Read the Bible
KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Matthew 5:34–37

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Share
Email linkOpen a new message in your email app
Read chapterReport
More

PASSAGE SELECTION

Build from either side

4 selected · 44 available

Add or remove verses within this chapter. The study tools update with the selected passage.

SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

All 31 ranked passages are available for comparison.

Matthew 5:34Cross-references · 6 ranked passages

  1. Open

    12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

  2. Open

    1THUS saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

  3. Open

    21¶ When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

    22But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

    23That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

  4. Open

    16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

    17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

    18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

    19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

    20Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

    21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

    22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

  5. Open

    2All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

  6. Open

    15For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Matthew 5:35Cross-references · 7 ranked passages

  1. Open

    2Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

  2. Open

    6But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.

  3. Open

    14But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

  4. Open

    10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

  5. Open

    5Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

  6. Open

    2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

  7. Open

    2The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Matthew 5:36Cross-references · 3 ranked passages

  1. Open

    25And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

  2. Open

    27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

  3. Open

    16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

    17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

    18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

    19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

    20Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

    21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

Matthew 5:37Cross-references · 15 ranked passages

  1. Open

    12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

  2. Open

    6Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

  3. Open

    9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

  4. Open

    17When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?

    18But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

    19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.

    20For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

  5. John 8:44Rank 5
    Open

    44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

  6. Open

    25Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

  7. Open

    3But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

  8. Open

    19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

  9. Open

    18We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

  10. Open

    38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

  11. Open

    13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

  12. Open

    13I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

  13. Open

    12Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

  14. John 17:15Rank 14
    Open

    15I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

  15. Open

    19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Matthew 5:34

COMBINED MEANING

but

↗

Sense 1: However; marking contrast or qualification. Sense 2: Except or unless; excluding all others or alternatives. Sense 3: Only; no more than what follows.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893 · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

say

↗

Sense 1: To speak, declare, tell, or express. Sense 2: What is said.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

you

↗

The second-person plural pronoun referring to those being addressed.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

neither

↗

1. Also not; nor, introducing or joining a further negative statement or prohibition. 2. Not either, or none, of the alternatives named, commonly in a neither ... nor construction.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

heaven

↗

Sense 1: The firmament or expanse above the earth, including the sky and the region of the sun, moon, stars, clouds, rain, and flying creatures. Sense 2: The realm above spoken of as God's throne and dwelling place, and as the place of angels, heavenly beings, and the righteous. Sense 3: By metonymy, God, heavenly authority or source, or those who dwell there.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Matthew 5:35

COMBINED MEANING

earth

↗

Sense 1: The world in distinction from heaven. Sense 2: Dry land, ground, soil, or dust. Sense 3: A land, region, or its inhabitants.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

neither

↗

1. Also not; nor, introducing or joining a further negative statement or prohibition. 2. Not either, or none, of the alternatives named, commonly in a neither ... nor construction.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

king

↗

A sovereign ruler; one exercising royal authority over a kingdom.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Matthew 5:36

COMBINED MEANING

neither

↗

1. Also not; nor, introducing or joining a further negative statement or prohibition. 2. Not either, or none, of the alternatives named, commonly in a neither ... nor construction.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

thou

↗

The singular second-person subject pronoun, meaning you when directly addressing one person, being, or individually treated addressee.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

head

↗

The upper part of the body; a chief, source, summit, or leading position.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

make

↗

To form, create, produce, cause, appoint, perform, or render into a stated condition.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893

COMBINED MEANING

hair

↗

A filament growing from the skin, or the collective covering formed by such filaments; sometimes something extremely fine or small.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

white

↗

1. Having the light colour of snow or milk; bright or pale. 2. To make white; to whiten.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

black

↗

Sense 1: Of the darkest colour. Sense 2: Dark or blackened in appearance. Sense 3: Figuratively, darkened by mourning, famine, or judgment.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Matthew 5:37

COMBINED MEANING

but

↗

Sense 1: However; marking contrast or qualification. Sense 2: Except or unless; excluding all others or alternatives. Sense 3: Only; no more than what follows.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893 · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

let

↗

Sense 1: To allow or permit; in older KJV use, also to hinder or restrain. Sense 2: To lower or send down.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

your

↗

The possessive form of ye or you, ordinarily plural, marking what belongs to, concerns, proceeds from, or stands in relation to the persons addressed.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

yea

↗

1. Indeed, marking confirmation, emphasis, addition, continuation, or heightening of what is said; it may also emphasize a question. 2. Yes, expressing an affirmative answer or declaration.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

nay

↗

1. No; a denial or refusal. 2. Rather; on the contrary.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

whatsoever

↗

Whatever, anything that, or every thing of the kind or within the condition and scope stated.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

evil

↗

Sense 1: Moral wickedness, sin, wrong, or corruption. Sense 2: Harm, misery, calamity, adversity, or punishment.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

FOLLOW THE THEME

Related Concepts

Choose a connected KJV word or phrase to find where it appears in scripture.

READ THE PASSAGE

View in context

Suggested context · Matthew 5:33–37

The selected passage is highlighted. Context is a study aid.

5:33¶ Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

5:34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

Selected passage

5:35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

Selected passage

5:36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Selected passage

5:37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Selected passage

LOCAL PASTOR DIRECTORY

Ask a Pastor Near You

Enter a postal code or city and region to find nearby pastors committed to holding fast the faithful word.

Search runs in your browser using downloaded location data. It does not contact churches or a geocoding service. Approximate city and postal-area locations from GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0.