Matthew 5:37

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

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
let	ἔστω éstō	G2077	be thou
your	ὑμῶν hymōn	G5216	of (from or concerning) you
communication	λόγος logos	G3056	something said (including the thought) · noun — nominative singular masculine
be	ἔστω éstō	G2077	be thou
Yea	ναὶ nai	G3483	yes · particle
yea	ναί, nai	G3483	yes · particle
Nay	οὒ ou	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
nay	οὔ· ou	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
for	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
whatsoever is more than	περισσὸν perisson	G4053	superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality) · adjective — nominative singular neuter
these	τούτων toútōn	G5130	of (from or concerning) these (persons or things)
cometh	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
of	ἐκ ek	G1537	literal or figurative · preposition
evil	πονηροῦ ponērou	G4190	hurtful · adjective — genitive singular masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

James 5:12 But 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; a…
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
2 Corinthians 1:17-20 When 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…
John 8:44 Ye 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,…
Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
Matthew 13:19 When 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…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 5:33-37

We have here an exposition of the third commandment, which we are the more concerned right to understand, because it is particularly said, that God will not hold him guiltless, however he may hold himself, who breaks this commandment, by taking the name of the Lord in vain. Now as to this command, I. It is agreed on all hands that it forbids perjury, forswearing, and the violation of oaths and vows, Mat 5:33. This was said to them of old time, and is the true intent and meaning of the third commandment. Thou shalt not use, or take up, the name of God (as we do by an oath) in vain, or unto vanity, or a lie. He hath not lift up his soul unto vanity, is expounded in the next words, nor sworn de…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 5:37

But let your communication--"your word," in ordinary intercourse, be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay--Let a simple Yes and No suffice in affirming the truth or the untruth of anything. (See Jam 5:12; Co2 1:17-18). for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil--not "of the evil one"; though an equally correct rendering of the words, and one which some expositors prefer. It is true that all evil in our world is originally of the devil, that it forms a kingdom at the head of which he sits, and that, in every manifestation of it he has an active part. But any reference to this here seems unnatural, and the allusion to this passage in the Epistle of James (Jam 5:12) seems to show that this is not the…

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John Gill on Matthew 5:37

But let your communication be yea, yea,.... 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 man's 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 mode…

The Church Fathers

Therefore Evangelic verity does not admit an oath, since the whole discourse of the faithful is instead of an oath.
— Jerome ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(Verse 37) Let your word be 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything more than this comes from evil. However, evangelical truth does not require an oath, since every faithful statement is considered as if made under oath.
— Jerome, Commentary on Matthew

Moreover, they remembered the words): "Let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil; " so that they were not to handle the gospel in a diversity of treatment.
— Tertullian, The Prescription Against Heretics

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Oath — A solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (Deut. 6:13; Jer. 4:2), in various forms (Gen. 16:5; 2 Sam. 12:5; Ruth 1:17; Hos. 4:15; Rom. 1:9), and taken in different ways (Gen. 14:22;…
Sermon on the mount — After spending a night in solemn meditation and prayer in the lonely mountain-range to the west of the Lake of Galilee (Luke 6:12), on the following morning our Lord called to him his disciples, and…
Commandments · DISCOURSE — DISCOURSE
Conversation · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Judaism · .To make room for the Gospel — .To make room for the Gospel
Religion · TRUE — TRUE
Speaking · EVIL — EVIL

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Matthew 5:37

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 5:33-37

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 5:37

John Gill on Matthew 5:37

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Matthew 5:37

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 5:33-37

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 5:37

John Gill on Matthew 5:37

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Matthew 5:33-37

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 5:33-37