Ninth Commandment
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16; Deut. 5:20).
Heidelberg Catechism
Heidelberg Catechism Question 112. What is required in the ninth commandment? That I do not bear false witness against anyone, twist anyone’s words, be a gossip or a slanderer, or condemn anyone lightly without a hearing. Rather I am required to avoid, under penalty of God’s wrath, all lying and deceit as the works of the devil himself. In judicial and all other matters I am to love the truth, and to speak and confess it honestly. Indeed, insofar as I am able, I am to defend and promote my neighbor’s good name.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Shorter Catechism Question 77. What is required in the Ninth Commandment? The Ninth Commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness-bearing.
- Zech. 8:16 “These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace.”
- 1 Pet. 3:16 “yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.”
- Acts 25:10 “Paul said, ‘I am appealing to the emperor’s tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know.’”
- 3 John 1:12 “Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.”
- Prov. 14:5, 25 “A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. A truthful witness saves lives, but one who utters lies is a betrayer.”
Shorter Catechism Question 78. What is forbidden in the Ninth Commandment? The Ninth Commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbor’s good name.
- Prov. 19:5 “A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will not escape.”
- Prov. 6:16-19 “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family.”
- Luke 3:14 “Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’”
- Ps. 15:3 “who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors.”
Study Catechism
Study Catechism Question 114. What do you learn from this commandment? God forbids me to damage the honor or reputation of my neighbor. I should not say false things against anyone for the sake of money, favor or friendship, for the sake of revenge, or for any other reason. God requires me to speak the truth, to speak well of my neighbor when I can, and to view the faults of my neighbor with tolerance when I cannot.
- Zech. 8:16-17 “These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.”
- 1 Pet. 3:16 “Yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.”
- Prov. 14:5 “A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.”
- James 4:11 “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”
- 1 Pet. 4:8 “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
Study Catechism Question 115. Does this commandment forbid racism and other forms of negative stereotyping? Yes. In forbidding false witness against my neighbor, God forbids me to be prejudiced against people who belong to any vulnerable, different or disfavored social group. Jews, women, homosexuals, racial and ethnic minorities, and national enemies are among those who have suffered terribly from being subjected to the slurs of social prejudice. Negative stereotyping is a form of falsehood that invites actions of humiliation, abuse, and violence as forbidden by the commandment against murder.
- Rom. 3:13, 15 “Their throats are opened graves; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of vipers is under their lips. . . . Their feet are swift to shed blood.”
- Prov. 31:8-9 “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
- Matt. 7:1-2 “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.”
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