foolish and wicked to swear by anything else.


 
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