Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 6:22
When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Solomon addresses God during the temple dedication, praying for divine response to Israel's specific covenant failures. He outlines a scenario where a person brings an oath-bound dispute before the altar in the newly constructed sanctuary.
The words — יֶחֱטָ֥א (ye.che.Ta') translates literally as "he will sin," marking the legal breach that initiates the procedure. אָלָ֖ה ('a.Lah) denotes the formal oath the involved party must swear at the altar to resolve the conflict.
The thread — This temple oath procedure parallels Exodus 22:11, which mandates sworn resolutions for neighbor disputes, and aligns with Leviticus 5:1 and Numbers 5:19 where sworn testimony or ritual oaths determine guilt or innocence.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to acknowledge that formal legal disputes involving oaths must be directed to God's dwelling place for judgment rather than handled through purely human arbitration.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house;
Cross-references
- Exodus 22:11 an oath before the LORD shall be made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has taken his neighbor’s property. The owner must accept the oath and require no restitution.
- Leviticus 5:1 “If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.
- Numbers 5:19 And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.
- 1 Kings 8:31 When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,
- Proverbs 30:9 Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.
- Matthew 23:18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’