Masonic Oaths

Anti-Masons David and Donna Carrico of Followers of Jesus Christ Ministries, wrote, "The truth is that the oath they swear is strictly forbidden in the scriptures . . ." (The Guide for Ministry to Masons, page 7)

Anti-Masons David and Donna Carrico also stated, "Freemasonry first deceives men and then compels men to swear death oaths in their Rituals that are in direct violation of the Word of God." (The Guide for Ministry to Masons, page 9)

Anti-Masons David and Donna Carrico wrote, "The Word of God plainly tells us not to swear." (The Guide for Ministry to Masons, page 9)

Anti-Mason Selwyn Stevens wrote, "So, what of these oaths? Jesus Christ was very specific in Matthew chapter 5 verses 33-37 that Christians are not to swear oaths. James 5:12 confirms this command." (Unmasking Freemasonry, page 17)

Are Masonic oaths un-Christian? Did Jesus really forbid Christians from taking oaths? Are oaths "strictly forbidden in the scriptures"? Are oaths "in direct violation of the Word of God"? Does "the Word of God plainly tells us not to swear"?

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
Oath <1,,3727,horkos> is primarily equivalent to herkos, "a fence, an enclosure, that which restrains a person;" hence, "an oath." The Lord's command in Matt. 5:33 was a condemnation of the minute and arbitrary restrictions imposed by the scribes and Pharisees in the matter of adjurations, by which God's Name was profaned. The injunction is repeated in Jas. 5:12. The language of the Apostle Paul, e.g., in Gal. 1:20; 1 Thess. 5:27 was not inconsistent with Christ's prohibition, read in the light of its context. Contrast the "oaths" mentioned in Matt. 14:7,9; 26:72; Mark 6:26. Heb. 6:16 refers to the confirmation of a compact among men, guaranteeing the discharge of liabilities; in their disputes "the oath is final for confirmation." This is referred to in order to illustrate the greater subject of God's "oath" to Abraham, confirming His promise; cp. Luke 1:73; Acts 2:30.

Easton's Bible Dictionary
Oath [N] [S]
a solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (Deuteronomy 6:13; Jeremiah 4:2), in various forms (Genesis 16:5; 2Sam 12:5; Ruth 1:17; Hosea 4:15; Romans 1:9), and taken in different ways (Genesis 14:22; 24:2; 2Chr 6:22). God is represented as taking an oath (Hebrews 6:16-18), so also Christ (Matthew 26:64), and Paul (Romans 9:1; Galatians 1:20; Phil 1:8). The precept, "Swear not at all," refers probably to ordinary conversation between man and man (Matthew 5:34,37). But if the words are taken as referring to oaths, then their intention may have been to show "that the proper state of Christians is to require no oaths; that when evil is expelled from among them every yea and nay will be as decisive as an oath, every promise as binding as a vow." (M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897)

