1:73

the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us: When two people or groups made a covenant, they swore an oath to be faithful to it. This oath was a solemn promise. In this poetic verse, the phrase the oath He swore is another way to refer to God’s covenant in 1:72b.

It is important to indicate clearly in your translation that “holy covenant” and the oath He swore refer to the same thing. One way to do this in English is:

the holy covenant, that is, the oath he swore

This verse is similar to Jeremiah 11:5, “Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your forefathers.” See also Micah 7:20 and Psalm 105:8–9.

the oath He swore: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as swore is the verb that naturally goes with “oath.” It means to speak or make an oath. It does not mean that God used vulgar words or cursed. Some other ways to translate swore the oath He swore are:

the oath he spoke/promised
-or-
the oath he gave/made
-or-
the promise he made with an oath

oath: An oath is added to a promise so that the people who make it will know that they must not fail to fulfill it. After they swear the oath, the covenant cannot be changed. The person speaking the oath asks God to punish him if he does not keep the promise. Some other ways to translate oath are:

binding promise
-or-
solemn promise

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