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The Ninth Commandment: Do Not Bear False Witness

A Plain-English Summary of the Biblical Evidence

The ninth commandment -- "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" (Exodus 20:16) -- is, on its surface, a courtroom rule: do not lie under oath. But the Bible develops this prohibition into something far broader, grounding the very concept of truthfulness in the character of God and tracing falsehood to the nature of Satan. From the legal codes of Moses to the final chapters of Revelation, the Bible presents truth and lying as matters of ultimate consequence.

Two Hebrew Words, One Comprehensive Prohibition

An important detail is often missed: Exodus and Deuteronomy use different Hebrew words in this commandment.

  • Exodus 20:16 uses sheqer, meaning deliberate falsehood -- an intentional lie.
  • Deuteronomy 5:20 uses shav, meaning emptiness or worthlessness -- groundless, baseless speech.

Together, these two words cover the full spectrum: from outright fabrication to careless, unsubstantiated claims. Both the deliberate liar and the reckless gossip fall under the prohibition.

The same word shav also appears in the third commandment ("Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain"), linking false witness against one's neighbor with bearing God's name emptily. To misrepresent your neighbor and to misrepresent God are treated as related offenses.

Beyond the Courtroom

The commandment's original language is legal -- the Hebrew verb anah means "to testify," and ed means "witness." But the broader biblical witness extends the prohibition far beyond formal proceedings:

Leviticus 19:11 -- "Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another."

Leviticus 19:16 -- "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people."

Exodus 23:1 -- "Thou shalt not raise a false report."

Lying to a neighbor, spreading gossip, circulating false reports -- the Bible treats all of these as violations of the same principle. Paul confirms this in the New Testament:

Ephesians 4:25 -- "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another."

Colossians 3:9 -- "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds."

Why Lying Is So Serious: The God-Satan Contrast

The Bible presents truth and falsehood as rooted in two opposing natures. God is the source of truth, and Satan is the source of lies.

On God's side:

Titus 1:2 -- "God, that cannot lie."

Hebrews 6:18 -- "It was impossible for God to lie."

John 14:6 -- Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

1 Peter 2:22 -- "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."

On Satan's side:

John 8:44 -- "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

Jesus identifies Satan with four descriptions in a single verse: he "abode not in the truth," has "no truth in him," speaks lies "of his own" nature, and is "the father" of lying. Even the devil's name -- diabolos in Greek -- means "slanderer" or "false accuser." He is, in his very title, the embodiment of false witness.

This means that every act of lying aligns a person with Satan's character, while every act of truthfulness reflects God's character.

The Deadly Consequences of False Witness

The Bible does not treat lying as a minor offense. Proverbs compares a false witness to lethal weapons:

Proverbs 25:18 -- "A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow."

The Old Testament law prescribed a remarkable penalty for perjury -- the false witness receives the exact punishment he intended to inflict on his victim:

Deuteronomy 19:18-19 -- "If the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother."

In practice, false witness could and did lead to murder. Ahab and Jezebel used false witnesses to condemn Naboth to death so they could seize his vineyard (1 Kings 21). And at Jesus's own trial, the council "sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death" (Matthew 26:59). The commandment Jesus taught was violated against Him.

What the Bible Says God Hates

Of the seven things the LORD specifically hates and calls "abomination," two directly concern lying:

Proverbs 6:16-19 -- "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."

A "lying tongue" and "a false witness that speaketh lies" -- lying appears twice in the list of seven. And Proverbs makes the contrast clear:

Proverbs 12:22 -- "Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight."

Jesus's Teaching on Truth

Jesus treats the ninth commandment as fully authoritative, quoting it directly to the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:18). But He also deepens it in two ways.

First, He holds people accountable for careless speech, not just deliberate lies:

Matthew 12:36 -- "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."

Second, He sets the standard at simple, unadorned truthfulness:

Matthew 5:37 -- "Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

Like all the commandments, Jesus traces false witness to its origin in the heart:

Matthew 15:19 -- "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies."

Lying to the Holy Spirit

The New Testament shows that lying carries severe consequences even in the church. When Ananias and Sapphira lied about the price of their property, Peter confronted them:

Acts 5:3-4 -- "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?...Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."

Both died immediately. The episode demonstrates that lying in the community of believers is a matter of life-and-death seriousness.

The Eschatological Verdict

Revelation pronounces a threefold judgment on liars that is among the most severe language in the Bible:

Revelation 21:8 -- "All liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Revelation 21:27 -- "There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie."

Revelation 22:15 -- "Without are...whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."

By contrast, the redeemed are characterized by truthfulness:

Revelation 14:5 -- "In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."

The Rahab and Midwives Question

Two Old Testament narratives raise a question readers often ask: what about Rahab, who lied to protect the Israelite spies, and the Hebrew midwives, who deceived Pharaoh to protect newborn babies?

The Bible's answer is carefully worded. Rahab is commended for her faith in receiving the spies (Hebrews 11:31) and her works in sheltering and sending them safely (James 2:25). The midwives were blessed "because the midwives feared God" (Exodus 1:21). In each case, the New Testament commends the faith and the life-preserving action -- not the deception. Neither passage mentions the lie as the thing being praised. The broader biblical testimony, from the commandment itself through Proverbs, the prophets, Jesus, and Revelation, uniformly condemns all forms of lying.

What the Bible Does NOT Say

  1. The Bible does not limit the ninth commandment to courtroom testimony. Multiple passages extend it to all forms of lying, gossip, false reports, and deceptive dealings.

  2. The Bible does not create a category of permissible lies. No text establishes that "white lies" or "well-intentioned" deception is acceptable.

  3. The Bible does not say that Rahab or the midwives were commended for their deception. The commendation is specifically tied to their faith and God-fearing actions.

  4. The Bible does not state that every use of hyperbole, parable, or rhetorical question is "lying." The commandment addresses misrepresentation of fact in testimony and interpersonal dealings.

Conclusion

The ninth commandment is about far more than perjury. It establishes truthfulness as a reflection of God's own character and identifies lying as alignment with Satan's nature. Every form of falsehood -- from courtroom perjury to everyday gossip to the gap between what we profess and how we live -- falls under its scope. The Bible presents truth as enduring and lies as temporary ("The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment," Proverbs 12:19), and the final vision of Scripture excludes all liars from the eternal city while welcoming those in whose mouths "no guile was found."

Based on the full technical study completed 2026-02-27

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