Matthew 5:35
in Matthew 5or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
KJV
Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
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This verse in Matthew 5
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(Verses 34 onwards) But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. The Jews have always had this wicked habit of swearing by the elements, as the prophetic word often accuses them (Isaiah 65). Whoever swears, worships, or loves the one by whom they swear.
This site's exposition
Do not break your oath
on Matthew 5:33-37
The fourth antithesis answers a system that ranked oaths by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or one's own head below oaths by God's name, though each touches God: "His footstool," "the city of the great King." Jesus calls for speech so truthful that no oath is needed: "let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’" Some read this as forbidding every oath, others as aimed at the evasive oaths of the day, since Jesus answers under oath at 26:63-64.
This site's exposition
the city of the great King
John Gill traces the footstool language to Isaiah 66:1 and notes that oaths by the earth were common among the Jews. Cyril of Alexandria warns against honouring creation above itself. He reads the earthly Jerusalem as a type of the Jerusalem above, and he notes that God swears only by himself.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
For this reason Jesus prohibits us from swearing by heaven or by the earth. This is in order that we should not give to creation an honor surpassing creation. Do not deify creation. Those who swear, he says, "swear by the greater," as the apostle has said. And he also forbids swearing by Jerusalem. For the earthly Jerusalem is a type of the Jerusalem above, and God swears only by himself, that is, by his own glory.
Lastly, consider that the Saviour does not here forbid to swear by God, but by the Heaven, the Earth, by Jerusalem, by a man's head. For this evil practice of swearing by the elements the Jews had always, and are thereof often accused in the prophetic writing's. For he who swears, shows either reverence or love for that by which he swears. Thus when the Jews swore by the Angels, by the city of Jerusalem, by the temple and the elements, they paid to the creature the honour and worship belonging to God; for it is commanded in the Law that we should not swear but by the Lord our God.
A commentator
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 17 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
Next, to lead them farther away from swearing by God, He saith, "Neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King:" still speaking out of the prophetical writings, and signifying Himself not to be opposed to the ancients. This was because they had a custom of swearing by these objects, and He intimates this custom near the end of His Gospel. But mark, I pray thee, on what ground He magnifies the elements; not from their own nature, but from God's relation to them, such as it had been in condescension declared. For because the tyranny of idolatry was great, that the elements might not be thought worthy of honor for their own sake, He hath assigned this cause, which we have mentioned, which again would pass on to the glory of God. For He neither said, "because Heaven is beautiful and great," nor, "because earth is profitable;" but "because the one is God's throne, the other His footstool;" on every side urging them on towards their Lord.
The Medieval Church1 voice
But I say unto, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. Since the Jews had heard …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool,.... That the Jews were wont to swear by the earth, is clear from the above mentioned instances; and is condemned by Christ for this reason, because the earth is God's "footstool", referring, as before, to Isa 66:1 on which he treads; and where he also manifests forth his glory, and is a considerable part of the work of his hands.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
These verses deserve the closest attention of all readers of the Bible. A right understanding of the doctrines they contain lies at the very root of Christianity. The Lord Jesus here explains more fully the meaning of his words, “I came not to destroy the law but to fulfil.”He teaches us that his Gospel magnifies the Law, and exalts its authority: he shows us that the Law, as expounded by him, was a far more spiritual and heart-searching rule than most of the Jews supposed; and he proves this by selecting three commandments out of the ten as examples of what he means. He expounds the sixth commandment. Many thought that they kept this part of God’s law so long as they did not commit actual murder. The Lord Jesus shows that its requirements go much further than this. It condemns all angry and passionate language, and especially when used without a cause. Let us mark this well. We may be perfectly innocent of taking life, and yet be guilty of breaking the sixth commandment! He expounds the seventh commandment. Many supposed that they kept this part of God’s law if they did not actually commit adultery. The Lord Jesus teaches that we may break it in our thoughts, hearts and imaginations, even when our outward conduct is moral and correct. The God with whom we have to do looks far beyond actions. With him even a glance of the eye may be a sin! He expounds the third commandment. Many fancied that they kept this part of God’s law so long as they did not swear falsely, and performed their oaths. The Lord Jesus forbids all vain and light swearing altogether. All swearing by created things, even when God’s name is not brought forward—all calling upon God to witness, excepting on the most solemn occasions—is a great sin. Now all this is very instructive. It ought to raise very serious reflections in our minds: it calls us loudly to use great searching of heart.
