American Standard Version
Matthew 5:37
37But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one.
Matthew 5:37 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
- New International Version (NIV)All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Context of Matthew 5:37
35nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one. 38Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Read all of Matthew 5Matthew 5:37 word by word
ἔστω δὲ ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ· τὸ δὲ περισσὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν.¶Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Matthew 5:37
- 2 Corinthians 1:17When I therefore was thus minded, did I show fickleness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be the yea yea and the nay nay?
- Colossians 4:6Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.
- James 5:12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment.
- Matthew 13:19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side.
- Matthew 15:19For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings:
- John 8:44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth 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 thereof.
- Ephesians 4:25Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
- Colossians 3:9lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings,
Commentaries on Matthew 5:37
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 37Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay - That is, a positive affirmation, or negation, according to your knowledge of the matter concerning which you are called to testify. Do not equivocate; mean what you assert, and adhere to your assertion. Hear what a heathen says on this subject: - ̔ , ' , . Hom. Il. ix. 312 "He whose words agree not with his private thoughts is as detestable to me as the gates of hell." See on Joshua 2 (note) at the end. See…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37But let your communication - Your word; what you say. Be, Yea - Yes. This does not mean that we should always use the word “yea,” for it might as well have been translated “yes”; but it means that we should simply affirm or declare that a thing is so. More than these - More than these affirmations. Cometh of evil - Is evil. Proceeds from some evil disposition or purpose. And from this we may learn: 1. That profane swearing is always the evidence of a…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-37Verses 33-37 There is no reason to consider that solemn oaths in a court of justice, or on other proper occasions, are wrong, provided they are taken with due reverence. But all oaths taken without necessity, or in common conversation, must be sinful, as well as all those expressions which are appeals to God, though persons think thereby to evade the guilt of swearing. The worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 33-37Jesus explains the Old Testament's teachings on oaths (Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2–4; Deuteronomy 23:21–23; Psalm 50:14; Zechariah 8:17). The Pharisees had different levels of commitment for oaths. For example, oaths not mentioning God were less serious. Jesus teaches that everything connects to God. This includes heaven, earth, Jerusalem, my head (see also Matthew 23:16–22). So, breaking any oath disobeys God's command (see Exodus 20:7). The main idea…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3737. 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 Jas 5:12; 2Co 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…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 5:37
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 5
- 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
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- 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
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries