The telling of lies about another so as to make them appear guilty when they are innocent. Condemned in Scripture, false witness was experienced by Jesus Christ and is to be expected by those who follow him.
False witness is condemned in Scripture
Exodus 20:16 parallel Deuteronomy 5:20 See also Exodus 23:1; Deuteronomy 19:15–19; Psalm 101:5–7; Matthew 19:18 parallels Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
False witness arises from an evil heart
Matthew 15:19–20 parallel Mark 7:21–23
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
False witness will be subject to judgment
Psalm 101:5–8; Proverbs 21:28 See also Proverbs 19:9; Daniel 6:24; Matthew 12:35–37
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure. My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my presence. Every morning I will remove all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.
A lying witness will perish, but the man who listens to truth will speak forever.
Examples of those who were the victims of false witness
Jesus Christ
Matthew 26:59–61 parallel Mark 14:55–59 See also Matthew 11:18–19 parallel Luke 7:33–34
Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
Other examples
1 Kings 21:8–14 Naboth; Psalm 27:12 David; Daniel 6:24 Daniel; Acts 6:11–13 Stephen; Acts 17:5–7, Acts 24:5–9, Acts 25:7; Romans 3:8
False witness against believers is to be expected by them
Matthew 5:11–12 parallel Luke 6:22–23 See also Matthew 24:9–10; Acts 19:9
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.