James 5,12
20—Stop Swearing (5:12)
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. (5:12)
Fallen men are basically inveterate liars. Children lie to their parents and parents lie to their children. Husbands lie to their wives and wives lie to their husbands. People lie to their employers who in turn lie to them and often to the public. Politicians lie to get elected and continue to lie once they are in office. People lie to the government—perhaps most notably on their income tax returns. Educators lie, scientists lie, and members of the media lie. Our society is built on a framework of lies, leading one to wonder whether our social structure would survive if everyone were forced to speak the truth for even one day.
That we live in a world of lies should surprise no one familiar with the Scriptures, which designate unregenerate humanity as children of the devil—the father of lies (John 8:44). That basic dishonesty has led men to impose oaths on others in an often futile attempt to force them to be truthful and keep their promises. Both the simple oaths of children, the sophisticated oaths often required by cults and other organizations, and everything from legal contracts to peace treaties are necessitated by the recognition of mankind’s basic dishonesty.
Manifesting of this same dishonesty, the Jews not only swore according to Old Testament law by the name of the Lord (and occasionally violated such oaths), but also had developed the practice of swearing false, evasive, deceptive oaths by everything other than the name of the Lord (which alone was considered binding). They swore by anything other than the Lord for the very purpose of pretending to a truthfulness that they had no intention of maintaining. Jesus also condemned this practice (Matt. 5:33–36; 23:16–22).
The custom of swearing oaths was a major part of life in biblical times. It had become an issue in the church, particularly the predominantly Jewish congregations to which James wrote. Since swearing oaths was an integral part of Jewish culture, Jewish believers brought that practice into the church. But such oath taking is unnecessary among Christians, whose speech is to be honest (Eph. 4:25; Col. 3:9), and whose lives are to demonstrate integrity and credibility. For believers, a simple yes or no should suffice because they are faithful to keep their word.
To encourage believers to be distinctive in the matter of speaking the truth, James issues a command to stop swearing. There are four features of his command that need to be considered: the distinction, the restriction, the instruction, and the motivation.
The Distinction
But above all, my brethren, (5:12a)
The phrase but above all indicates the distinction between the exhortation that follows and the others in the epistle and sets it in the primary place. The Greek particle de (but) marks a transition from the preceding passage that discusses facing trials patiently (5:7–11). Since there is no contrast with the preceding section, it is best to translate de “now,” or “and,” recognizing that it introduces a new subject. That new subject is not totally divorced from the preceding context, since verse 12, like verse 9, refers to the coming judgment.
The command in verse 12 is the first of several that close out the epistle. As he winds down his letter, the author gives a final wrap-up to his thoughts and touches on some important concluding matters—a common occurrence in the New Testament epistles (cf. 1 Thess. 5:11–27). Because it occupies only one verse, some may be tempted to dismiss James’s prohibition against swearing as relatively insignificant. But the phrase above all sets it apart as a preeminent and pervasive command.
That James discusses speech at the close of his epistle is not surprising; he did so in every other chapter as well. In 1:26 he wrote, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” Those who fail to control their tongues give evidence of unregenerate hearts, despite their outward veneer of religious activities. In 2:12 he exhorted, “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.” Those set free from the law of sin and death through Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:2) will give evidence of that liberation in their speech. In a lengthy passage in 3:2–11, James noted the difficulty of controlling the tongue, then exhorted believers to do just that. In 4:11 he prohibited speaking against a fellow believer, equating that with speaking against God’s holy law.
How believers speak was of grave concern to James since it manifests what is in their hearts; it is a test of living faith (cf. Matt. 12:34–37; Luke 6:43–45). The prohibition against false swearing in verse 12 reflects the truth that a Spirit-transformed heart will reveal itself in honest speech. How people speak is the most revealing test of their true spiritual state. People sin more with their tongues than in any other way; one can’t do everything, but one can say anything. Little wonder, then, that Jesus declared, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Matt. 12:34). The heart is a storehouse and people’s words reveal what they keep there.
James’s reference to his readers as brethren shows that his attitude was not one of condescension, but compassion. He identified with them as one who also needed to guard his own mouth and speak the truth. For him, too, the matter of honest speech was of utmost importance.
The Restriction
do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; (5:12b)
The specific speech-related issue James focused his attention on is that of swearing. In this context to swear does not mean (as it often does in English) to use illicit speech, dirty talk, double entendre, filthy jokes, or four-letter words—the type of unwholesome, nonedifying speech the apostle Paul forbids in Ephesians 4:29 (cf. Eph. 5:4). Instead, it refers to the taking of oaths. The Jews of James’s day had developed a complex system of swearing oaths, the influences of which Jewish Christians brought with them into the church. It is against the abuses of that system that James wrote.
