Psalms 89:35
in Psalms 89Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness— I will not lie to David—
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Once have I sworn by my holiness: I will not lie unto David:
KJV
Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
⋯
This verse in Psalms 89
Commentary
12 notes on this verseOnce have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. Because he could swear by no greater he swore by himself, and by that peculiar attribute which is his highest glory, being the subject of threefold adoration by all the hosts of heaven. God here pledges the crown of his kingdom, the excellent beauty of his person, the essence of his nature. He does as good as say that if he ceases to be true to his covenant he will have forfeited his holy character. What more can he say?
This site's exposition
I have sworn by My holiness
on Psalms 89:35-37
The oath is sworn on God's own holiness, and the words are that He will not lie to David. The throne is measured against the sun and the moon, the faithful witness in the sky. Jeremiah 33:20 and 21 argue the same from day and night.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Listen for thy confirmation in hope, for thy security, if thou knowest thyself to be among the members of Christ. "I have sworn once by My holiness that I will not lie unto David" (ver. 35). Dost thou wait till God swear a second time? How often is He to swear, if in one oath He is false? One oath He made for our life, who sent His Only One to die for us. "I have sworn once by My holiness, that I will not lie unto David."
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
As Christ was made a priest, so he was made a king, by an oath ( Heb. vii. 21 ); for his kingdom and priesthood are both unchangeable. The choice made of the person to whom the promise is given,
For the covenant's sake: My faithfulness shall not fail, my covenant will I not break. It was supposed that they had broken God's statutes, profaned and polluted them (so the word signifies); "But," says God, "I will not break, I will not profane and pollute, my covenant;" it is the same word.
(1.) If we apply it to David, by his seed we are to understand his successors, Solomon and the following kings of Judah, who descended from the loins of David. It is supposed that they might degenerate, and not walk in the spirit and steps of their father David; in such a case they must expect to come under divine rebukes, such as the house of David was at this time under,
Once have I sworn by my holiness,....
5 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Then--when the covenant was established, of whose execution the exalted views of God now given furnish assurance. thou . . . to thy holy one--or godly saint, object of favor (Ps 4:3). Nathan is meant (2Sa 7:17; 1Ch 17:3-15). laid help--literally, "given help." David was chosen and then exalted.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
This relation is perpetual with David's descendants, as a whole typical in official position of his last greatest descendant. Hence though in personal relations any of them might be faithless and so punished, their typical relation shall continue. His oath confirms His promise, and the most enduring objects of earth and heaven illustrate its perpetual force (Ps 72:5, 7, 17).
Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. Because he could swear by no greater he swore by himself, and by that peculiar attribute which is his highest glory, being the subject of threefold adoration by all the hosts of heaven. God here pledges the crown of his kingdom, the excellent beauty of his person, the essence of his nature. He does as good as say that if he ceases to be true to his covenant he will have forfeited his holy character. What more can he say? In what stronger language can he express his unalterable adherence to the truth of his promise? An oath is the end of all strife; it ought to be the end of all doubt on our part. We cannot imagine that God could lie, yet he puts it so—that if the covenant were not kept by him, he would regard it as a lie. Here is ground for strong confidence; may our faith be of such a nature as these assurances will warrant.
Once have I sworn - I have made one determination on this head, and have bound myself by my holiness; it is impossible that I should change, and there needs no second oath, the one already made is of endless obligation.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Once have I sworn by my holiness - That is, once for all; - a single oath - an oath once taken by me - makes it certain. To swear by his “holiness” is to pledge his own holy nature; to make it as certain as that he is holy; to stake the whole question of his holiness on that. That is, If this should not be accomplished - if he should fail in this - it would prove that he was not a holy God. That I will not lie unto David - Margin, as in Hebrew, “if I lie.” The meaning is, He would be found faithful to the promise. See Psa 89:3-4; compare 2Sa 7:8-16.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַ֭חַת | ʾachat | one [time] | H259 → | 971 times |
| נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי | nishba'ti | I have sworn an oath | H7650 → | 186 times |
| בְקָדְשִׁ֑י | vekadeshi | by holiness my | H6944 → | 469 times |
| אִֽם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| לְדָוִ֥ד | ledavid | to David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֲכַזֵּֽב׃ | ʾakhazev | I will lie | H3576 → | 16 times |
אַ֭חַתone [time]
ʾachatH259 →971 times
נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּיI have sworn an oath
nishba'tiH7650 →186 times
בְקָדְשִׁ֑יby holiness my
vekadeshiH6944 →469 times
אִֽם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
לְדָוִ֥דto David
ledavidH1732 →999 times
אֲכַזֵּֽב׃I will lie
ʾakhazevH3576 →16 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
Titus 1:2in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
it leads to
- Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
- 2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.
- 1 John 2:25
And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.
- Hebrews 6:17–18
So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.
- 2 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
- Numbers 23:19
Through
Hebrews 6:13When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself,
it leads to
- Genesis 22:15–18
And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time,
- Genesis 22:15–18
Through
Hebrews 6:17So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.
it leads to
- Psalms 110:4
The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 110:4
Through
Psalms 132:11The LORD swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 7:12
And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.
- 2 Samuel 7:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies12
On this verse
About Psalms
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 89; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 4; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.