What does «tomar al cielo por testigo» mean in Spanish?
- Expression that indicates that heaven (also closely associated with the Christian God) is a guarantee of sincerity of what is said or done. For example, the second meaning of the verb "detestar" in the RAE dictionary says: "To condemn and curse someone or something, taking heaven as a witness". This indicates that the condemnation and curse is done with the sincerity and the guarantee that heaven is giving them; also as a form of justification of the perjury that is being committed, thus saving oneself from being condemned for this sin.