Matthew Henry Complete Commentary. Matthew 5.
Verses 33-37 We have here an exposition of the third commandment, which we are the more concerned right to understand, because it is particularly said, that God will not hold him guiltless, however he may hold himself, who breaks this commandment, by taking the name of the Lord in vain. Now as to this command, I. It is agreed on all hands that it forbids perjury, forswearing, and the violation of oaths and vows, v. 33. This was said to them of old time, and is the true intent and meaning of the third commandment. Thou shalt not use, or take up, the name of God (as we do by an oath) in vain, or unto vanity, or a lie. He hath not lift up his soul unto vanity, is expounded in the next words, nor sworn deceitfully, Ps. 24:4. Perjury is a sin condemned by the light of nature, as a complication of impiety toward God and injustice toward man, and as rendering a man highly obnoxious to the divine wrath, which was always judged to follow so infallibly upon that sin, that the forms of swearing were commonly turned into execrations or imprecations; as that, God do so to me, and more also; and with us, So help me God; wishing I may never have any help from God, if I swear falsely. Thus, by the consent of nations, have men cursed themselves, not doubting but that God would curse them, if they lied against the truth then, when they solemnly called God to witness to it. It is added, from some other scriptures, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths (Num. 30:2); which may be meant, either, 1. Of those promises to which God is a party, vows made to God; these must be punctually paid (Eccl. 5:4, 5): or, 2. Of those promises made to our brethren, to which God was a Witness, he being appealed to concerning our sincerity; these must be performed to the Lord, with an eye to him, and for his sake: for to him, by ratifying the promises with an oath, we have made ourselves debtors; and if we break a promise so ratified, we have not lied unto men only, but unto God. II. It is here added, that the commandment does not only forbid false swearing, but all rash, unnecessary swearing: Swear not at all, v. 34; Compare Jam. 5:12. Not that all swearing is sinful; so far from that, if rightly done, it is a part of religious worship, and we in it give unto God the glory due to his name. See Deu. 6:13; 10:20; Isa. 45:23; Jer. 4:2. We find Paul confirming what he said by such solemnities (2 Co. 1:23), when there was a necessity for it. In swearing, we pawn the truth of something known, to confirm the truth of something doubtful or unknown; we appeal to a greater knowledge, to a higher court, and imprecate the vengeance of a righteous Judge, if we swear deceitfully. Now the mind of Christ in this matter is, 1. That we must not swear at all, but when we are duly called to it, and justice or charity to our brother, or respect to the commonwealth, make it necessary for the end of strife (Heb. 6:16), of which necessity the civil magistrate is ordinarily to be the judge. We may be sworn, but we must now swear; we may be adjured, and so obliged to it, but we must not thrust ourselves upon it for our own worldly advantage. 2. That we must not swear lightly and irreverently, in common discourse: it is a very great sin to make a ludicrous appeal to the glorious Majesty of heaven, which, being a sacred thing, ought always to be very serious: it is a gross profanation of God's holy name, and of one of the holy things which the children of Israel sanctify to the Lord: it is a sin that has no cloak, no excuse for it, and therefore a sign of a graceless heart, in which enmity to God reigns: Thine enemies take thy name in vain. 3. That we must in a special manner avoid promissory oaths, of which Christ more particularly speaks here, for they are oaths that are to be performed. The influence of an affirmative oath immediately ceases, when we have faithfully discovered the truth, and the whole truth; but a promissory oath binds so long, and may be so many ways broken, by the surprise as well as strength of a temptation, that it is not to be used but upon great necessity: the frequent requiring and using of oaths, is a reflection upon Christians, who should be of such acknowledged fidelity, as that their sober words should be as sacred as their solemn oaths. 4. That we must not swear by any other creature. It should seem there were some, who, in civility (as they thought) to the name of God, would not make use of that in swearing, but would swear by heaven or earth, etc. This Christ forbids here (v. 34) and shows that there is nothing we can swear by, but it is some way or other related to God, who is the Fountain of all beings, and therefore that it is as dangerous to swear by them, as it is to swear by God himself: it is the verity of the creature that is laid at stake; now that cannot be an instrument of testimony, but as it has regard to God, who is the summum verum?the chief Truth. As for instance, (1.) Swear not by the heaven; "As sure as there is a heaven, this is true;'' for it is God's throne, where he resides, and in a particular manner manifests his glory, as a Prince upon his throne: this being the inseparable dignity of the upper world, you cannot swear by heaven, but you swear by God himself. (2.) Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool. He governs the motions of this lower world; as he rules in heaven, so he rules over the earth; and though under his feet, yet it is also under his eye and care, and stands in relation to him as his, Ps. 24:1. The earth is the Lord's; so that in swearing by it, you swear by its Owner. (3.) Neither by Jerusalem, a place for which the Jews had such a veneration, that they could not speak of any thing more sacred to swear by; but beside the common reference Jerusalem has to God, as part of the earth, it is in special relation to him, for it is the city of the great King (Ps. 48:2), the city of God (Ps. 46:4), he is therefore interested in it, and in every oath taken by it. (4.) "Neither shalt thou swear by the head; though it be near thee, and an essential part of thee, yet it is more God's than thine; for he made it, and formed all the springs and powers of it; whereas thou thyself canst not, from any natural intrinsic influence, change the colour of one hair, so as to make it white or black; so that thou canst not swear by thy head, but thou swearest by him who is the Life of thy head, and the Lifter up of it.'' Ps. 3:3. 5. That therefore in all our communications we must content ourselves with, Yea, yea, and nay, nay, v. 37. In ordinary discourse, if we affirm a thing, let us only say, Yea, it is so; and, if need be, to evidence our assurance of a thing, we may double it, and say, Yea, yea, indeed it is so: Verily, verily, was our Saviour's yea, yea. So if we deny a thing, let is suffice to say, No; or if it be requisite, to repeat the denial, and say, No, no; and if our fidelity be known, that will suffice to gain us credit; and if it be questioned, to back what we say with swearing and cursing, is but to render it more suspicious. They who can swallow a profane oath, will not strain at a lie. It is a pity that this, which Christ puts in the mouths of all his disciples, should be fastened, as a name of reproach, upon a sect faulty enough other ways, when (as Dr. Hammond says) we are not forbidden any more than yea and nay, but are in a manner directed to the use of that. The reason is observable; For whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil, though it do not amount to the iniquity of an oath. It comes ek tou Diabolou ; so an ancient copy has it: it comes from the Devil, the evil one; it comes from the corruption of men's nature, from passion and vehemence; from a reigning vanity in the mind, and a contempt of sacred things: it comes from that deceitfulness which is in men, All men are liars; therefore men use these protestations, because they are distrustful one of another, and think they cannot be believed without them. Note, Christians should, for the credit of their religion, avoid not only that which is in itself evil, but that which cometh of evil, and has the appearance of it. That may be suspected as a bad thing, which comes from a bad cause. An oath is physic, which supposes a disease.

