– It is a solemn commitment with which God is invoked as a witness to an affirmation or promise:
Gn 31,50.53 : But be careful, for it is God who will be a witness among us.
Gen 50,5-6 : My father made me swear to him: “I am going to die”, he told me, “you will bury me in the tomb”.
Jos 2,12-13 : I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, that […] you will spare my father’s house.
Judg 8,19 : I swear by the Lord, if you had left them alive, I would not kill you.
Rt 3,13 : Otherwise, I will do it; I swear by the Lord! Sleep, because until morning.
1Sm 20,23 : As for the word we gave each other, the Lord be witness between us forever.
Jer 38:16 : Then King Zedekiah swore this oath to Jeremiah in secret.
Jr 42,5 : May the Lord be a faithful and true witness against us.
– It is not allowed to swear by false gods, but only by the Lord:
Ex 23,13 : You shall not pronounce the name of other gods; let his name not be heard in your mouth.
Deuteronomy 6:13 : You shall fear the Lord your God, him you shall worship, and only by his name shall you swear.
Deuteronomy 10:20 : You shall fear the Lord your God and serve him. You will be joined to him, and by his name alone you will swear your oaths.
Is 19:18 : At that time there will be five cities in Egypt that will speak the language of Canaan and will swear by the Lord of hosts.
Is 48 :1 : You who bear the name of Israel, who came out of the heart of Judah, you who swear by the name of the Lord.
Jr 4,2 : If by the life of the Lord you swear, loyally, with righteousness and justice, then the nations will include you in their blessings.
Sf 1,5 : Those who prostrate themselves and take oaths; pray in the name of the Lord, pray in the name of your god.
– The lawful oath:
Ex 22.11 : If the animal was stolen from his house, he will indemnify the owner.
Is 65:16 : He who swears on earth will swear by the faithful God, because the misfortunes of former times will be forgotten.
Jr 4,2 : If by the life of the Lord you swear, loyally, with righteousness and justice, then the nations will include you in their blessings.
Mt 23,16-22 : But if he swears by the treasure of the temple, he is bound by his oath.
Heb 6:16 : Men, in fact, swear by one greater than they are, and the oath serves as a guarantee.
– Illicit oath:
Ex 20,7 : You shall not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in proof of falsehood, for the Lord does not leave it unpunished.
Leviticus 5,4s : If anyone, carelessly […], swears to do something good or bad, […] he will be guilty.
Eclo 23,9-14 : May your mouth not get used to swearing, because that leads to many sins.
Mt 5,33-37 : Thou shalt not swear falsely, but thou shalt fulfill thy oaths to the Lord.
Mt 14,6-13 : Therefore, he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked of him.
Acts 23:12ff : When day came, some Jews gathered together and swore with oaths not to eat or drink anything.
Jas 5:12 : First of all, my brothers, refrain from swearing. Swear neither by heaven nor by earth.
– The false oath:
Leviticus 19:12 : You shall not swear falsely in my name, for you would profane the name of your God.
1Sm 19,6-15 : Saul heard the voice of Jonathan and swore this oath: “As the Lord lives, David will not die!”.
Zec 8,17 : Do not devise evil in your hearts against your neighbor; do not swear false.
Mt 5:33 : Thou shalt not swear falsely, but thou shalt fulfill thy oaths to the Lord.
Mt 26,72-74 : Peter, for the second time, denied with an oath: “I don’t even know such a man”.
– Alliances are signed with an oath and this settles disputes:
2Chr 15:14 : With the sound of trumpets and trumpets, amid acclaim, they swore a solemn oath to the Lord.
Es 10:5: Ezra stood up and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath that they would act.
Ne 5,12 : So I called the priests and made them swear that they would do so.
Heb 6:16 : Men swear by one greater than themselves, and the oath serves as a guarantee and puts an end to all disputes.
– It is considered an act of worship, and practiced to stipulate a pact:
Gen 21:31 : Therefore the name of that place was named Beersheba; because they both there had sworn.
Gen 26,28-29 : Let there be an oath between us and you. We therefore want to make an alliance with you.
Jos 9,15 : Joshua granted them peace and made a covenant with them that assured their life.
– Or a judgment as a protest of innocence:
Ex 22,7-8 : The owner of the house will present himself before God (to swear) that he has not laid his hand on the goods.
Leviticus 5:21-22 : If anyone sins and commits unfaithfulness against the Lord, denying having received a deposit from his neighbor.
– Paul uses oath formulas in difficult times:
Rom 1 :9: God, whom I serve in my spirit, […] bears witness to me how I constantly mention you in my prayers.
2Cor 1,23 : I call God to witness: I swear by my life that it was to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
Gal 1:20 : What I am writing to you – God is my witness – I am not making it up.
