“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; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”
Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple 'Yes' or 'No.' Otherwise you will be condemned — the prohibition against swearing (omnymi) extends beyond perjury to needless oath-swearing itself, which suggests a lack of trustworthiness in one's word. The principle that a simple affirmation ('Yes,' nai) or negation ('No,' ou) should suffice reflects Jesus's teaching (Matthew 5:33-37) and presumes that a believer's word should be inherently trustworthy. To require oaths suggests one's word alone carries no weight.
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