Matthew 23:22

22 "And whoever swears by heaven, ¹swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

Matthew 23:22 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 23:22

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; (See Gill on Matthew 5:34), 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.

Matthew 23:22 In-Context

20 "Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

21 "And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it.#rl

22 "And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

24 "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:34

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "he who"