To seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)
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H7650 describes swearing an oath, placing a statement or promise under solemn obligation. In Genesis 21:23 Abimelech asks Abraham to swear that he will not deal falsely with him, joining an oath to truthful relations between parties.
Reader summary
Full entry for שָׁבַע (H7650) · Open the biblical lexicon
H7650 describes swearing an oath, placing a statement or promise under solemn obligation. In Genesis 21:23 Abimelech asks Abraham to swear that he will not deal falsely with him, joining an oath to truthful relations between parties.
The BSB source-word alignment has 186 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include swore (15), swear (13), I swore (11), He swore (10), I have sworn (9).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 21:23. Its strongest book concentrations include Deuteronomy (33), Genesis (19), Joshua (16), Jeremiah (14).
H7650 describes swearing an oath, placing a statement or promise under solemn obligation. In Genesis 21:23 Abimelech asks Abraham to swear that he will not deal falsely with him, joining an oath to truthful relations between parties. Leviticus 19:12 forbids swearing falsely by the Lord's name because deceit profanes the name invoked. Psalm 15:4 praises the person who keeps an oath even when it becomes costly, while Jeremiah 4:2 places swearing beside truth, justice, and righteousness.
The word can describe human commitments and declarations made by God, but it never licenses manipulation, reckless promises, or concealment of wrongdoing. H7650 helps readers distinguish truthful covenant commitment from pressured vows, performative religiosity, perjury, and promises that should never have been demanded. Pastoral use must protect people coerced into secrecy and must not turn oath keeping into a command to continue abuse, illegality, or preventable harm.
H7650 traces solemn commitment through covenant agreements, legal truthfulness, royal promises, worship, and God's own dependable declarations. Its moral weight comes from truth, justice, and the holiness of the name invoked.
Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you.”
Abimelech asks Abraham to swear against false dealing, so the oath serves truthful public relationship rather than private spiritual display.
You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
False swearing by the Lord's name is prohibited because deception joined to divine invocation profanes God's name and injures the neighbor.
Who despises the vile but honors those who fear the Lord, who does not revise a costly oath,
The worshiper keeps a sworn commitment even at personal cost, presenting integrity as durable truthfulness rather than convenient promise making.
And if you can swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
Jeremiah names truth, justice, and righteousness as the setting for swearing by the living Lord, preventing ritual words from replacing covenant faithfulness.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Swearing binds oneself through ritual sevenfold repetition, encoding covenantal obligation into speech act.
Swearing binds oneself through ritual sevenfold repetition, encoding covenantal obligation into speech act.
to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times) BDB: swear Usage: adjure, charge (by an oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for 7646), take an oath, × straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 5 selected witnesses from 186 lexical occurrence verses.
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H7650 treats an oath as accountable speech, not as a verbal charm. Abraham's agreement with Abimelech concerns honest dealing; Leviticus condemns false invocation of God's name; Psalm 15 honors integrity when keeping one's word is costly; and Jeremiah refuses to separate sacred words from truth, justice, and righteousness. Together these passages challenge both perjury and religious performance.
Yet the Bible's concern for truth does not authorize coercive vows. A promise extracted through threat, grooming, exploitation, unequal power, or deception cannot be used to silence a victim or shield wrongdoing. Nor should leaders demand sweeping loyalty pledges that place an institution above God, lawful authorities, or neighbor love. Some commitments require confession and responsible repair because the promise itself was sinful or the promised action would harm others.
God's own sworn declarations display his dependable character, but human speakers remain limited and must not imitate divine certainty. Teachers can call believers to plain truthfulness, careful commitments, and costly integrity while also naming the need for counsel, reporting, restitution, release from coercion, and humble acknowledgment when circumstances exceed human control.
Lev.19.12
H7650 is a Hebrew verb used for taking or imposing an oath. Different stems and constructions can portray the speaker swearing or another person being adjured, so subject, object, formula, and covenant setting matter.
The Old Testament joins H7650 to covenant promises, courtroom truth, royal commitments, worship, and God's dependable word. The New Testament intensifies ordinary truthfulness, exposes disastrous oath keeping in Herod's court, and points to God's promise and oath as assurance grounded in his unchanging purpose.