The Jewish system of swearing oaths had its roots in the Old Testament. In a time when written contracts did not exist, oaths served to bind agreements between people. To take an oath was to attest that what one said was true, to call God to witness to that, and to invoke His punishment if one’s word was violated. To call God to witness to the truth of one’s promise and to invoke His judgment if one defaulted on that promise was a very serious matter.
The Bible does not forbid taking oaths, acknowledging that in a world filled with liars there are times when they are necessary. Certainly it is not wrong to take an oath when testifying in court, being ordained, or getting married. Oaths are wrong when they are misused with the intent to deceive others, or when taken rashly or flippantly. The Bible gives examples of godly men who took oaths, lists God’s commands that oaths be taken, and records instances of God Himself taking oaths.
The first recorded instance of someone taking an oath is in Genesis 21. In the course of a discussion with the Philistine ruler Abimelech and his army commander Phicol,
Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; neither did you tell me, nor did I hear of it until today.” Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand in order that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.” Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. (vv. 25–31)
Abraham took an oath to validate his claim that he dug the well in question. Later Isaac made a similar oath with the Philistines (Gen. 26:26–31). In Genesis 24:2–4, Abraham required his servant to take an oath:
Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
Joshua 2:12–20 records the oath given Rahab by the two Israelite spies:
[Rahab said,] “Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the Lord gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. She said to them, “Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” The men said to her, “We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear.”
David swore oaths with Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:12–17; 2 Sam. 21:7), Saul (1 Sam. 24:21–22), Shimei (2 Sam. 19:23), and God (2 Sam. 3:35). The people of Israel under Joshua swore an oath (Josh. 6:26), as did the people of Judah during King Asa’s reign (2 Chron. 15:14), and the returned exiles (Ezra 10:5; Neh. 10:28–30). The apostle Paul took a vow to God (Acts 18:18), and took an oath of truthfulness by writing to the Corinthians: “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying” (2 Cor. 11:31; cf. 1:23; Rom. 9:1). Even an angel swore an oath (Rev. 10:5–6).
There were occasions in the Old Testament when God required people to take an oath. Those who lost an animal entrusted to their keeping were required to swear an oath that they had not stolen it:
If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away while no one is looking, an oath before the Lord shall be made by the two of them that he has not laid hands on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution. (Ex. 22:10–11)
Numbers 5:19–22 records the oath required of a woman suspected of marital infidelity:
The priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, being under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse; if you, however, have gone astray, being under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you” (then the priest shall have the woman swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman), “the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people by the Lord’s making your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell; and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away.” And the woman shall say, “Amen. Amen.”
Numbers 6:2ff. records the Nazirite vow, which set people apart to God.
God expects vows to be kept. Because oaths invoke God’s holy name (Deut. 6:13), they are not to be taken lightly. Numbers 30:2 states that “if a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (cf. Ps. 15:1–4). Women were also expected to keep their vows (cf. Num. 30:3ff). To fail to do so was to take God’s name in vain (Ex. 20:7; Lev. 19:12).
The seriousness of taking oaths is underscored by the consequences of taking hasty, foolish ones. The Old Testament records several examples of people who foolishly took rash vows. Deceived by the Hivites (Josh. 9:3–14), Joshua and the Israelite leaders swore an oath to let them live (9:15)—only to discover (9:16) that they were one of the peoples of Canaan that Israel was supposed to destroy (Deut. 20:17). Were it not for King Saul’s rash vow (1 Sam. 14:24), the men of Israel would have inflicted a greater defeat on the Philistines (v. 30). Herod’s foolish vow cost John the Baptist his life (Matt. 14:7–9). But the most infamous example of a rash vow in Scripture is undoubtedly that of Jephthah:
Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord gave them into his hand. He struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel. When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter. It came about when he saw her, that he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.” So she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the Lord; do to me as you have said, since the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon.” (Judg. 11:30–36)
Jephthah’s foolish vow cost the life of his only child.
Further evidence that wisely swearing oaths is not wrong under the proper circumstances comes from the fact that God Himself has sworn oaths. He did not do so because there is any question about His truthfulness, but in gracious condescension, to set an example of integrity for men to follow. Hebrews 6:13–17 records that
when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath.
