Leviticus 19:16

King James Version with Strong's Numbers

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לֹא־תֵלֵ֤ךְ רָכִיל֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔יךָ לֹ֥א תַעֲמֹ֖ד עַל־דַּ֣ם רֵעֶ֑ךָ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה

Transliteration

lōʾ-ṯēlēḵ rāḵîl bəʿammêḵā lōʾ ṯaʿămōḏ ʿal-dam rēʿeḵā ʾănî YHWH

Grammar Details

• *lōʾ*: negative particle - not
• *ṯēlēḵ*: Qal imperfect, 2nd masculine singular - you shall go/walk
• *rāḵîl*: noun, masculine singular - slanderer/talebearer
• *bəʿammêḵā*: preposition + noun, masculine plural + 2nd masculine singular suffix - among your people
• *ṯaʿămōḏ*: Qal imperfect, 2nd masculine singular - you shall stand
• *ʿal*: preposition - upon/against
• *dam*: noun, masculine singular construct - blood of
• *rēʿeḵā*: noun, masculine singular + 2nd masculine singular suffix - your neighbor
• *ʾănî*: 1st person singular independent pronoun - I
• *YHWH*: proper noun - the LORD

Word Meanings

• *ṯēlēḵ* *rāḵîl*: go about as a slanderer/spread slander/gossip
• *ṯaʿămōḏ* *ʿal*-*dam*: stand against the blood/endanger the life/fail to protect

Referenced Verses

• Exod 23:1 : 1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
• Exod 23:7 : 7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
• Ezek 22:9 : 9 In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.
• Ps 15:3 : 3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
• Prov 11:13 : 13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
• Prov 20:19 : 19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.
• Jer 6:28 : 28 They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.
• Jer 9:4 : 4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
• Matt 26:60-61 : 60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
• 1 Kgs 21:10-13 : 10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. 11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. 12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
• Acts 6:11-13 : 11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, 13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
• Acts 24:4-9 : 4 Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words. 5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: 6 Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law. 7 But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, 8 Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him. 9 And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so.
• 1 Tim 3:11 : 11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
• 2 Tim 3:3 : 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
• Titus 2:3 : 3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
• 1 Pet 2:1 : 1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
• Exod 20:16 : 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
• Matt 27:4 : 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.