If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:

If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and'swear before thine altar in this house;

If a man have sinned against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to adjure him, and the oath come before thine altar in this house;

If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this house:

If any man shall trespass against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thy altar in this house:

that which a man sinneth against his neighbour, and he hath lifted up upon him an oath to cause him to swear, and the oath hath come in before Thine altar in this house,

If a man does wrong to his neighbour, and has to take an oath, and comes before your altar to take his oath in this house:

If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be exacted of him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before Thine altar in this house;

But if any man sins against his neighbor, and he has any kind of an oath by which he is bound, and he arrives because of the oath, before your altar in your house,

The oath come before - "The oath" is equivalent to "the man who swears the oath." A slight alteration in the present Hebrew text gives the sense "and he (the accused) go and swear before thine altar," etc. The threats and the promises, the punishments and calamities of 1-Kings 8:31-38 were distinctly named in the Law. See the margin reference.

If any man trespass against his neighbor - Solomon puts here seven cases, in all of which the mercy and intervention of God would be indispensably requisite; and he earnestly bespeaks that mercy and intervention on condition that the people pray towards that holy place, and with a feeling heart make earnest supplication.
The First case is one of doubtfulness; where a man has sustained an injury, and charges it on a suspected person, though not able to bring direct evidence of the fact, the accused is permitted to come before the altar of God, and purge himself by his personal oath. Solomon prays that God may not permit a false oath to be taken, but that he will discover the truth, so that the wicked shall be condemned, and the righteous justified.

If any man trespass against his neighbour, (k) and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:
(k) That is, the judge or neighbours.

If any man trespass against his neighbour,.... By being unfaithful in a trust committed to him, or the like:
and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear; he denying that ever anything was committed to his trust, and there being no witnesses of it, the judge obliges him to take an oath he never had any:
and the oath come before thine altar in this house; where it was taken, as in the presence of God, and as appealing to him: hence in corrupt times they came to swear by the altar, Matthew 23:20 and so the Heathens used to take their oaths in the temples of their gods, and at their altars, as the instances of Callicrates (c) and Hannibal (d) show, and others Grotius refers to; yea, they also laid hold on the altar, at least touched it when they swore (e) to give the greater sanction to the oath.
(c) Cornel. Nep. Vit. Dion. l. 10. c. 8. (d) Ib. Hannibal. l. 23. c. 2. (e) Vid. Lydii Dissert de Jurament. c. 4. sect. 7.

Trespass - If he be accused of a trespass. Laid on him - Either by the judge, or by the party accusing him, or by the accused person himself: which was usual, when there were no witnesses. Thine altar - For here God, who was appealed to as witness, was especially present. Hence the Heathens used to swear at their altars.