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary on Matthew 5.
33. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself--These are not the precise words of Exodus 20:7; but they express all that it was currently understood to condemn, namely, false swearing (Leviticus 19:12, &c.). This is plain from what follows. But I say unto you, Swear not at all--That this was meant to condemn swearing of every kind and on every occasion--as the Society of Friends and some other ultra-moralists allege--is not for a moment to be thought. For even Jehovah is said once and again to have sworn by Himself; and our Lord certainly answered upon oath to a question put to Him by the high priest; and the apostle several times, and in the most solemn language, takes God to witness that he spoke and wrote the truth; and it is inconceivable that our Lord should here have quoted the precept about not forswearing ourselves, but performing to the Lord our oaths, only to give a precept of His own directly in the teeth of it. Evidently, it is swearing in common intercourse and on frivolous occasions that is here meant. Frivolous oaths were indeed severely condemned in the teaching of the times. But so narrow was the circle of them that a man might swear, says LIGHTFOOT, a hundred thousand times and yet not be guilty of vain swearing. Hardly anything was regarded as an oath if only the name of God were not in it; just as among ourselves, as TRENCH well remarks, a certain lingering reverence for the name of God leads to cutting off portions of His name, or uttering sounds nearly resembling it, or substituting the name of some heathen deity, in profane exclamations or asseverations. Against all this our Lord now speaks decisively; teaching His audience that every oath carries an appeal to God, whether named or not. neither by heaven; for it is God's throne--(quoting Isaiah 66:1);
35. Nor by the earth; for it is his
footstool--(quoting Isaiah 66:1); neither by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great King--(quoting Psalms 48:2).
36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black--In the other oaths specified, God's name was profaned quite as really as if His name had been uttered, because it was instantly suggested by the mention of His "throne," His "footstool," His "city." But in swearing by our own head and the like, the objection lies in their being "beyond our control," and therefore profanely assumed to have a stability which they have not.
37. 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 5:12, 2 Corinthians 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 at the head of which he sits, and that, in every manifestation of it he has an active part. But any reference to this here seems unnatural, and the allusion to this passage in the Epistle of James (James 5:12) seems to show that this is not the sense of it: "Let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." The untruthfulness of our corrupt nature shows itself not only in the tendency to deviate from the strict truth, but in the disposition to suspect others of doing the same; and as this is not diminished, but rather aggravated, by the habit of confirming what we say by an oath, we thus run the risk of having all reverence for God's holy name, and even for strict truth, destroyed in our hearts, and so "fall into condemnation." The practice of going beyond Yes and No in affirmations and denials--as if our word for it were not enough, and we expected others to question it--springs from that vicious root of untruthfulness which is only aggravated by the very effort to clear ourselves of the suspicion of it. And just as swearing to the truth of what we say begets the disposition it is designed to remove, so the love and reign of truth in the breasts of Christ's disciples reveals itself so plainly even to those who themselves cannot be trusted, that their simple Yes and No come soon to be more relied on than the most solemn asseverations of others. Thus does the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, like a tree cast into the bitter waters of human corruption, heal and sweeten them.

