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Bible verses about gossip

Proverbs 26:20 — where there is no wood, the fire goes out — is the most practical sentence in the Bible about gossip, and Proverbs 18:8 is the one that explains why it is hard to resist. Both are below in full, with ten more: the law in Leviticus, James on the tongue, and two for the person on the other end of it, who is being talked about. Proverbs 18:8 also turns out to be in the Bible twice, word for word.

12 passages · World English Bible & King James · public domain

  1. The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts.Proverbs 18:8 · World English Bible

    Wounds or dainty morsels: the word occurs here and in 26:22, the same proverb again.

    King James

    The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

  2. For lack of wood a fire goes out. Without gossip, a quarrel dies down. As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, they go down into the innermost parts.Proverbs 26:20-22 · World English Bible

    No wood, no fire. And the last verse is Proverbs 18:8, said a second time.

    King James

    Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

  3. “‘You shall not go around as a slanderer amongst your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbour. I am the LORD.Leviticus 19:16 · World English Bible

    Going up and down as a talebearer, in the same verse as endangering your neighbour.

    King James

    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.

  4. A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.Proverbs 16:28 · World English Bible

    A whisperer separates close friends.

    King James

    A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

  5. He who goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets; therefore don’t keep company with him who opens wide his lips.Proverbs 20:19 · World English Bible

    The tale-bearer reveals secrets, so keep away from the one who opens wide his lips.

    King James

    He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

  6. One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret.Proverbs 11:13 · World English Bible

    The talebearer reveals secrets; the trustworthy one keeps the matter.

    King James

    A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

  7. LORD, who shall dwell in your sanctuary? Who shall live on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart; he who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man;Psalms 15:1-3 · World English Bible

    Who may dwell on God's holy hill: the one who does not slander with his tongue.

    King James

    LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

  8. So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity amongst our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.James 3:5-6 · World English Bible

    The tongue is a small fire, and a whole forest goes up.

    King James

    Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

  9. Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.Ephesians 4:29 · World English Bible

    Only what builds up, that it may give grace to those who hear.

    King James

    Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

  10. He who covers an offence promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.Proverbs 17:9 · World English Bible

    Covering an offence promotes love; repeating a matter separates friends.

    King James

    He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

  11. For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life. But I trust in you, LORD. I said, “You are my God.”Psalms 31:13-14 · World English Bible

    For the one being talked about: the slander of many, and then 'But I trust in you, LORD.'

    King James

    For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life. But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.

  12. having a good conscience. Thus, while you are spoken against as evildoers, they may be disappointed who curse your good way of life in Christ.1 Peter 3:16 · World English Bible

    Written to people being spoken against. It asks for a good conscience, not a rebuttal.

    King James

    Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

The proverb Scripture says twice

The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts.Proverbs 18:8 · World English Bible

Now look at the last verse of Proverbs 26:20-22 in the list above. It is the same sentence. In Hebrew the two verses are identical, and the King James prints them identically; the modern rendering varies its wording, calling the speaker a gossip the first time and a whisperer the second.

The word the two translations disagree about is the important one. The King James says wounds; the modern rendering says dainty morsels. Under both is laham (3859), and it occurs in these two verses and nowhere else. Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses it “swallow greedily” — bits greedily swallowed, dainties. Strong’s gives “to burn in, i.e. to rankle”, which is where wounds comes from. The only other place the word appears is the same sentence, so there is nothing to check it against, and we are not going to settle it.

What is not in doubt is the second half, and both translations agree on it: the words go down into the innermost parts. Either they hurt on the way in or they taste good on the way in, and either way they stay. The morsels reading also explains something the other does not, which is why people listen.

One English word for two Hebrew ones

Count talebearer in the King James toggles on this page. It comes six times, and it is two different Hebrew words, three times each.

In Leviticus 19:16, Proverbs 11:13 and Proverbs 20:19 it is rakil (7400). Most of its occurrences come with a verb of going, which Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses as going about in slander, and Strong’s has “a scandal-monger (as travelling about)”. The King James’s go up and down as a talebearer in Leviticus is exactly that: someone carrying a story from house to house.

