![]() ![]() Men would eagerly use God’s name when they wanted to be assured of His nearness. Had not God Himself accompanied His words with an oath ( Gen 22:16-18 Ps 110:4 Heb 6:13), guaranteeing the veracity of His declarations and the irrevocability of His promises ( Num 23:19)? Eichrodt suggests also that the proclamation of the divine name in an oath was treasured as an act whereby God came forth and offered Himself in fellowship ( Theology of the Old Testament, p. In this way he expressed his faith and loyalty. The Heb., sensing the presence of God, took joy in making an oath before God ( 2 Chron 15:14, 15) and found peace and comfort in his holy vows taken in the name of God ( 1 Sam 20:42). Lelievre puts it, an oath throws into relief the solemn seriousness and efficacious power of the life and words of men when brought into vital connection with God ( A Companion to the Bible, 312). The pragmatic value of the use of an oath constituted only a part of its meaning in a religious society, such as that of the ancient Hebrews. A higher measure of integrity and prediction in social and political life undoubtedly resulted with the widespread use of oaths in human relationships. An oath had a performatory function of putting one’s promises or projected deeds under the agency and judgment of God, and hence could serve to bolster a will that tends to prevaricate, for in Biblical times it was universally accepted that all actions and intentions of men were under divine surveillance. Projected actions set forth by a promise are made somewhat more certain of coming to reality when covered with the sanctity of an oath with its threatening curse if the promise is broken, and with its hoped for blessings if the contemplated deed is accomplished. When, for example, the evidence at hand failed to convince the Sanhedrin of the truth of Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, Jesus accepted the last resort for strengthening His claim and acquiesced in the solemn charge of a judicial oath with its terrifying aspect of ordeal by death ( Matt 26:63). In situations where the truthfulness of an important declaration or affirmation is not readily accessible to empirical confirmation, the credibility of a claim is enhanced by the use of an oath ( Exod 22:7, 10, 11 Num 5:19f.). ![]() A solemn appeal to God in attestation of the truth of a statement or the binding character of a promise.ġ. ![]()
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