Deuteronomy 6:13

6:13 You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name.

Jeremiah 4:2

4:2 You must be truthful, honest and upright

when you take an oath saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’ ¹ 

If you do, ²  the nations will pray to be as blessed by him as you are

and will make him the object of their boasting.” ³ 

Hebrews 6:16

6:16 For people ⁴  swear by something greater than themselves, ⁵  and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute. ⁶ 

¹ tn Heb “If you [= you must, see the translator’s note on the word “do” later in this verse] swear/take an oath, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, justice, and righteousness…”

² tn 4:1-2a consists of a number of “if” clauses, two of which are formally introduced by the Hebrew particle אִם (’im) while the others are introduced by the conjunction “and,” followed by a conjunction (“and” = “then”) with a perfect in 4:2b which introduces the consequence. The translation “You must…. If you do,” was chosen to avoid a long and complicated sentence.

³ tn Heb “bless themselves in him and make their boasts in him.”

⁴ tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, and is thus translated “people.”

⁵ tn Grk “by something greater”; the rest of the comparison (“than themselves”) is implied.

⁶ tn Grk “the oath for confirmation is an end of all dispute.”