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2 Corinthians 1:17-20
When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay? …

Colossians 4:6
Let your speechbe alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

James 5:12
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; andyour nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

cometh.

Matthew 13:19
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandethit not, then cometh the wickedone, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

John 8:44
Ye are ofyour father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Anything more comes from the evil one.
This part of the verse highlights the spiritual battle between truth and deception. The "evil one" refers to Satan, who is described inJohn 8:44 as the father of lies. By suggesting that anything beyond a simple "Yes" or "No" originates from the evil one, Jesus underscores the corrupting influence of deceit and the importance of maintaining purity in speech. This teaching serves as a warning against the temptation to manipulate or embellish the truth for personal gain or to avoid consequences. It calls believers to reflect the character of Christ, who is the embodiment of truth, and to resist the influence of the adversary, who seeks to undermine God's truth. This principle is a call to live in a manner that reflects the kingdom values of honesty and integrity, setting believers apart in a world where deception is prevalent.

• Jesus calls for plain, truthful speech that requires no embellishment.

• When our first word is trustworthy, no second word is needed.

• This mirrors God’s own character; “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19).

• Old-Testament vows already stressed keeping one’s word (Numbers 30:2;Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). Christ presses further: make your word so credible that vows become unnecessary.

• Practical applications:

– Speak promises sparingly and fulfill them promptly.

– Give answers that are clear, without hidden caveats.

– Build a reputation in which people assume integrity because they know your Lord (Ephesians 4:25).

• A righteous refusal is as important as a righteous consent.

• Saying “no” honestly guards others from false hope and guards us from double-mindedness (James 1:8).

• Paul modeled this consistency: “As surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’” (2 Corinthians 1:18).

• Everyday implications:

– Decline commitments you cannot keep.

– Resist pressure to soften a “no” with half-truths.

– Protect relationships by making your boundaries unmistakable (Proverbs 12:22).

• Elaborate oaths suggest our baseline speech cannot be trusted; that suspicion traces back to the father of lies (John 8:44).

• In Jesus’ day people crafted formulas to dodge responsibility (Matthew 23:16-22); He exposes such loopholes as demonic in origin.

• The serpent’s first lie, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), shows how a single shaded statement can unravel souls.

• When we pad our yes or no with “I swear on…” or “May God strike me…,” we unwittingly echo that deceitful spirit.

• Guardrails:

– Reject habits that exaggerate: “Honestly…,” “To be perfectly frank…,” “Cross my heart….”

– Let the weight of your character, not the weight of your words, carry credibility (James 5:12).

Christ commands speech marked by simplicity and sincerity. A straight “yes” or “no” reflects His truth and shields us from the devil’s realm of shaded meanings. Live so dependably that people never wonder whether you mean what you say; your everyday words will then stand as quiet, powerful testimony to the One who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Yea, yea.--St. James reproduces the precept inJames 5:12 of his Epistle, but the phrase is found in the Talmud, and was probably proverbial. In all common speech a man's words should be as good as his oath. Yes should mean yes, and No should mean no, even though there be no oath to strengthen it.

Cometh of evil.--The Greek may (as in the Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from evil") be either neuter, "from evil in the abstract," or masculine, "from the evil one." With some hesitation, and guided chiefly byMatthew 13:19-38, I accept the latter as the more probable. These devices of fantastic oaths come not from Him who is the Truth, but from him who "when he speaketh a lie, speaketh of his own" (John 8:44).