"THE NINTH COMMANDMENT" (An Article by Christian Henry) ~ 8/7/25

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Exodus 20:16)

This commandment binds the tongue to good behavior, and by it, God sets two fences to keep the tongue in: those being the teeth and lips. The command serves as a third fence around it, so that it should not break into evil. The commandment includes a prohibitive and a mandatory part. The first is set down in plain words; the other is implied.

We’ll consider the prohibitive part to see what it forbids, in general. It prohibits anything which may tend to the disparagement or prejudice of our neighbour. More particularly, two things are forbidden in this commandment: the first is slander (The scorpion carries his poison in his tail; the slanderer carries his poison in his tongue. Slandering is to report things of others unjustly.), and the second is false witness (We must not only not raise a false report but not take it up. He that raises a slander, carries the devil in his tongue; and he that receives it, carries the devil in his ear.)

The second thing forbidden in this commandment is false witness. Here, three sins are specifically condemned:

Speaking that which is false.

Proverbs 12:22 says simply, "Lying lips are abomination to the LORD." To lie is to speak that which one knows to be false, and there is nothing more contrary to God than a lie.

Witnessing to that which is false.

There are two ways one does this: First, by lying for another. We do this by testifying in favor of a person whom we know is guilty, thereby justifying them as if they were innocent. Whoever seeks to make a wicked person seem just, actually makes himself unjust. The second way one can fall into this category is by lying against another by falsely accusing them in open court. This is to imitate the devil, who is the 'accuser of the brethren.'

Swearing that which is false.

When people take a false oath, and by that take away the life of another, the devil has taken possession of their hearts. Daring to swear to a lie is one of the clearest breaches of this commandment.

The command reproves the churches that will dispense with a lie so long as it promotes their cause. They hold some sins to be lawful; they may as well have some lies to be lawful. It also reproves those who make no conscience of slandering others. Paul was slandered as a mover of sedition, and the head of a faction in Acts 24:5. The same word signifies both a slanderer and a devil. It reproves those who are so wicked as to bear false witness against others. These are monsters in nature, unfit to live in a civil society. We should all tremble at this sin! A perjured person is cursed in his name and seared in his conscience. This commandment exhorts all people to take heed of the breach of this commandment (lying, slandering, committing perjury) and to avoid these sins.

The mandatory part of this commandment implied is, "that we stand up for others and vindicate them, when they are injured by lying lips." This is the sense of the commandment, not only that we should not slander or falsely accuse others, but that we should witness for them, and stand up in their defense, when we know them to be traduced. A man may wrong another as well by silence as by slander when he knows him to be wrongfully accused yet does not speak up. If others cast false aspersions on any, and we could exonerate them by our testimony, but do not, we violate the Ninth Commandment.

In conclusion, this commandment requires the maintenance and promotion of truth between humanity, and of our own as well as our neighbor's good name, especially in witness-bearing.