American Standard Version
Hebrews 6:16
16For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.
Hebrews 6:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
- New International Version (NIV)People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.
Context of Hebrews 6:16
14saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation. 17Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath; 18that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us:
Read all of Hebrews 6Hebrews 6:16 word by word
ἄνθρωποι γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσιν, καὶ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογίας πέρας εἰς βεβαίωσιν ὁ ὅρκος·Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Hebrews 6:16
- Hebrews 6:13For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself,
- Genesis 14:22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
- Genesis 21:23now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
- Matthew 23:20He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
- Genesis 21:30And he said, These seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.
- Genesis 31:53The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the Fear of his father Isaac.
- Exodus 22:11the oath of Jehovah shall be between them both, whether he hath not put his hand unto his neighbor’s goods; and the owner thereof shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution.
- Joshua 9:15And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
- 2 Samuel 21:2And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);
- Ezekiel 17:16As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
Commentaries on Hebrews 6:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Men verily swear by the greater - One who has greater authority; who can take cognizance of the obligation, and punish the breach of it. An oath for confirmation - "This observation teaches us," says Dr. Macknight, "that both promissory oaths concerning things lawful and in our power, and oaths for the confirmation of things doubtful, when required by proper authority, and taken religiously, are allowable under the Gospel."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16For men verily swear by the greater - That is, they appeal to God. They never swear by one who is inferior to themselves. The object of the apostle in this declaration is to show that as far as this could be done it had been by God. He could not indeed swear by one greater than himself, but he could make his promise as certain as an oath taken by people was when they solemnly appealed to him. He could appeal to his own existence and veracity, which was at…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-20Verses 11-20 The hope here meant, is a sure looking for good things promised, through those promises, with love, desire, and valuing of them. Hope has its degrees, as faith also. The promise of blessedness God has made to believers, is from God's eternal purpose, settled between the eternal Father, Son, and Spirit. These promises of God may safely be depended upon; for here we have two things which cannot change, the counsel and the oath of God, in which…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16In human relationships, when people take an oath, it is considered binding. If oaths assure truth among humans, an oath from God should inspire even more confidence (Hebrews 6:17–19). someone greater than themselves: Compare with 6:13.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. for confirmation--not to be joined, as English Version, to "an oath"; but to "an end" [Alford]. I prefer, "The oath is to them, in respect to confirmation (of one's solemn promise or covenant; as here, God's), an end of all contradiction (so the Greek is translated, He 12:3), or "gainsaying." This passage shows: (1) an oath is sanctioned even in the Christian dispensation as lawful; (2) that the limits to its use are, that it only be employed where it…Read the comment
Topics related to Hebrews 6:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hebrews 6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries