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An oath is a solemn promise that someone makes to another person to do something or to solemnly testify that something is true. The oath includes the idea of punishment if the person making the oath does not do the thing promised or if what the person says is not true.
Description
As a guarantee that the person taking the oath will do what he promises, the person calls on God to witness the oath and to punish him severely if he does not do the thing promised, or if what he testifies to is not true. Sometimes the person will not name God directly but will instead name something holy that is associated with God, such as the temple. In some situations, a person might name a different authority, such as a king. A complete oath has four parts, but some of them are often left unspoken and only implied:
- Calling on God to witness the oath and judge the person making it
- Making the promise (may be implied as the opposite of the violation)
- Telling what would be a violation of the oath (may be implied as the opposite of the promise)
- Saying what punishment God would do if the person violates the oath (often implied)
Reasons This Is a Translation Issue:
People in some cultures may not be familiar with the practice of taking oaths, and so they may not understand what the people in the Bible are doing. In many languages, people would not take an oath the way that people did in the Bible, and so they might not recognize that the person is taking an oath. In the Old Testament, people often did not speak one or more parts of the oath, leaving those parts implied. The part that was most often left unspoken was the part that would tell what they are asking God to do if they break the oath. People believed that spoken words have power, and that speaking the part about punishment might cause the punishment to happen, so they often left that part to be understood silently. Because of these things, people might think that the person in the Bible is not making a real oath or they may not understand what the verse is talking about at all.
Examples From the Bible
“I raise my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, if from a thread even to the strap of a sandal, or if I take from anything that {belongs} to you, so that you will not say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ (Genesis 14:22-23 ULT)
In the verse above, Abram describes a symbolic action (raising his hand to Yahweh) to signal that he is taking an oath and calling on Yahweh as witness and judge. He says what would violate his oath (thus promising to do the opposite). Then he leaves out the part that would describe how Yahweh would punish him if he fails to do what he is promising.
May Yahweh do thus to me, and thus may he add, if death separates between me and between you. (Ruth 1:17 ULT)
Ruth calls on Yahweh and includes the part about Yahweh punishing her, says what the violation would be (thus promising to do the opposite), but does not say what the punishment would be.
And Saul said, “Thus may God do and thus may he add, for dying you will die, Jonathan.” (1 Samuel 14:44 ULT)
Saul takes an oath that Jonathan will die, but does not specifically say whom God would punish, what the punishment would be, or what the person would do that would violate the oath and bring about God's punishment.
But indeed, the life of Yahweh and the life of yourself, that between me and between death is like a step!” (1 Samuel 20:3)
A Hebrew idiom that signals that the speaker is making an oath is the phrase “the life of…,” usually followed by “Yahweh.” Here, Jonathan has been trying to assure David that he has nothing to fear from Saul, so David uses an oath to convince Jonathan that Saul does indeed want to kill David. David implies that he holds both Yahweh’s and Jonathan’s life as sacred and invites punishment from both of them if he is wrong.
The life of Pharaoh, if you leave from this {place} without your youngest brother coming here. (Genesis 42:15)
Joseph is speaking to his brothers as an Egyptian official, and so he calls on Pharaoh as his divine authority rather than on the God of the Hebrews.
Translation Strategies
If people who speak your language would recognize the oath as it is in the ULT, consider translating it in its current form. If not, consider using the following strategies.
(1) Add in the missing parts so that people recognize it as an oath.
(2) If oaths are unfamiliar, add a short explanation of what an oath is.
(3) Put the oath into a form that would be natural in your language.
Examples of Translation Strategies Applied
(1) Add in the missing parts so that people recognize it as an oath.
“I raise my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, if from a thread even to the strap of a sandal, or if I take from anything that {belongs} to you, so that you will not say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ (Genesis 14:22-23 ULT)
“I raise my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, and ask him to punish me severely if from a thread even to the strap of a sandal, or if I take from anything that {belongs} to you, so that you will not say, ‘I made Abram rich.’
And Saul said, “Thus may God do and thus may he add, for dying you will die, Jonathan.” (1 Samuel 14:44 ULT)
And Saul said, “May God punish me severely and may he add even more punishment if I do not kill you, for dying you will die, Jonathan.”
But indeed, the life of Yahweh and the life of yourself, that between me and between death is like a step! (1 Samuel 20:3)
But indeed, may Yahweh and you yourself punish me if it is not true that between me and death is like a step!
The life of Pharaoh, if you leave from this {place} without your youngest brother coming here. (Genesis 42:15)
May Pharaoh himself punish me if you leave from this {place} without your youngest brother coming here.
(2) If oaths are unfamiliar, add a short explanation of what an oath is.
May Yahweh do thus to me, and thus may he add, if death separates between me and between you. (Ruth 1:17 ULT)
Then Ruth called on Yahweh to enforce her promise: “May Yahweh do thus to me, and thus may he add, if death separates between me and between you.”
But indeed, the life of Yahweh and the life of yourself, that between me and between death is like a step! (1 Samuel 20:3)
Then David called on Yahweh to assure Jonathan that what he was saying was true: “But indeed, I invite Yahweh and you yourself to punish me if it is not true that between me and death is like a step!”
(3) Put the oath into a form that would be natural in your language.
“I raise my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, if from a thread even to the strap of a sandal, or if I take from anything that {belongs} to you, so that you will not say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ (Genesis 14:22-23 ULT)
“I solemnly swear before Yahweh, God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to the strap of a sandal, or from anything that {belongs} to you, so help me God, so that you will not say, ‘I made Abram rich.’
May Yahweh do thus to me, and thus may he add, if death separates between me and between you. (Ruth 1:17 ULT)
May Yahweh strike me dead right where I stand if death separates between me and between you.
But indeed, the life of Yahweh and the life of yourself, that between me and between death is like a step! (1 Samuel 20:3)
But indeed, before Yahweh and before you yourself, I swear that between me and death is like a step!