International Standard Bible Enclyclopedia
Oath - oth (shebhu`ah, probably from shebha`, "seven," the sacred number, which occurs frequently in the ritual of an oath; horkos; and the stronger word Žalah, by which a curse is actually invoked upon the oath-breaker Septuagint ara)):
In Matthew 26:70-74 Peter first denies his Lord simply, then with an oath (shebhu`ah), then invokes a curse (Žalah), thus passing through every stage of asseveration.
1. Law Regarding Oaths:
The oath is the invoking of a curse upon one's self if one has not spoken the truth (Matthew 26:74), or if one fails to keep a promise (1 Samuel 19:6; 20:17; 2 Samuel 15:21; 19:23). It played a very important part, not only in lawsuits (Exodus 22:11; Leviticus 6:3,5) and state affairs (Ant., XV, x, 4), but also in the dealings of everyday life (Genesis 24:37; 50:5; Judges 21:5; 1 Kings 18:10; Ezra 10:5). The Mosaic laws concerning oaths were not meant to limit the widespread custom of making oaths, so much as to impress upon the people the sacredness of an oath, forbidding on the one hand swearing falsely (Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Zechariah 8:17, etc.), and on the other swearing by false gods, which latter was considered to be a very dark sin (Jeremiah 12:16; Amos 8:14). In the Law only two kinds of false swearing are mentioned:
false swearing of a witness, and false asseveration upon oath regarding a thing found or received (Leviticus 5:1; 6:2; compare Proverbs 29:24). Both required a sin offering (Leviticus 5:1). The Talmud gives additional rules, and lays down certain punishments for false swearing; in the case of a thing found it states what the false swearer must pay (Makkoth 2 3; Shebhu`oth 8 3). The Jewish interpretation of the 3rd commandment is that it is not concerned with oaths, but rather forbids the use of the name of Yahweh in ordinary cases (so Dalman).
2. Forms of Swearing:
Swearing in the name of the Lord (Genesis 14:22; Deuteronomy 6:13; Judges 21:7; Ruth 1:17, etc.) was a sign of loyalty to Him (Deuteronomy 10:20; Isaiah 48:11; Jeremiah 12:16). We know from Scripture (see above) that swearing by false gods was frequent, and we learn also from the newly discovered Elephantine papyrus that the people not only swore by Jahu (= Yahweh) or by the Lord of Heaven, but also among a certain class of other gods, e.g. by Herem-Bethel, and by Isum. In ordinary intercourse it was customary to swear by the life of the person addressed (1 Samuel 1:26; 20:3; 2 Kings 2:2); by the life of the king (1 Samuel 17:55; 25:26; 2 Samuel 11:11); by one's own head (Matthew 5:36); by the earth (Matthew 5:35); by the heaven (Matthew 5:34; 23:22); by the angels (BJ, II, xvi, 4); by the temple (Matthew 23:16), and by different parts of it (Matthew 23:16); by Jerusalem (Matthew 5:35; compare Kethubhoth 2:9). The oath "by heaven" (Matthew 5:34; 23:22) is counted by Jesus as the oath in which God's name is invoked. Jesus does not mean that God and heaven are identical, but He desires to rebuke those who paltered with an oath by avoiding a direct mention of a name of God. He teaches that such an oath is a real oath and must be considered as sacredly binding.
3. The Formula:
Not much is told us as to the ceremonies observed in taking an oath. In patriarchal times he who took the oath put his hand under the thigh of him to whom the oath was taken (Genesis 24:2; 47:29). The most usual form was to hold up the hand to heaven (Genesis 14:22; Exodus 6:8; Deuteronomy 32:40; Ezekiel 20:5). The wife suspected of unfaithfulness, when brought before the priest, had to answer "Amen, Amen" to his adjuration, and this was considered to be an oath on her part (Numbers 5:22). The usual formula of an oath was either:
"God is witness betwixt me and thee" (Genesis 31:50), or more commonly: "As Yahweh (or God) liveth" (Judges 8:19; Ruth 3:13; 2 Samuel 2:27; Jeremiah 38:16); or "Yahweh be a true and faithful witness amongst us" (Jeremiah 42:5). Usually the penalty invoked by the oath was only suggested: "Yahweh (or God) do so to me" (Ruth 1:17; 2 Samuel 3:9,35; 1 Kings 2:23; 2 Kings 6:31); in some cases the punishment was expressly mentioned (Jeremiah 29:22). Nowack suggests that in general the punishment was not expressly mentioned because of a superstitious fear that the person swearing, although speaking the truth, might draw upon himself some of the punishment by merely mentioning it.
Philo expresses the desire (ii.194) that the practice of swearing should be discontinued, and the Essenes used no oaths (BJ, II, viii, 6; Ant., XV, x, 4).
4. Oaths Permissible:
That oaths are permissible to Christians is shown by the example of our Lord (Matthew 26:63), and of Paul (2 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 1:20) and even of God Himself (Hebrews 6:13-18). Consequently when Christ said, "Swear not at all" (Matthew 5:34), He was laying down the principle that the Christian must not have two standards of truth, but that his ordinary speech must be as sacredly true as his oath. In the kingdom of God, where that principle holds sway, oaths become unnecessary.
Paul Levertoff


