John Gill Commentary Matthew 5:36

"Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black." — Matthew 5:36 (ASV)

Neither shall you swear by your head
This also was a common form of swearing among the Jews: take a few instances. ``If anyone is bound to his friend by an oath, and says to him, vow unto me (Kvar yyxb) , "by the life of your head"; R. Meir says <sup>F21</sup> , he may retract it; but the wise men say, he cannot.'' Again <sup>F23</sup> , a certain Rabbi said to Elijah, ``I heard "Bath Kol" (or the voice from heaven) mourning like a dove, and saying, woe to my children; for, because of their sins, I have destroyed my house, and have burnt my temple, and have carried them captive among the nations: and he (Elijah) said unto him (Kvar yyxw Kyyx) , "by your life, and by the life of your head", not this time only it says so, but it says so three times every day.'' Once more ^F24 , says R. Simeon ben Antipatras, to R. Joshua, ``I have heard from the mouth of the wise men, that he that vows in the law, and transgresses, is to be beaten with forty stripes: he replies, blessed are you of God, that you have so done, (Kvar yyxw Kyyx) , "by your life, and by the life of your head", he that is used to do so is to be beaten.'' This form of swearing is condemned, for this reason,

because you cannot make one hair white or black :
which shows, that a man's head, nor, indeed, one hair of his head, is in his own power, and therefore he ought not to swear by it; as he ought not to swear by heaven, or earth, or Jerusalem, because these were in the possession of God. Some copies read, "cannot make one white hair black".

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FOOTNOTES:

• F21: Misn. Sanhedrim, c. 3. sect 2.
• F23: T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 3. 1.
• F24: Derech. Eretz, c. 6. fol. 18. 2.