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Exodus 20:16 Command Against Bearing False Witness

Exodus 20:16, part of the Decalogue, states, "You shall not testify against your neighbor with a false witness" (LEB) [1]. This commandment, often referred to as the ninth commandment, prohibits bearing false witness, particularly in a legal context, but its implications extend more broadly to truthfulness in all interactions concerning one's neighbor.

The Ten Commandments, including this one, were delivered by God to Moses on Mount Sinai after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. They form the foundational ethical and religious principles for the Israelite nation [1]. The immediate literary context is the list of commandments governing human relationships, following prohibitions against murder, adultery, and stealing [2]. The broader context is the establishment of a covenant relationship between God and Israel, where adherence to these laws signifies their commitment to this covenant.

The core of the commandment lies in the phrase "false witness." The Hebrew term for "false" (שָׁקֶר, sheqer) implies deceit, fraud, or lying. The term "witness" (עֵד, ‘ed) refers to someone who provides testimony, especially in a judicial setting [1]. In ancient Israelite law, multiple witnesses were required in criminal cases, and these witnesses were often the first to carry out the sentence if the accused was found guilty [3]. The prohibition against false witness was crucial for maintaining justice within the community.

Interpretations of Exodus 20:16 vary in their scope. While the primary application is to legal proceedings, many traditions understand it to encompass a wider range of untruthful speech that harms others. Adam Clarke, a Methodist commentator, argues that the commandment forbids not only false oaths that deprive someone of life or rights but also "whispering, tale-bearing, slander, and calumny" [4]. He further suggests that suppressing the truth, which could lead to injury or disability for another, also violates the spirit and letter of this law [4].

Jewish tradition, as seen in the Babylonian Talmud, discusses the implications of false witness in detail. The Talmud connects the prohibition to the broader principle of distancing oneself from falsehood [8, 10]. It also addresses the punishment for conspiring witnesses, where Rabbi Meir holds that they are flogged for violating both the prohibition against false witness and the principle of "doing to him as he conspired" (Deuteronomy 19:19) [11, 12, 13, 14]. Ramban (Nachmanides), a medieval Jewish philosopher, distinguishes between "false witness" (‘eid shaker) in Exodus and "vain witness" (‘eid shav) in Deuteronomy 5:17. He suggests that "vain witness" prohibits even testimony that cannot harm the neighbor, while "false witness" specifically concerns testimony intended to cause harm [9].

The Catholic scholastic tradition, represented by Thomas Aquinas, views false evidence as having a threefold deformity: perjury (as witnesses are typically under oath), violation of justice, and harm to the person against whom the testimony is given [5]. Aquinas considers false evidence to be a mortal sin, particularly due to the perjury involved [5].

Protestant academic scholarship also emphasizes the legal context, noting that the commandment is referenced in other biblical books like Proverbs, which warns against false witnesses [6]. It is also understood that even speaking lies on God's behalf is forbidden [7].

The commandment against bearing false witness underscores the importance of truthfulness and justice in society. It protects individuals from wrongful accusation and ensures the integrity of legal processes. Its broader application to all forms of harmful untruthful speech highlights the value placed on a person's reputation and well-being within the community.

