At Athens the false witness was liable to a heavy fine, and if thrice convicted lost all his civil rights. As fatal to the administration of justice, false witness in courts has been severely visited by penalties in all well-regulated states. The wrong done to a man by false evidence in a court may be a wrong of the very extremest kind - may be actual murder ( 1 Kings 21:13) More often, however, it results in an injury to his property or his character. The form of the expression here used points especially to false witness of the former kind, but does not exclude the latter, which is expressly forbidden in Exodus 23:1. We may either seek to damage our neighbour by giving false evidence against him in a court of justice, or simply calumniate him to others in our social intercourse with them. False witness is of two kinds, public and private. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

'Thou shalt not raise a false report' ( Exodus 23:1). Lest its wider bearing should be overlooked, the Divine legislator added later a distinct prohibition of calumny in the words. The ninth commandment is broad enough in its terms to cover both forms of the sin, though pointing especially to the form which is of the more heinous character. It was peculiar to the Hebrew legislation that it not only forbade and punished ( Deuteronomy 19:16-20) false testimony of this extreme kind, but denounced also the far commoner, yet scarcely less injurious, practice of spreading untrue reports about others, thus injuring them in men's esteem. False witness is, of course, worst when given in a court of justice and this offence has generally been made punishable by law. Thus indicating the fact that calumny may injure a man more than robbery. 'Thou dost not answer against thy neighbour a false testimony.Įllicott's Commentary for English Readers(16) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.-Our fourth duty to our neighbour is not to injure his character. 'Do not give false testimony against your neighbor. 'You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You do not answer a false testimony against your neighbor. 'You are not to testify falsely against your neighbor. 'Never lie when you testify about your neighbor. You shall not testify a false testimony against your neighbor. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. “You shall not testify falsely against your neighbor (any person).ĭo not give false testimony against your neighbor. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

Thou shalt not lie meaning