The Ninth Commandment Explained
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.” — Exodus 20:16
The Meaning of the Commandment
The Ninth Commandment stands as a defence of truth, integrity, and justice. God declared, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). In its most direct sense, this refers to giving false testimony, lying in a court or legal setting where truth determines justice. Yet the principle reaches far beyond the courtroom.
To bear false witness is to twist or conceal the truth in any way that harms another person. It includes lies, slander, gossip, deceit, exaggeration, and silence that allows falsehood to stand unchallenged. This commandment teaches that truth is sacred because it reflects the very nature of God.
God is described in Scripture as “a God of truth and without injustice” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Falsehood, therefore, is not merely a moral failure but a contradiction of His character. Every lie distances humanity from the God of truth and aligns it with the destroyer of truth, the devil, whom Jesus called “a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44).
The Power of Words
Words have power. They shape reputation, influence decisions, and determine justice. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Through words, people can heal or wound, defend or destroy.
To bear false witness is to misuse that power, to weaponise words against another. A single lie can ruin a name built over a lifetime, fracture relationships, and spread injustice. For this reason, the psalmist prayed, “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” (Psalm 34:13).
Truthful speech, on the other hand, builds trust. It strengthens community and reflects the integrity of God Himself. Ephesians 4:25 urges believers, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbour,’ for we are members of one another.” To speak truthfully is not only moral discipline; it is spiritual unity, a way of living in harmony with others and with God.
False Witness in Practice
False witness takes many forms. In its most blatant, it is perjury, lying under oath or giving deceptive testimony. Scripture condemns such acts explicitly. Proverbs 19:5 warns, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape.”
But false witness also hides behind subtler disguises: gossip that distorts truth, flattery that manipulates, or exaggeration that misleads. Each form shares the same root, a heart willing to twist truth for self-gain or convenience. Proverbs 12:22 states plainly, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.”
Even silence can be false witness when truth is known but withheld. Leviticus 5:1 teaches, “If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.” Injustice often survives not because of lies spoken, but because of truth left unspoken.
The Heart Behind the Lie
All falsehood begins in the heart. Lies are rarely born from ignorance; they arise from fear, pride, or selfishness. A person lies to gain advantage, avoid accountability, or shape perception. Yet Scripture exposes such deceit as self-destructive. Proverbs 21:6 warns, “Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.”
Jesus taught that words reveal the heart’s true condition: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34). To speak falsely is to expose inner corruption. Conversely, when truth fills the heart, honesty flows naturally.
The Ninth Commandment therefore calls for more than verbal restraint; it calls for purification of motive. Only a heart renewed by God can speak truth consistently. Psalm 51:6 affirms this desire: “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”
Truth as a Reflection of God
Truth is not merely accurate speech; it is a moral and spiritual reality rooted in the character of God. Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). To live truthfully is to live in alignment with Christ Himself.
Lies separate humanity from God because they mirror the character of the enemy. Jesus said of Satan, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44).
Thus, every falsehood, no matter how small, undermines the image of God within us. Every truth spoken restores it. To walk in truth is to bear witness to God’s nature, to reflect His light in a world darkened by deceit.
Truth, Justice, and Love
The commandment against false witness is not merely about factual accuracy but about justice and love. Lies destroy relationships; truth restores them. Zechariah 8:16–17 captures this spirit perfectly: “These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbour; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbour; and do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,” says the Lord.
Truth and peace belong together. When truth is spoken in love, justice flourishes and communities thrive. Paul echoed this principle when he wrote, “Speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15).
Truth without love can wound; love without truth can deceive. The commandment therefore requires both, honest speech rooted in compassion.
Living the Commandment
To live by the Ninth Commandment is to become a person of integrity, consistent in word, motive, and deed. It means refusing gossip, correcting falsehoods, keeping promises, and speaking truth even when it is costly. It also means guarding the reputation of others, not repeating rumours or making careless judgments.
The Apostle James wrote, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” (James 1:26). True spirituality expresses itself through disciplined speech. The believer’s words should bring light, not confusion; healing, not harm.
In practice, this commandment calls for humility, listening before speaking, seeking understanding before accusation, and valuing honesty over advantage. It challenges every believer to speak as one accountable to God for every word.
The Redemption of the Tongue
The good news of the Gospel is that even the deceitful tongue can be redeemed. The same God who commands truth also forgives falsehood. When Isaiah stood before God and confessed, “I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5), God cleansed him and commissioned him to speak truth to the nation. Grace transforms the liar into a witness of truth.
Through the Holy Spirit, believers are empowered to speak with honesty and love. Colossians 3:9–10 commands, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”
The tongue that once deceived can now bless, and the mouth that once harmed can now build up. Through truth spoken in grace, God restores both speech and soul.
Summary
The Ninth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour,” upholds the holiness of truth and the dignity of others. It forbids every form of deceit, from lies and gossip to silence that conceals injustice. It reminds believers that words carry power and responsibility, and that truth reflects the nature of God Himself.
To keep this commandment is to speak truth with compassion, to act with integrity, and to live transparently before God and others. It transforms speech from a weapon into a witness and turns honesty into worship.
Scripture References
Exodus 20:16 – “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.”
Deuteronomy 32:4 – “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”
John 8:44 – “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
Proverbs 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Psalm 34:13 – “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.”
Ephesians 4:25 – “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbour,’ for we are members of one another.”
Proverbs 19:5 – “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape.”
Proverbs 12:22 – “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.”
Leviticus 5:1 – “If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.”
Proverbs 21:6 – “Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.”
Matthew 12:34 – “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Psalm 51:6 – “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”
John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
Zechariah 8:16–17 – “These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbour; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbour; and do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,” says the Lord.
Ephesians 4:15 – “Speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.”
James 1:26 – “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”
Isaiah 6:5 – “So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’”
Colossians 3:9–10 – “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”
