BibleProject | The 10 CommandmentsSample

Words That Wound

Imagine someone spreading a false story about you, one that costs you your job, reputation, maybe even freedom. Words have so much power. They can wound and destroy whole lives in a moment.

That’s why the 9th Commandment says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exod. 20:16). Scripture elsewhere talks about lying more broadly, but as today’s video explains, this command focuses on deceitful talk about others. At its heart, the command protects a sense of trust that communities need in order to be healthy.

Deceitful words about someone do violence to that person. “Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow,” Proverbs says, “is one who bears false witness against a neighbor” (25:18).

Lies about people don’t just float away. In court, a lie can free a criminal or condemn an innocent person. Anywhere, a lie can destroy someone’s social world or livelihood. And it harms those who hear the lie because it withholds the truth theyneed to make wise decisions. Justice collapses in every direction when truth disappears.

Yet telling the truth is especially hard when everyone else seems to agree on the lie. God’s law also warns against that pressure, saying that people who give testimony in a lawsuit should not pervert justice by siding with the crowd (Exod. 23:2). Truth also means facing our own biases and choosing to be generous and just toward people in need, such as the poor and the immigrant (Exod. 23:3, 6, 9).

Why such special concern for the vulnerable? Perhaps because when lies spread, the powerful often escape consequences while the weak pay the price. A dishonest accusation against a widow or immigrant could cost them everything.

As Proverbs says, a false witness “mocks at justice” (19:28). But honesty does the opposite—it protects the innocent, strengthens trust, and allows justice to flourish.

So the invitation is simple but costly: Tell the truth about others and ourselves. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it’s unpopular. Deceitful words have the power to destroy, but truthful words have the power to build the kind of world God loves, one where justice and trust can grow.

Reflection Question:

• Where do you see injustice in your community, and how might truth-telling help restore justice for people who are suffering?