Bible Strands
Psalms 89:35
Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness—I will not lie to David—
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Yahweh speaks in a covenantal discourse to David's line, reinforcing the permanence of the royal promise.
The words — אַחַת ('achat) = one time, נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי (nishba'ti) = I have sworn, and בְּקָדְשִׁי (beqad'shi) = by My holiness establish the basis of the oath. The text pairs the conditional אִם (im) = if with אֲכַזֵּב (akha'zev) = I will lie to frame the absolute nature of the commitment.
The thread — This oath parallels the irrevocable promise to David recorded in Psalms 132:11 and aligns with the biblical theme of God's truthfulness in Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:13.
Why it lands — The passage requires a reader to recognize that divine promises rest on God's own character rather than human performance. It demands trust in the stability of the covenant despite changing circumstances.
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
Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
Cross-references
- Psalms 132:11 The LORD swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.
- Titus 1:2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
- Hebrews 6:13 When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself,
- Hebrews 6:17 So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.
- Psalms 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
- Amos 4:2 The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness: “Behold, the days are coming when you will be taken away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
- Amos 8:7 The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget any of their deeds.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.