These verses deserve the closest attention of all readers of the Bible. A right understanding of the doctrines they contain lies at the very root of Christianity. The Lord Jesus here explains more fully the meaning of his words, “I came not to destroy the law but to fulfil.”
How the passage was read
On Matthew 5:33-37On Matthew 5:33-37
The oath culture behind “let your yes be yes”
To avoid uttering God's name, oaths in Jesus' day were commonly sworn by substitutes: by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, by one's own head. Around the substitutes grew a case law of which formulas actually bind. The Mishnah's oath tractate preserves exactly this reasoning: an oath administered “in the name of heaven and in the name of earth” leaves the swearer exempt, because that is not an oath in God's name (Shevuot 4:13). The practical effect was a graded honesty in which some sworn words could be safely broken.
That loophole culture, not courtroom oath-taking as such, is Jesus' first target here, and again in Matthew 23:16-22 where the Temple-versus-gold and altar-versus-gift distinctions are the same casuistry. His answer closes every gap at once: heaven is God's throne, earth His footstool, Jerusalem His city, so every substitute reaches God anyway. A person whose yes is yes needs no formula at all. (Whether this also forbids civil oaths has been debated among Christians, notably by Quakers and Anabaptists; the scene's first edge is the loophole system.)
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
The words behind it
19 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| μήτε | mete | nor [swear] | G3383 → | 34 times |
| ἐν | en | by | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τῇ | tea | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῇ | gea | earth | G1093 → | 248 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | because | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ὑποπόδιόν | hupopodion | [the] footstool | G5286 → | |
| ἐστιν | estin | it is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ποδῶν | podon | feet | G4228 → | 93 times |
| αὐτοῦ, | autou | of Him, | G846 → | 5565 times |
| μήτε | mete | nor [swear] | G3383 → | 34 times |
| εἰς | eis | by | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| Ἱεροσόλυμα | hi'erosoluma | Jerusalem | G2414 → | 62 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | because | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| πόλις | polis | [the] city | G4172 → | 163 times |
| ἐστὶν | estin | it is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μεγάλου | megalou | great | G3173 → | 243 times |
| βασιλέως, | basileos | King, | G935 → | 114 times |
μήτεnor [swear]
meteG3383 →34 times
ἐνby
enG1722 →2738 times
τῇthe
teaG3588 →19766 times
γῇearth
geaG1093 →248 times
ὅτιbecause
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ὑποπόδιόν[the] footstool
hupopodionG5286 →
ἐστινit is
estinG1510 →2333 times
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
ποδῶνfeet
podonG4228 →93 times
αὐτοῦ,of Him,
autouG846 →5565 times
μήτεnor [swear]
meteG3383 →34 times
εἰςby
eisG1519 →1755 times
ἹεροσόλυμαJerusalem
hi'erosolumaG2414 →62 times
ὅτιbecause
hotiG3754 →1292 times
πόλις[the] city
polisG4172 →163 times
ἐστὶνit is
estinG1510 →2333 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
μεγάλουgreat
megalouG3173 →243 times
βασιλέως,King,
basileosG935 →114 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 48:2Beautiful in loftiness, the joy of all the earth, like the peaks of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the great King.
it leads to
- Psalms 50:2
From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
- Lamentations 2:15
All who pass by clap their hands at you in scorn. They hiss and shake their heads at the Daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the…
- Psalms 50:2
Through
Psalms 99:5Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool; He is holy!
it leads to
- Psalms 132:7
Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool.
- Isaiah 66:1
This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?
- Psalms 132:7
Through
2 Chronicles 6:6But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 28:4
Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah He…
- Psalms 132:13
For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home:
- 2 Chronicles 12:13
Thus King Rehoboam established himself in Jerusalem. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of…
- 1 Chronicles 28:4
Through
Revelation 21:10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
it leads to
- Revelation 21:2
I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
- Revelation 21:2
Where this verse is studied
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About Matthew
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Cyril of Alexandria, Fragment 63.14; Cyril of Alexandria, FRAGMENT 63.14; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 17; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew.