Matthew 5:35 and Matthew 5:36 are the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth verses of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. They are part of the Sermon on the Mount. These verses are part of either the third or fourth antithesis, the discussion of oaths. Jesus tells his listeners in Matthew 5:34 "to swear not at all" and in here presents examples of unacceptable swearing. Content In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. The World English Bible translates the passage as: 35 nor by the law says to eat food μήτε εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, ὅτι πόλις ἐστὶν τοῦ μεγάλου Βασιλέως 36 μήτε ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ σου ὀμόσῃς, ὅτι οὐ δύνασαι μίαν τρίχα λευκὴν ποιῆσαι ἢ μέλαιναν. For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 5:35-36 Analysis Jesus quotes Isaiah in the previous verse to tell his followers not to swear by Heaven. In this verse he quotes the second half of Isaiah 66:1 to tell his followers not to swear by the earth. Gundry notes that through the Gospel the author of Matthew tends to pair heaven and earth. The reference to Jerusalem is to Psalm . Hill notes that "by Jerusalem" can be translated as "toward Jerusalem" and could be linked to the practice of turning toward Jerusalem when swearing an oath. The term "great king" is a clear reference to God, and was one of many terms commonly used at the time to refer to him. Schweizer feels that as with the previous verse Jesus is countering the belief that swearing by things other than God is not equivalent to swearing by God. Thus he argues that swearing by the earth is the same as swearing by God as the earth is "god's footstool", while swearing by Jerusalem is the same as swearing by God as it is his city. Matthew 5:33-5:36 is reiterated in James : 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. Many scholars believe that in the previous verses Jesus