SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:37
Mas sea vuestro hablar: Sí, sí; no, no; porque lo que es ms de esto, de mal procede.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:37
Verse 37. Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay] That is, a positive affirmation, or negation, according to your knowledge of the matter concerning which you are called to testify. Do not equivocate; mean what you assert, and adhere to your assertion. Hear what a heathen says on this subject:- ecqrov gar moi keinov omwv aidao pulhsin, ov ceteron men keuqei eni fresin, allo de bazei. Hom. Il. ix. 312 "He whose words agree not with his private thoughts is as detestable to me as the gates of hell." See on Joshua 2: at the end. See the subject of swearing particularly considered in the note at the conclusion of Deuteronomy 6. Whatsoever is more than these] That is, more than a bare affirmation or negation, according to the requirements of Eternal Truth, cometh of evil; or, is of the wicked one-ek tou ponhrou estin, i.e. the devil, the father of superfluities and lies. One of Selden's MSS. and Gregory Nyssen, a commentator of the fourth century, have ek tou diabolou estin, is of the devil.
That the Jews were notoriously guilty of common swearing, for which our Lord particularly reprehends them, and warns his disciples against, and that they swore by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, by their head, &c., the following extracts, made by Dr. Lightfoot from their own writings, amply testify:- "It was customary and usual among them to swear by the creatures. 'If any swear by heaven, by earth, by the sun, &c., although the mind of the swearer be, under these words, to swear by HIM who created them, yet this is not an oath. Or, if any swear by some of the prophets, or by some of the books of the Scripture, although the sense of the swearer be to swear by HIM that sent that prophet, or that gave that book, nevertheless, this is not an oath. MAIMONIDES.' "If any adjure another by heaven or earth, he is not guilty. TALMUD.
"They swore by HEAVEN, awh k ymh hashsha mayim, ken hu, 'By heaven, so it is.' BAB. BERAC.
"They swore by the TEMPLE. 'When turtles and young pigeons were sometimes sold at Jerusalem for a penny of gold, Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel said, hwh w[mh By this habitation (that is, by this TEMPLE) I will not rest this night, unless they be sold for a penny of silver.' CHERITUTH, cap. i.
"R. Zechariah ben Ketsab said, hwh w[mh 'By this TEMPLE, the hand of the woman departed not out of my hand.'-R. Jochanan said, alkyh 'By the TEMPLE, it is in our hand, &c.' KETUBOTH and BAB. KIDUSHIN.
"Bava ben Buta swore by the TEMPLE in the end of the tract Cherithuth, and Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel in the beginning, laryk ghnm hzw -And so was the custom in Israel.-Note this, so was the custom. JUCAS. fol. 56.
"They swore by the city Jerusalem. R. Judah saith, 'He that saith, By JERUSALEM, saith nothing, unless with an intent purpose he shall vow towards Jerusalem.' Where also, after two lines coming between those forms of swearing and vowing, are added, lkyhb lkyhl lkyh lwryb lwryl lwry 'Jerusalem, For Jerusalem, By Jerusalem.-The Temple, For the temple, By the temple.-The Altar, For the altar, By the altar.-The Lamb, For the Lamb, By the Lamb.-The Chambers of the Temple, For the chambers of the temple, By the chambers of the temple.-The Word, For the Word, By the Word.-The Sacrifices on Fire, For the sacrifices on fire, By the sacrifices on fire.-The Dishes, For the dishes, By the dishes.-By all these things, that I will do this to you.' TOSAPHT. ad. NEDARIM.
"They swore by their own HEADS. 'One is bound to swear to his neighbour, and he saith, ar yytk yl dyr Vow (or swear) to me by the life of thy head, &c. SANHEDR. cap. 3.
"One of the holiest of their precepts relative to swearing was this: 'Be not much in oaths, although one should swear concerning things that are true; for in much swearing it is impossible not to profane.' Tract. DEMAI."-See Lightfoot's Works, vol. ii. p. 149.
They did not pretend to forbid ALL common swearing, but only what they term MUCH. A Jew might swear, but he must not be too abundant in the practice. Against such permission, our Lord opposes his Swear NOT AT ALL! He who uses any oath, except what he is solemnly called by the magistrate to make, so far from being a Christian, he does not deserve the reputation, either of decency or common sense. In some of our old elementary books for children, we have this good maxim: "Never swear: for he that swears will lie; and he that lies will steal; and, if so, what bad things will he not do!" READING MADE EASY.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 37. But let your communication be yea, yea , etc.] That is, let your speech, in your common conversation, and daily business of life, when ye answer to anything in the affirmative, be yea; and when ye answer to anything in the negative, nay: and for the stronger asseveration of the matter, when it is necessary, double these words; but let no oaths be joined unto them: this is enough; a righteous mans yea, is yea, and his no, is no; his word is sufficient. Hence it appears, that our Lord is here speaking of rash swearing, and such as was used in common conversation, and is justly condemned by him. The Jews have no reason to reject this advice of Christ, who often use and recommend the same modes of expression. They endeavour to raise the esteem of their doctors and wise men, by saying, that their words, both in doctrines and dealings with men, are yea, yea f337 . One of their commentators on the word saying, in, ( Exodus 20:1) makes this observation; hence we learn, that they used to answer, wal wal l[w h h l[ concerning yea, yea, and concerning nay, nay.
This way of speaking, they looked upon equivalent to an oath; yea, they affirm it was one. Says R. Eliezer f339 , h[wb h h[wb wal , nay is an oath; yea is an oath, absolutely; nay is an oath, as it is written, ( Genesis 9:11) and ( Isaiah 54:9). But that yea is an oath, how does it appear? It is concluded from hence, that nay is an oath; saith Rabba, there are that say nay, nay, twice; and there are that say yea, yea, twice; as it is written, ( Genesis 9:11) and from hence, that nay is twice, yea is also twice said.
The gloss upon it is, he that says either nay, nay, twice, or yea, yea, twice; lo! it is rjam h[wbk as an after oath, which confirms his words. For whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil : that is, whatever exceeds this way of speaking and conversation, in the common affairs of life, is either from the devil, who is the evil one, by way of eminency; or from the evil heart of man, from the pride, malice, envy, etc. that are in it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 33-37 - There is no reason to consider that solemn oaths in a court of justice or on other proper occasions, are wrong, provided they are taken with due reverence. But all oaths taken without necessity, or in commo conversation, must be sinful, as well as all those expressions whic are appeals to God, though persons think thereby to evade the guilt of swearing. The worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less there is need for them. Our Lord does no enjoin the precise terms wherein we are to affirm or deny, but such constant regard to truth as would render oaths unnecessary.
Greek Textus Receptus
εστω 2077 5749 V-PXM-3S δε 1161 CONJ ο 3588 T-NSM λογος 3056 N-NSM υμων 5216 P-2GP ναι 3483 PRT ναι 3483 PRT ου 3756 PRT-N ου 3756 PRT-N το 3588 T-NSN δε 1161 CONJ περισσον 4053 A-NSN τουτων 5130 D-GPM εκ 1537 PREP του 3588 T-GSM πονηρου 4190 A-GSM εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S
