To Tell the Truth

Just a comment on the expression "To tell the truth..." or "To be honest with you"....a post I have just read implied that such expressions implied that one isn't honest the rest of the time. I reply that these expressions are more analogous to Jesus' "Verily, verily..." or "Amen, amen..." or "Truly, truly..." These are colloquial ways to express emphasis. To say that such phrases imply a dishonesty the rest of the time miss, I think, the emphatic purpose of certain turns of phrase. A similar kind of emphasis happens in court with one's right hand on the Bible. The oath just adds an emphasis, like an exclamation point to God.