OATH
The biblical oath was a solemn appeal to God to witness a covenant or confirm the truth of a saying (Gen. 21:23; Gal. 1:20) and its violation was a great offense to God (2 Chron. 36: 13).
The oath was made:
before the king or certain sacred objects (Gen. 42:15; Mt. 23:16-22),
raising his hand to God (Gen. 14:22),
placing his hand on the other’s thigh (Gen. 24:2),
before the altar (1 Kings 8:31),
passing through the midst of the divided burnt offering (Gen. 15:21).
The Bible seems to authorize the judicial oath as lawful (Ex. 22:11; Num. 5:19-22; Mt. 26:63; Rom. 9:1; Gal. 12:20; Phil. 1:8), but condemns perjury, profane mention of God’s name, and other misuses of the oath (Lev. 19:12; Josh. 23:7; Mt. 14:3-12. Christ forbade the oath (Mt. 5:33-37 ), but as can be inferred, it referred to the fact between individuals in particular or in ordinary conversation, and not to the judicial one, that is, at the request of duly constituted authorities.