Exodus 20:16

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Do not give false witness against your neighbour.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר׃

Transliteration

lōʾ-ṯaʿăneh ḇə-rēʿăḵā ʿēḏ shāqer

Grammar Details

• *lōʾ-ṯaʿăneh*: negative particle + qal imperfect, 2nd masculine singular - you shall not answer/testify
• *ḇə-rēʿăḵā*: preposition + masculine singular noun with 2nd masculine singular suffix - against your neighbor
• *ʿēḏ*: masculine singular noun - witness
• *shāqer*: masculine singular noun - falsehood

Word Meanings

• *ṯaʿăneh*: answer/testify/respond
• *rēʿăḵā*: your neighbor/your friend/your fellow
• *ʿēḏ shāqer*: false witness/lying testimony/deceptive evidence

Referenced Verses

• Prov 19:5 : 5 A false witness will not go without punishment, and the breather out of deceit will not go free.
• Matt 19:18 : 18 He says to him, Which? And Jesus said, Do not put anyone to death, Do not be untrue in married life, Do not take what is not yours, Do not give false witness,
• Ps 15:3 : 3 Whose tongue is not false, who does no evil to his friend, and does not take away the good name of his neighbour;
• Ps 101:5-7 : 5 I will put to death anyone who says evil of his neighbour secretly; the man with a high look and a heart of pride is disgusting to me. 6 My eyes will be on those of good faith in the land, so that they may be living in my house; he who is walking in the right way will be my servant. 7 The worker of deceit will not come into my house; the false man will have no place before my eyes.
• Exod 23:1 : 1 Do not let a false statement go further; do not make an agreement with evil-doers to be a false witness.
• Matt 26:59-60 : 59 Now the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin were looking for false witness against Jesus, so that they might put him to death; 60 And they were not able to get it, though a number of false witnesses came.
• Acts 6:13 : 13 And they got false witnesses who said, This man is for ever saying things against this holy place and against the law:
• Eph 4:31 : 31 Let all bitter, sharp and angry feeling, and noise, and evil words, be put away from you, with all unkind acts;
• 1 Tim 1:10 : 10 For those who go after loose women, for those with unnatural desires, for those who take men prisoners, who make false statements and false oaths, and those who do any other things against the right teaching,
• 2 Tim 3:3 : 3 Without natural love, bitter haters, saying evil of others, violent and uncontrolled, hating all good,
• Jas 4:11 : 11 Do not say evil against one another, my brothers. He who says evil against his brother or makes himself his brother's judge, says evil against the law and is judging the law: and in judging the law you become, not a doer of the law but a judge.
• Exod 23:6-7 : 6 Let no wrong decisions be given in the poor man's cause. 7 Keep yourselves far from any false business; never let the upright or him who has done no wrong be put to death: for I will make the evil-doer responsible for his sin.
• Lev 19:11 : 11 Do not take anyone's property or be false in act or word to another.
• Lev 19:16 : 16 Do not go about saying untrue things among your people, or take away the life of your neighbour by false witness: I am the Lord.
• Deut 19:15-21 : 15 One witness may not make a statement against a man in relation to any sin or wrongdoing which he has done: on the word of two or three witnesses a question is to be judged. 16 If a false witness makes a statement against a man, saying that he has done wrong, 17 Then the two men, between whom the argument has taken place, are to come before the Lord, before the priests and judges who are then in power; 18 And the judges will have the question looked into with care: and if the witness is seen to be false and to have made a false statement against his brother, 19 Then do to him what it was his purpose to do to his brother: and so put away the evil from among you. 20 And the rest of the people, hearing of it, will be full of fear, and never again do such evil among you. 21 Have no pity; let life be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
• 1 Sam 22:8-9 : 8 That all of you have made designs against me, and not one of you gave me word when my son made an agreement with the son of Jesse, and not one of you has pity for me or has made my eyes open to the fact that my servant has been moved by my son against me, as at this day? 9 Then Doeg, the Edomite, who was by the side of the servants of Saul, in answer said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. 10 And he got directions from the Lord for him, and gave him food, and put in his hand the sword of Goliath the Philistine. 11 Then the king sent for Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and for all the men of his father's family who were priests in Nob: and they all came to the king. 12 And Saul said, Give ear now, O son of Ahitub. And answering he said, Here I am, my lord. 13 And Saul said to him, Why have you made designs against me with the son of Jesse, giving him food and a sword and getting directions from the Lord for him, and helping him to take up arms against me, and to be on the watch to make a secret attack on me as he is doing now? 14 Then Ahimelech answering said to the king, Who among all your servants is so true to you as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and is a captain of your armed men, and has a place of honour in your house? 15 Is this the first time I have got directions from God for him? Far be the thought! let the king make no such statement against his servant or my father's family, for your servant has no knowledge, great or small, of this thing. 16 And the king said, You will certainly be put to death, Ahimelech, you and all your father's family. 17 Then the king said to the runners who were waiting near him, Put the priests of the Lord to death; because they are on David's side, and having knowledge of his flight, did not give me word of it. But the king's servants would not put out their hands to make an attack on the Lord's priests. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, You are to put the priests to death. And Doeg the Edomite, turning on the priests and attacking them, put to death that day eighty-five men who took up the ephod. 19 And Nob, the town of the priests, he put to the sword, all the men and women, children and babies at the breast, and oxen and asses and sheep.
• 1 Kgs 21:10-13 : 10 And get two good-for-nothing persons to come before him and give witness that he has been cursing God and the king. Then take him out and have him stoned to death. 11 So the responsible men and the chiefs who were in authority in his town, did as Jezebel had said in the letter she sent them. 12 They gave orders for a day of public sorrow, and put Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two good-for-nothing persons came in and took their seats before him and gave witness against Naboth, in front of the people, saying, Naboth has been cursing God and the king. Then they took him outside the town and had him stoned to death.
• Prov 10:18 : 18 Hate is covered up by the lips of the upright man, but he who lets out evil about another is foolish.
• Prov 11:13 : 13 He who goes about talking of others makes secrets public, but the true-hearted man keeps things covered.