The ninth commandment upholds the sacred duty to preserve truth and integrity in all areas of life. False witness is more than lying in court; it includes any form of deceit, slander, or misrepresentation that harms others. God commands His people to reflect His truthfulness in every word and deed. The Ninth Commandment declares,
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)
The command is closely tied to the third commandment “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” (Exo 20:7 NAS)
Someone who injures the truth and falsely destroys the reputation of others bears false witness.
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape.” (Prov 19:5 NAS)
Bearing false witness is also tied to the eighth command “You shall not steal.” While stealing and bearing false witness often occur together, Scripture distinguishes them. The Eighth Commandment guards our neighbor’s possessions, while the Ninth guards our neighbor’s name. One protects property; the other protects reputation.
The command is to preserve and promote truth.
The words “against your neighbor” mark this commandment as part of our duty to man. False witness wrongs our neighbor directly, just as taking God’s name in vain wrongs God Himself. The commandment requires us to preserve and promote truth between one another and to protect both our neighbor’s reputation and our own.
“These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates. ‘Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the LORD.” (Zec 8:16-17 NAS)
We are called to stand for the truth and to speak sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, without deceit or concealment.
“Put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” (Eph 4:24-25 NAS)
Truth must be spoken from the heart and upheld in matters of judgment, justice, and daily conversation alike.
“He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend.” (Psa 15:2-3 NAS)
To “walk in integrity and speak truth in the heart” is to live in harmony with the character of God, who is Himself the God of truth.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14:6 NAS)
We are called to esteem our neighbor with charity and goodwill.
We ought to love and rejoice in our neighbor’s good name, mourn their faults rather than reveal them, and give due praise for the gifts and graces bestowed upon them.
“Love… does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.” (1Co 13:4-6 NAS)
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NAS)
It is a duty to defend the innocent, receive good reports gladly, and resist evil ones. Story telling, flattery, and slander should be discouraged wherever they arise.
“Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” (1Pe 2:1 NAS)
Those who speak or act with deceit, hypocrisy, or misrepresentation bear false witness. This sin extends beyond false testimony to include spreading rumors or words that injure another’s good name.
“They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.” (Psa 12:2 NAS)
“He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip.” (Prov 20:19 NAS)
“Let him who means to love life and see good days Refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile.” (1Pe 3:10 NAS)
People are to be treated as innocent until proven guilty.
Upholding truth protects the integrity of one’s own name.
Just as we are to guard the reputation of others, we must also preserve our own good name, defending it when necessary.
“A good name is to be more desired than great riches, Favor is better than silver and gold.” (Prov 22:1 NAS)
This involves keeping lawful promises and conducting ourselves in honesty and faithfulness.
“But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no, no; so that you may not fall under judgment.” (James 5:12 NAS)
Believers are to practice honor and truth. A good name, grounded in integrity, glorifies God and strengthens Christian witness.
“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices.” (Col 3:8-9 NAS)
God forbids every form of falsehood in thought, in word, and in deed.
When we entertain falsehood in our thinking, defend it in our speech, or pass it on as truth, we bear false witness.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” (Rom 1:18 NAS)
When people accept falsehood as truth, they deceive themselves and lead others astray.
“Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” (Rom 16:17-18 NAS)
God does not desire His people to deceive themselves or to lead others astray with their delusions.
False testimony in court bears false witness.
God forbids corrupt judgment and unjust verdicts. Every testimony given in court must reflect the truth to the best of one’s knowledge, for anything less is bearing false witness.
“And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and dragged him away, and brought him before the Council. And they put forward false witnesses who said, “This man incessantly speaks against this holy place, and the Law.” (Acts 6:12-13 NAS)
Concealing the truth or remaining silent when justice demands a word of reproof or defense also bears false witness.
“Now if a person sins, after he hears a public adjuration to testify, when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt.” (Lev 5:1 NAS)
Concealing evidence is an obstruction of justice that allows falsehood to prevail. Twisting the truth to deceive others is also bearing false witness. When Jesus stood before the court, false witnesses distorted His words about the temple to condemn Him.
“Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death; and they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.'” And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You make no answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” (Matt 26:59-63 NAS)
False prophets and ungodly philosophers break the ninth commandment.
To teach or promote doctrine contrary to God’s Word is to bear false witness against the truth of God.
Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (Matt 7:15 NAS)
A false prophet is one who claims that God has spoken when He has not spoken. The Apostle Peter warned believers to not follow teachers who exploit God’s people with false words.
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2Pe 2:1-3 NAS)
In the Old Testament, anyone who spoke a prophecy in the Lord’s name that did not come to pass was subject to the death penalty.
“’But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ “And you may say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ “When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.” (Deut 18:20-22 NAS)
Truth is required not only in prophecy but also in philosophy. Those who deceive others in matters of religion or philosophy bear false witness against the truth.
