What Is The 9th Commandment?

What is the 9^th Commandment?  Is it still relevant today?   What does it mean to bear false witness against a neighbor?  Who is our neighbor?

The 9^th Commandment

Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

When God gave Israel the Ten Commandments, He wrote these in stone and these were not written by man like the Mosaic Law was but by the very finger of God indicating their permanence for all time so these don’t only apply to Israel, they apply to everyone.  What does it mean to bear false witness?  Does this apply only to testifying in a court of law?  Does this mean we shouldn’t lie?

Breaking Down Exodus 20:16

The first part of this commandment is “You shall not bear…” but what does the word “bear” mean in the Hebrew?  The word is “`anah” and means “to answer, respond, testify,” or “speak” so to bear anything in this context is to speak about, answer, testify, or respond so the first part of the 9^th Commandment is literally “You shall not testify, speak, answer or respond” in any way to anything.

The Hebrew Word for “False”

The Hebrew word for false is “sheqer” and it means “lie, deception, or falsehood” so we can add to this sentence in the original sentence now to read:  “You shall not speak, testify, answer, or respond with deception, a lie, or with falsehood…”

The Hebrew Word for “Witness”

The Hebrew word for witness is “`ed” and it is literally what it was translated into; “witness” but other meanings include “a testimony,” or “evidence” so we can add this to the sentence now with the other original meanings of the Hebrew words to read; “You shall not speak, testify, answer, or respond with deception, a lie, a falsehood’s as testimony or evidence.”

The Hebrew Word for “Neighbor”

The Hebrew word for neighbor is “rea`” which doesn’t mean only your next door neighbor, although it does include that but it also includes “a companion, a fellow,” or “another person” so now this entire sentence with the original Hebrew meaning within its proper context is:  “You shall not speak, testify, answer, or respond with deception, a lie, or a falsehood as testimony or evidence against your neighbor, a companion, a fellow or another person.”

This sentence means that any “fellow” includes everyone, not just a companion or a neighbor or another person but all people.  The 9^th Commandment is a commandment to not answer, testify, respond, or speak a lie, to deceive, or with falsehood against anyone, anywhere.

Other False Witnesses’

Other false witnesses include withholding the truth (deception),  a half-truth (is a whole lie), gossiping (deceiving or lying), testifying any untruth in a court of law, exaggerating, slanting the truth, spreading falsehoods, slandering, deceiving for one’s own interests, or anything that is not true to any person at all.

Bearing False Witness

Today it is better to state it as “You shall not lie.”  The fact is the Bible says “all liars…will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Rev 21:8) and God says “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes” (Psalm 101:7) and that house means to dwell with God.  Paul tells Timothy that “and liars and perjurers–and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” (1 Tim 1:10) are in this same category.  Paul included liars and perjurers which I included earlier as part of the other false witnesses that people give.

God Cannot Life

Every one of us is a liar but this doesn’t mean that all men and women are headed to hell because we all sin but we can be forgiven if we have repented and trusted in Christ.  Yes, Christians still sin but we are forgiven and we typically confess these sins once we commit them (1 John 1:9) but what is meant are those who lie continually and do so as a habit and never repent of them and confess them to God.   “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it” (Numb 23:19)? These are “unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged” (Heb 6:18).  The Scriptures are clear that God “does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind” (1 Sam 15:29) and “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind” (Psalm 110:4) like a man will.

Conclusion

Only God can say “What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” (Isaiah 46:11) and He says about His Word that He “will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 56:11) “For I am God, and not a man– the Holy One among you” (Hosea 11:9).  If you have not repented as of yet, then you will stand guilty before the Judgment Seat of Christ someday (Rev 20:12-15) and nothing you can say will help you so please trust in Christ today and repent of your sins and confess them to God and you can be saved (Acts 2:38).

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon