Matthew 5:36 (LSB)

Passage

Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

Matthew 5:35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

Matthew 5:36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

Matthew 5:37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of the evil one.

Matthew 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "make", "oath", "head", "hair", "white", and "black". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "make", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 35's "or by the earth for it is..." into verse 37's "But let your statement be Yes yes...", so "shall" and "make" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "make" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.