Deuteronomy 5:20
in Deuteronomy 5You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor.
KJV
Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 5
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
You shall not murder
on Deuteronomy 5:17-20
These four commandments run to a handful of words each and cover life, marriage, property and speech. Paul sums them up at Romans 13:9 in the one decree "Love your neighbor as yourself."
This site's exposition
bear false witness against your neighbor
The ninth word is framed in the language of the court, where testimony could cost a man his life. The law at 19:16-19 gives the false witness the penalty he intended for his neighbour.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
If I see a man do an evil thing, and tell it to another, unless from a full and clear conviction, that it is necessary to mention it just then, for the glory of God, the safety or good of some other person, or for the benefit of him that hath done amiss; and unless I then do it only so far, as is necessary to these ends, that is evil-speaking.
The words behind it
5 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַעֲנֶ֥ה | taaneh | you must testify | H6030 → | 331 times |
| בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ | vereakha | against neighbor your | H7453 → | 188 times |
| עֵ֥ד | ʾed | testimony of | H5707 → | 70 times |
| שָֽׁוְא׃ ס | shav' | falsehood | H7723 → | 53 times |
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
תַעֲנֶ֥הyou must testify
taanehH6030 →331 times
בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖against neighbor your
vereakhaH7453 →188 times
עֵ֥דtestimony of
ʾedH5707 →70 times
שָֽׁוְא׃ סfalsehood
shav'H7723 →53 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 20:16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
it leads to
- Proverbs 19:5
A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 23:1
“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 19:18
“Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
- Psalms 15:3
who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,
- Deuteronomy 19:15–21
A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or…
- Proverbs 19:5
Through
Exodus 23:1“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
it leads to
- Psalms 101:5
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.
- Deuteronomy 19:16–21
If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 101:5
Through
Proverbs 19:5A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.
it leads to
- Proverbs 21:28
A lying witness will perish, but the man who listens to truth will speak forever.
- Proverbs 21:28
Where this verse is studied
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.