Sources

  1. Exodus “Exodus 20:16 (LEB) — “You shall not testify against your neighbor with a false witness.”
  2. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Exodus 20:15 cross-references: Exodus 21:16, Leviticus 6:1, Leviticus 19:11, Leviticus 19:13, Leviticus 19:35, Deuteronomy 24:7, Deuteronomy 25:13, Job 20:19, Proverbs 1:13, Proverbs 11:1, Amos 3:10, Amos 8:4, Micah 6:10, Micah 7:3, Zechariah 5:3, Matthew 15:19, Matthew 19:18, Matthew 21:13, Luke 3:13, John 12:6, Romans 13:9, 1 Corinthians 6:10, Ephesians 4:28, 1 Thessalonians 4:6”
  3. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Witness — More than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). They were the first to execute the sentence on the condemned (Deut. 13:9; 17:7; 1 Kings 21:13; Matt. 27:1; Acts 7:57, 58). False witnesses were liable to punishment (Deut. 19:16-21). It was also an offence to refuse to bear witness (Lev. 5:1).”
  4. Exodus (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Exodus 20:16: Thou shalt not bear false witness, etc. - Not only false oaths, to deprive a man of his life or of his right, are here prohibited, but all whispering, tale-bearing, slander, and calumny; in a word, whatever is deposed as a truth, which is false in fact, and tends to injure another in his goods, person, or character, is against the spirit and letter of this law. Suppressing the truth when known, by which a person may be defrauded of his property or his good name, or lie under injuries or disabilities which a discovery of the truth would have prevented, is also a cri”
  5. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Injustice with Regard to the Person of the Witness, Art. 4: Article: Whether it is always a mortal sin to give false evidence? I answer that, False evidence has a threefold deformity. The first is owing to perjury, since witnesses are admitted only on oath and on this count it is always a mortal sin. Secondly, owing to the violation of justice, and on this account it is a mortal sin generically, even as any kind of injustice. Hence the prohibition of false evidence by the precept of the decalogue is expressed in t”
  6. Proverbs (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Proverbs 19:9: 19:9 The reference to a false witness (see also 19:5) reminds us of the ninth commandment (Exod 20:16).”
  7. Job (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Job 13:7: 13:7-10 defending God with lies: False witnesses were forbidden even if speaking on God’s behalf (Exod 20:16).”
  8. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Shevuot 31a.6: The Gemara asks: Is it from the verse “Distance yourself from a false matter” that this matter is derived? But isn’t he certainly lying in that case, and this is already stated, as the Merciful One states: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:13)? Rather, the reference is to a case where the teacher said to him: It is certain that I have one witness, and you come and stand there beside him and do not say anything, as in that manner you do not express a lie from your mouth. Your silent presence will create the impression that I ha”
  9. Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Deuteronomy 5:17: NEITHER SHALT THOU BEAR ‘EID SHAV’ (VAIN WITNESS) 172 In Exodus 20:13, the verse reads: Thou shalt not bear ‘eid shaker’ (false witness). Ramban explains that the admonition here prohibits bearing such false testimony even when it cannot possibly harm the neighbor at all and is consequently “vain” and worthless in court. The prohibition in Exodus, on the other hand, concerns the kind of false testimony which aims to really harm the other person. Thus the verse here explains the full extent of the admonition. AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR. He explained this in o”
  10. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Shevuot 99b.61:6: The Gemara asks: Is it from the verse “Distance yourself from a false matter” that this matter is derived? But isn’t he certainly lying in that case, and this is already stated, as the Merciful One states: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:13)? Rather, the reference is to a case where the teacher said to him: It is certain that I have one witness, and you come and stand there beside him and do not say anything, as in that manner you do not express a lie from your mouth. Your silent presence will create the impression that I”
  11. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Makkot 4a.12: Likewise, if witnesses said: We testify with regard to a man called so-and-so that he is liable to receive forty lashes, and they were discovered to be conspiring witnesses, they are flogged with eighty lashes; one set of lashes due to violation of the prohibition: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:13), and one set of lashes due to the verse: “And you shall do to him as he conspired” (Deuteronomy 19:19), which is the punishment for conspiring witnesses; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: They are flogged w”
  12. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Makkot 49b.8:10: § The Gemara resumes its analysis of the dispute between Rabbi Meir and the Rabbis in the case of conspiring witnesses who testify that another is liable to receive lashes. Rabbi Meir holds that they are flogged with eighty lashes, one set of lashes due to violation of the prohibition: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:13), and one set of lashes due to the verse: “And you shall do to him as he conspired” (Deuteronomy 19:19). The Rabbis say: They are flogged with only forty lashes, due to the verse “And you shall do to him as”
  13. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Makkot 4b.10: § The Gemara resumes its analysis of the dispute between Rabbi Meir and the Rabbis in the case of conspiring witnesses who testify that another is liable to receive lashes. Rabbi Meir holds that they are flogged with eighty lashes, one set of lashes due to violation of the prohibition: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:13), and one set of lashes due to the verse: “And you shall do to him as he conspired” (Deuteronomy 19:19). The Rabbis say: They are flogged with only forty lashes, due to the verse “And you shall do to him as he”
  14. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Makkot 49b.7:12: Likewise, if witnesses said: We testify with regard to a man called so-and-so that he is liable to receive forty lashes, and they were discovered to be conspiring witnesses, they are flogged with eighty lashes; one set of lashes due to violation of the prohibition: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:13), and one set of lashes due to the verse: “And you shall do to him as he conspired” (Deuteronomy 19:19), which is the punishment for conspiring witnesses; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: They are flogge”
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