In Proverbs 18:8, 26:20 and 26:22 it is nirgan (5372), which occurs only in Proverbs, and which the King James itself renders whisperer at Proverbs 16:28 (interlinear). The lexicons do not agree where the word comes from, so we will leave its root alone.

So Hebrew has a word for the person who carries the story round and another for the person who passes it on quietly, and the King James spends one English word on both. The modern rendering mostly keeps them apart — slanderer, one who brings gossip and tale-bearer for the first; whisperer and gossip for the second — though in the one place it could have matched itself, the proverb said twice, it is the modern rendering that changes word. Nothing in the Hebrew is disputed. These are translation choices, and the toggles let you see them.

Talk to them, not about them

“‘You shall not go around as a slanderer amongst your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbour. I am the LORD. “‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbour, and not bear sin because of him.Leviticus 19:16-17 · World English Bible

The law against going about as a talebearer is followed directly by the command to rebuke your neighbour yourself. The alternative to talking about someone is talking to them. Jesus gives the same order in Matthew 18:15: go to the person first, between the two of you, and our page about forgiveness follows that passage through to what happens when it does not work.

None of this makes reporting harm into gossip. If what you know is that someone is being hurt, telling a person who can act on it is not carrying a tale; the forgiveness page says more about that, with the safeguarding guidance it rests on.

If you are the one being talked about

For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life. But I trust in you, LORD. I said, “You are my God.”Psalms 31:13-14 · World English Bible

The first line of that is also in Jeremiah, in the same four Hebrew words — the slander (Jeremiah’s translators say defaming) of many, terror on every side (Psalm 31:13, Jeremiah 20:10). Jeremiah adds what the talkers are saying, and who they are:

For I have heard the defaming of many: “Terror on every side! Denounce, and we will denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, those who watch for my fall. “Perhaps he will be persuaded, and we will prevail against him, and we will take our revenge on him.”Jeremiah 20:10 · World English Bible

Denounce, and we will denounce him — in the King James, Report, say they, and we will report it. The people doing it are his familiar friends. Four verses later Jeremiah curses the day he was born, which our birthday readings page prints without correction. Neither man is told he is overreacting. The psalm turns at verse 14, But I trust in you, LORD, and it turns without the slander having stopped.

If it is a friend who has done this, our verses about betrayal are written for that.

Without wood

Proverbs 26:20 is the most useful sentence on the subject: where there is no wood, the fire goes out. James 3:5-6 reaches for the same picture, a small fire and a whole forest. A story needs somebody to pass it to, which is why Proverbs 20:19, having said that the tale-bearer reveals secrets, ends: don’t keep company with him who opens wide his lips. Proverbs 17:9 offers the alternative: covering an offence rather than repeating it.

What these verses do not say

  • They do not say you may never speak about anyone’s behaviour. Leviticus 19:17 commands rebuking your neighbour yourself.
  • They do not make reporting harm into talebearing. Covering an offence in Proverbs 17:9 is about letting a wrong go, not hiding someone being hurt.
  • They do not tell the person being talked about to keep quiet about it. Psalm 31 is said out loud, and it is a complaint.

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A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.

Proverbs 16:28

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Questions

What does the Bible say about gossip?

Proverbs calls the gossip a whisperer who separates close friends (16:28) and says where there is no wood the fire goes out (26:20). Leviticus 19:16 forbids going about as a talebearer, and the next verse commands speaking to your neighbour directly instead. James 3:5-6 compares the tongue to a small fire that sets a forest alight.

Is Proverbs 18:8 the same as Proverbs 26:22?

Yes. In Hebrew the two verses are identical, and the King James prints them identically: 'The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.' The word translated 'wounds' (or 'dainty morsels' in modern translations) occurs only in these two verses.

Why does the King James say 'wounds' where newer Bibles say 'dainty morsels'?

The Hebrew word, from laham, occurs only in Proverbs 18:8 and 26:22, so there is nothing to compare it with. Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses it as things greedily swallowed; Strong's as to rankle, which gives 'wounds'. Both translations agree that the words go down into the innermost parts.

What should I do if people are gossiping about me?

Scripture does not tell you to stay silent about it. Psalm 31:13-14 and Jeremiah 20:10 both describe hearing 'the slander of many' and say so plainly. If it is a friend doing it, see our verses about betrayal.

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