Matthew 5:33

Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT; REVISED (MATT. 5:33-37)

In this passage, Christ does not quote verbatim from the Ninth Commandment, but rather deals with Pharisaical deductions, extensions, and exceptions on the Great Word which said, "THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS," It was far more offensive to the priestly mentality for one to violate his oath, especially with reference to some gift to the temple, than to bear slanderous witness against an accused on trial in a court of law, which is one of the primary meanings in the Decalogue. As he frequently did, Christ referred the whole question to higher ground, making it a sin, under all circumstances, to utter an untruth, thus bypassing altogether the question of violating an oath!

Under the interpretation of the Pharisees, the divine prohibition was against "SWEARING" a lie. This, in practice, meant that as long as one had not been properly "sworn in," or as long as one refused to deliver a formal oath, the offender could tell as many lies as he would without incurring guilt under the Law! It goes without saying that THAT interpretation was not of God, but it was only of sinful men. The glory of Jesus Christ is that he stripped off those superficial and shallow devices for circumventing God's Law and made the truth to shine before all people. See under Matthew 23:22.