The oft-repeated Old Testament phrase “As I live” offers further evidence of God’s swearing by Himself (Num. 14:21, 28; Deut. 32:40; Isa. 49:18; Jer. 22:24; 46:18; Ezek. 5:11; 14:16, 18, 20; 16:48; 17:16, 19; 18:3; 20:3, 31, 33; 33:11, 27; 34:8; 35:6, 11; Zeph. 2:9; Rom. 14:11). To Abraham God declared,
By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. (Gen. 22:16–18)
Luke 1:73 also refers to “the oath which [God] swore to Abraham our father.” Acts 2:30 notes the oath God swore to David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:11–15; 1 Chron. 17:11–14; Pss. 89:3–4; 132:11–12). Exodus 6:8 records God’s oath that He would give the land of Israel to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants (cf. Ex. 13:5, 11). Deuteronomy 28:9 records God’s oath to the Israelites to set them apart as a holy people to Himself. Placed under oath by the high priest, Jesus responded, in effect, by taking an oath Himself (Matt. 26:63–64). In light of the biblical evidence, James’s command do not swear must not be viewed as a blanket prohibition of all oath taking. Oaths were permitted on serious occasions, but only in the name of God.
James, therefore, does not forbid swearing in the name of the Lord, but by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. The source of James’s prohibition is our Lord’s teaching regarding oaths in Matthew 5:33–37:
Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, “You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.” But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, “Yes, yes” or “No, no”; anything beyond these is of evil.
The phrase “you have heard that the ancients were told” does not refer to the teaching of Old Testament but to rabbinic tradition. The declaration “You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord” appears on the surface to be in harmony with the Old Testament teaching regarding the sacredness of taking oaths. But there was a hidden “out” in it: rabbinic teaching held that only vows to the Lord were binding. In their thinking, God was only a party to an oath if His name were invoked. All other oaths, they taught, could be (and were intended to be) violated without committing perjury—much as people in our culture invalidate their vows by saying, “I had my fingers crossed.” Attempting to deceive others, many Jews would swear by heaven, Jerusalem, the temple, the altar in the temple, the veil in the temple, their own heads, etc.—anything but the name of the Lord. Such evasive swearing was intended to hide their lying hearts. In Matthew 23:16–22, Jesus condemned the Jewish religious leaders for this hypocritical practice:
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, “Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.” You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? And, “Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.” You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
Swearing by anything in God’s dominion, Jesus declared, brings Him into the transaction. Despite what the hypocritical deceivers may have thought or intended, God regarded their oaths as binding—and judged them for not keeping them.
The Instruction
but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, (5:12c)
Reiterating Jesus’ words (cf. Matt. 5:37), James calls for simple, straightforward, honest speech. Christians are to be those whose yes means yes and whose no means no. People of integrity have no need to swear elaborate oaths to convince others of their truthfulness. Nor would they swear falsely to deceive people. That is why Jesus declared that “anything beyond these is of evil” (Matt. 5:37). It must be remembered, as noted above, that neither Jesus nor James prohibited swearing oaths under special circumstances. But under normal circumstances they are superfluous for the believer, who is marked by honesty.
Jesus lifted all conversation in His church to the level of sacredness. Believers are to be known as people who keep their word, having such integrity that their simple yes and no will suffice for people. In the words of Paul, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). Speaking the truth in every situation will cause believers to shine forth in the darkness of a world of lies.
The Motivation
so that you may not fall under judgment. (5:12d)
As motivation against swearing false oaths, James points out the consequences of violating them. Those who do so, he warns, will fall under judgment. The Mosaic Law warned, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Ex. 20:7). One way of taking God’s name in vain is to swear falsely. As noted in the previous point, Jesus pronounced “woe” (a curse, judgment) on the Pharisees because of their false oaths (Matt. 23:16).
The judgment James has in mind here is not God’s chastening of believers. Krisis (judgment) is never used in the New Testament to refer to believers’ chastening (a different word, paideuō, is used; cf. 1 Cor. 11:32; Heb. 12:6–7). James used krisis in 2:13 to describe God’s merciless sentencing to hell of those whose lack of mercy reveals their unregenerate hearts. The gospels used it more than twenty-five times with the idea of passing sentence (e.g., John 5:22, 24, 27, 29, 30). In Acts 8:33 it described Christ’s judgment at Pilate’s hands. Paul used it twice to speak of God’s judgment of sinners (2 Thess. 1:5; 1 Tim. 5:24), as did the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 9:27; 10:27). Peter used it to refer to the condemnation of sinners on the day of judgment (2 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2:4, 11; 3:7), as did Jude (Jude 6, 15) and the apostle John (1 John 4:17).
James certainly does not teach that believers will never err with their tongues (cf. 3:2). Christians may lapse into falsehood on occasion, though lying will not be the unbroken pattern of their lives.
But that is not James’s point here. The sobering warning he gives in verse 12 is that those who continue to blaspheme God’s holy name through lying oaths face eternal damnation; thus, this is another test of living faith. Those whose lives are characterized by a pattern of lying give evidence of having an unregenerate heart. And the Bible teaches that liars, spiritual children of the father of lies (John 8:44), will be sentenced to hell (Rev. 21:8, 27; 22:15).
