The Ninth Commandment
God spoke the 10 Commandments aloud to the thousands of Israelites gathered at the base of Mount Sinai. When He finished speaking, He added “nothing more. Then He wrote them on two stone tablets” and gave them to Moses [Deuteronomy 5:22]. Why nothing more? Because those Ten Commandments are the only laws needed by mankind to develop a perfect society.
The first 4 define our relationship with God; the other 6 define our relationship with each other.
The Ten Commandments are recorded in the Book of Exodus, chapter 20, verses 2 – 17 and Deuteronomy 5:1–22.
Here is the Ninth Commandment:
20 ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20 (NKJV)
Bear:
The Hebrew word ʿânâh (pronounced aw-`naw) is translated in the KJV as “bear” and means “to answer, respond, speak, shout or testify” according to the context. A majority of the times it is used (242 times out of 329 occurrences), it is translated as “answer”.
False:
The Hebrew word sheqer (pronounced sheh’-ker) is translated as lie, lying, vain and deceitful, wrongfully and means “deception, or what deceives or disappoints or betrays.
Witness:
The Hebrew word ʿêd (pronounced ayd) is used 69 times in the OT and is always translated as “witness”, meaning “testimony, or evidence of things”.
Everyday example: someone asks what you think about a certain person or event – you answer; you are “bearing witness”.
If there is anyone to hear you speaking, this Commandment applies to every time you speak!
In its broadest sense, it means you should speak only truth. To obey this Commandment, if you’re not absolutely sure what you are saying is true, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!
The Proverb says there are seven things God HATES [Proverbs 6:16-19]; three of those relate to the 9th Commandment:
- A lying tongue
- A false witness
- A man who stirs up dissension among brothers
What would be eliminated from our culture if we obeyed the Ninth Commandment?
To name just 5 of many things:
False witnessing in the courtroom,
False teaching in our churches and in our schools,
Fake news on the radio, in newspapers, on TV and the Internet,
Politicians lying to get elected or to get bad legislation passed,
Spreading or listening to gossip (read the above Proverb carefully).
As our Lord’s half-brother wrote:
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:9–10 (NIV84)
Cautioning His disciples against swearing an oath [Matthew 5:33-37], Jesus advised that when speaking, answering or testifying:
37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37 (NIV84)
Speak only what you know to be true.
The Ninth Commandment clearly prohibits lying at any time but especially when what you say will affect others. It’s likely that SOMEONE will be affected every time you speak.
The Ninth Commandment applies whether in court or talking across your backyard fence to a neighbor, around the coffee pot at work, talking on your cell phone, or (more likely today) posting your own thoughts or sharing the thoughts of others on Facebook or anywhere on the Internet.
