Commentary for Shevuot 51:4

אמר לו רבי עקיבא אם כן אין לי אלא דברים שיש בהן הטבה והרעה דברים שאין בהן הרעה והטבה מנין אמר לו מרבוי הכתוב אמר לו אם ריבה הכתוב לכך ריבה הכתוב לכך

taught: Or if any one swear [clearly with his lips - this amplifies; to do evil, or to do good - this limits; whatsoever it be that a man shall utter clearly [with an oath] - this again amplifies: because it amplifies, limits, and amplifies, it includes all; what does it include? It includes all things. What does it exclude? It excludes a precept. And R. Ishmael expounds it on the principle of generalisation and specification: or if any one swear clearly with his lips - this generalises; to do evil or to do good this specifies; whatsoever it be that a man shall utter clearly [with an oath] - this again generalises: because it generalises, specifies, and generalises, you may include in the generalisation only [those oaths which are] similar to the specification: just as the specification is clearly in the future, so all [oaths] in the future [may be included]; the generalisation helping to include even cases where doing evil and doing good are not applicable [as long as they are oaths] in the future; and the specification helping to exclude even cases where doing evil and doing good are applicable [if they are oaths] in the past. Let me reverse it! - R. Isaac said: [We include only oaths] similar to [the oath] to do evil, or to do good, where the prohibition is on account of he shall not break his word, but exclude this [oath] where the prohibition is not on account of he shall not break his word, but on account of ye shall not lie. R. Isaac b. Abin said: Scripture says, Or if any one swear clearly with his lips: the oath must precede the utterance, and not the utterance precede the oath; this excludes 'I ate', or, 'I did not eat,' where the action precedes the oath.

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