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ὀμνύω

omnýō

G3660 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To swear, to take an oath, to make a solemn declaration or affirmation, often invoking a deity as witness; in some contexts, to solemnly promise or affirm something as true. In the New Testament and wider Koine literature, used both for formal legal oaths as well as for solemn affirmations made in non-juridical contexts.

Semantic Range

to swear an oath, to make a solemn promise, to guarantee the truth of a statement by invocation of a deity or grave authority, to formally pledge or declare solemnly

Root / Etymology

From the root ὀμνυ-; etymology uncertain. The word forms a series of derivatives and compounds (e.g., ἐξομνύω, ἐπαμνύω), but does not have a securely established Indo-European root. The root is already present in Homeric Greek.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ὀμνύω was the standard verb for swearing an oath, especially in legal or religious contexts, often with an explicit declaration of a deity as witness or guarantor. In the Hellenistic period, the verb retained this legal-religious sense but also appears in less formal setups, as declaration of good faith or solemn promise. In the Septuagint (LXX), ὀμνύω frequently renders Hebrew שָׁבַע (shavaʿ), similarly conveying the act of making a binding oath before God or others. The New Testament reflects this range: oaths are discussed both as formal acts (Matthew 26:63), and as matters of integrity and speech (Matthew 5:33–37), where the appropriateness of oaths is debated. English translations typically render ὀμνύω as "to swear" or "to take an oath," but modern connotations of colloquial 'swearing' do not always fit the ancient sense of formal, binding affirmation. ὀμνύω is distinct from ὁρκίζω (to adjure), which focuses on exacting an oath from someone else. Use of ὀμνύω in Koine is consistent with earlier periods but carries the legal and religious weight appropriate to Greco-Roman and Israelite/Judean contexts.

Translation Consistency

primary "swear" 26 occurrences

'Swear' is the natural, commonly used English verb that covers the full semantic range of ὀμνύω — to take an oath, make a solemn affirmation or promise, or invoke a witness. It matches the predominant corpus renderings (swear/swore/swearing) and will yield natural-sounding inflected forms for all occurrences.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a prolonged form of a primary, but obsolete , for which another prolonged form is used in certain tenses; to swear, i.e. take (or declare on) oath:--swear.

Root Family

ὀμνύω (omnyō) — to swear, to take an oath, to solemnly affirm

Root ὀμνυ- to swear, to take an oath, to solemnly affirm

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3660-09 ὤμοσεν omosen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG he swore he swore an oath he swore an oath 7
G3660-08 ὀμόσῃ omose V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG swears may swear an oath swear an oath 4
G3660-01 ὀμνύει omnuei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG swears he/she swears an oath he/she swears an oath 3
G3660-07 ὀμόσας omosas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG swears having sworn an oath having sworn an oath 3
G3660-06 ὀμόσαι omosai V AOR ACT INF swear to swear an oath to swear an oath 2
G3660-02 ὀμνύειν omnuein V PRS ACT INF to swear to swear an oath to swear an oath 2
G3660-05 ὤμοσα omosa V AOR ACT IND 1P SG I swore I swore an oath I swore an oath 2
G3660-03 ὀμνύετε omnuete V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL swear swear an oath swear an oath 1
G3660-10 ὀμόσῃς omoses V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P SG shall you swear you might swear an oath you might swear an oath 1
G3660-04 ὀμνύουσιν omnuousin V PRS ACT IND 3P PL swear they are swearing they are swearing 1

Occurrences in Scripture

26 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3660-06 Matthew 5:34 ὀμόσαι omosai V AOR ACT INF swear to swear an oath to swear an oath
G3660-10 Matthew 5:36 ὀμόσῃς omoses V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P SG shall you swear you might swear an oath you might swear an oath
G3660-08 Matthew 23:16 ὀμόσῃ omose V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG swears may swear an oath swear an oath
G3660-08 Matthew 23:16 ὀμόσῃ omose-2 V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG swears may swear an oath swear an oath
G3660-08 Matthew 23:18 ὀμόσῃ omose V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG swears may swear an oath swear an oath
G3660-08 Matthew 23:18 ὀμόσῃ omose-2 V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG swears may swear an oath swear an oath
G3660-07 Matthew 23:20 ὀμόσας omosas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG swears having sworn an oath having sworn an oath
G3660-01 Matthew 23:20 ὀμνύει omnuei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG swears he/she swears an oath he/she swears an oath
G3660-07 Matthew 23:21 ὀμόσας omosas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG swears having sworn an oath having sworn an oath
G3660-01 Matthew 23:21 ὀμνύει omnuei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG swears he/she swears an oath he/she swears an oath
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