The information about oaths is readily available to any one. All the anti-Masons have to do is look at the information with an honest, thorough, and objective mind. So much, for anti-Masons being honest, thorough and objective.

Who are the ones deceiving the public, the Masons or the anti-Masons?


Symbolic Penalties
The penalties are entirely symbolic in Freemasonry. They refer to the shame a conscientious man should feel at the thought he had broken a promise, and they remind us of the price so many have paid for the liberties and freedoms Freemasons are pledge to protect. The traditional penalties associated with the Masonic oaths have their origins in the legal system of mediaeval Europe and were actual punishments inflicted by the state on persons guilty of fighting for civil liberty and religious freedom.

Anti-Masons John Ankerberg and John Weldon, "It is a fact that no candidate entering into Masonry is told during the ritual that the penalties of the oaths he is swearing to are merely symbolic." (The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge, page 185)

Anti-Masons often charge that the candidate is not told that the penalties a symbolic. But, in an official state monitor in my library states:
"The following explanation of the Ancient Penalties is to be given each candidate for the several degrees.
My Brother, Freemasonry's use of the imprecations in all its Ancient Obligations is wholly symbolic. The only penalties which Freemasonry imposes are Reprimand, Suspension and Expulsion.
This explanation is to be given to each candidate upon completion of the first section of the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft degrees, and to be included in the final instruction to the newly raised Master Mason."


Another charged made by anti-Masons is that we do not take the oaths seriously.

The oaths are taken seriously. If, we do not take the oaths seriously then Freemasonry means little and truly becomes a farce. The oaths symbolize the seriousness of the obligations and the seriousness of the whole affair of Freemasonry. The oaths are required as to impart to the initiate the importance of a man keeping his word.


James Tresner, "The Penalties are acknowledgments of the shame and pain any true man should feel at the thought he had broken his word, as well as a reminder that the decision to become a Mason is a decision to live at more than an animal level." (Basic Freemasonry, The Short Talk Bulletin, August 2007)

James Tresner, "The Penalties seem, at first glance, to be unbelievably cruel and heartless. It comes as a shock to learn that these were all penalties actually used by the legal systems in Europe during the 1500's, 1600's and early 1700's. Once again, in Masonry, the Penalties are symbolic, not real.
In order to understand the symbolism, it's useful to recall a few facts. In the days when the ritual of Masonry was developing, knowledge and understanding were thought to be in the heart, not the brain. We still speak of learning something by 'heart,' 'knowing something by heart'.
Intuition and emotional comprehension and sensitivity were thought to be in the intestines. Thus you will find many written references to the 'bowels of mercy.' And we still speak of a 'gut reaction,' or 'a feeling in the gut,' when we mean something that we know is true without knowing how we know - an intuitive reaction. (Basic Freemasonry, The Short Talk Bulletin, August 2007)


December 29, 2007