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” (Col 2:8 NAS)
Modern law has codified bearing false witness.
At its heart, the ninth commandment safeguards truth as the foundation of all human justice. Both civil and criminal law reflect this divine standard. Every culture that values fairness and due process depends on truth in testimony, honesty in evidence, and integrity in speech. Where false witness prevails, trust collapses, and injustice follows.
The ninth commandment in criminal law.
In criminal law, the clearest expression of this commandment is found in the offense of perjury. Perjury is knowingly giving false testimony under oath.
“And the judges shall investigate thoroughly; and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.” (Deut 19:18-19 NAS)
False witnesses were to receive the very punishment they sought to bring upon the innocent.
A modern example is from Santa Clara, California 2025. A federal jury found Lawrence Jackson guilty of one count of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. The charges stemmed from his deposition in a civil lawsuit concerning the village’s trash-disposal contracts, where prosecutors say Jackson lied under oath.
A related offense is the act of filing a false police report or making false statements to authorities.
“You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.” (Exo 23:1 NAS)
When a person deliberately misleads investigators, they “spread a false report” and become “a malicious witness.” Such deception wastes judicial resources and may endanger innocent lives.
An example of a false police report is Pelaez Calderon, 41, of South Los Angeles, who was federally charged with conspiracy and making false statements after allegedly orchestrating a hoax in which she claimed to have been abducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. According to the complaint, she falsely claimed she was taken at gunpoint in a parking lot, held in a warehouse, and pressured to self-deport; but investigators say she was never arrested or detained by ICE, and that surveillance footage and phone records contradict her story.
The law also recognizes obstruction of justice, a crime that includes concealing evidence, tampering with witnesses, or lying to hinder a lawful investigation.
A modern example of this is the federal grand jury indictment of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan on charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors allege that on April 18, 2025, Dugan led an undocumented immigrant and his attorney out of her courtroom via a restricted exit after becoming aware of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seeking the individual. The indictment states she misdirected the agents, allowed the defendant to evade immediate arrest, and thereby interfered with the federal proceeding.
Another serious offense akin to false witness is malicious prosecution, where an individual causes another to be charged or tried without probable cause.
The greatest example of malicious prosecution is the trial of Jesus Christ. Long before the trial, the leaders had already resolved to put Jesus to death, revealing that His prosecution was not a pursuit of truth but a premeditated injustice.
“The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him.” (Mark 14:1 nasb)
“So, from that day on they planned together to kill Him.” (John 11:53 nasb)
The ninth commandment in civil law.
The Ninth Commandment’s influence extends beyond the courtroom into civil life. The most familiar civil application is defamation, which includes both libel (written falsehood) and slander (spoken falsehood).
“You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.” (Lev 19:16 NAS)
A well-known case involves The Washington Post and a teenager, Nicholas Sandmann, from Covington Catholic High School. After a viral video interaction in early 2019, the Post published articles that Sandmann’s family later alleged conveyed “false and defamatory” claims — including accusations of racist conduct and aggressive behavior.
When someone’s reputation or livelihood is harmed by deceit, they have suffered an injury to their good name.
Closely related is the civil wrong of fraud through misrepresentation by deceiving another for personal gain. Whether by false advertising, dishonest accounting, or misleading contracts, fraud violates the Lord’s standard.
On March 28, 2025, Charlie Javice, founder of the startup “Frank”, was convicted by a federal jury in Manhattan on four counts bank fraud, securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy. She had claimed the company had 4.25 million users when the true number was around 300,000. In September 2025 she was sentenced to 85 months in prison and ordered to pay significant restitution.
Another form of deception is negligent misrepresentation, in which a person speaks carelessly without verifying the truth of their words, causing harm to another.
In Project Veritas v. CNN, a U.S. federal appeals court revived a defamation lawsuit by the conservative group Project Veritas against CNN. The core claim: CNN’s on‐air statement that Project Veritas was suspended from Twitter for “promoting disinformation” (rather than for “publishing private information”) was allegedly false.
Even when intent to deceive is absent, God calls His people to higher accountability:
“Speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25)
There are also broader ethical and social parallels.
The commandment against false witness also addresses the modern world of communication and media. False reporting or biased presentation of facts in journalism can mislead entire nations. The prophet Zechariah calls for truth in public life:
“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.” (Zechariah 8:16)
A free press, like any witness, must answer to the God of truth. In politics and church leadership, character assassination often masquerades as discernment or accountability. Yet Scripture warns,
“He who slanders his neighbor secretly, him will I destroy.” (Psalm 101:5)
Public life cannot flourish when lies are used as weapons. The digital age adds new forms of false witness: fake reviews, fabricated testimonials, and deceptive online profiles. The principle applies just as much to a social media post as to a courtroom oath. Truthfulness is not confined to legal testimony; it is a way of life that honors God.