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Bible verses about lying

Proverbs 12:22 — lying lips are an abomination to the LORD — is the verse most people are looking for, and Exodus 20:16, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbour, is the commandment behind it. Both are below in full, with ten more: for being lied to, for having lied, and the hard ones. The commandment is given twice in the Bible, and the two versions do not use the same word for false.

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

  1. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.Exodus 20:16 · World English Bible

    The ninth commandment. The Hebrew for 'false' here is sheqer, a lie.

    King James

    Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

  2. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.Deuteronomy 5:20 · World English Bible

    The same commandment, with shav, emptiness: the word of 'in vain' in the third.

    King James

    Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

  3. There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord amongst brothers.Proverbs 6:16-19 · World English Bible

    Seven things the LORD hates. Lying appears twice: the lying tongue and the false witness.

    King James

    These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

  4. Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who do the truth are his delight.Proverbs 12:22 · World English Bible

    Lying lips are an abomination; those who do the truth are his delight.

    King James

    Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.

  5. Truth’s lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only momentary.Proverbs 12:19 · World English Bible

    Truth lasts. A lying tongue is only for a moment.

    King James

    The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

  6. Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbour, for we are members of one another.Ephesians 4:25 · World English Bible

    Speak truth with your neighbour, borrowed from Zechariah, for we are members of one another.

    King James

    Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

  7. Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator,Colossians 3:9-10 · World English Bible

    Don't lie to one another: you have put off the old self.

    King James

    Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

  8. He who practices deceit won’t dwell within my house. He who speaks falsehood won’t be established before my eyes.Psalms 101:7 · World English Bible

    No one who practises deceit will dwell in my house.

    King James

    He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

  9. Deliver my soul, LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.Psalms 120:2 · World English Bible

    For being lied to: deliver me from lying lips.

    King James

    Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.

  10. A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but he harbours evil in his heart. When his speech is charming, don’t believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart. His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.Proverbs 26:24-26 · World English Bible

    When his speech is charming, don't believe him.

    King James

    He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

  11. Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.Psalms 51:6 · World English Bible

    For having lied: truth in the inward parts, not just in what was said.

    King James

    Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

  12. But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”Revelation 21:8 · World English Bible

    All liars comes last in a list that begins with the cowardly.

    King James

    But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The commandment is given twice, with two different words

Exodus 20:16 and Deuteronomy 5:20, both in the list above, are the same commandment. In Exodus the false witness is ed sheqer: sheqer (8267) is the ordinary word for a lie, which Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses “deception, disappointment, falsehood”. In Deuteronomy it is ed shav: shav (7723), “emptiness, vanity” (interlinears for Exodus 20:16 and Deuteronomy 5:20).

Neither of our translations shows it. The King James says false witness both times and the modern rendering says false testimony both times, so this is one of the places where the two toggles agree and the difference is underneath them. The only difference the King James lets you see is Deuteronomy’s opening Neither.

Shav is already in the commandments. It is the in vain of the commandment about God’s name, twice in each version (Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 5:11). So Deuteronomy’s ninth commandment forbids an empty witness in the same word the third uses for taking God’s name emptily. It is the same shape as the Sabbath on our work page: one commandment, given twice, not quite the same way. Nothing is disputed; the two books simply word it differently.

Both versions are about a witness, ed, someone giving evidence. The commandment is about a lie that harms a neighbour before it is about lying in general. Proverbs and Ephesians widen it; the commandment itself is narrower than its reputation.

Ephesians borrowed its line from Zechariah

These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.Zechariah 8:16-17 · King James Version

Ephesians 4:25’s speak every man truth with his neighbour is, in the words of Meyer’s commentary, “a reminiscence from Zechariah 8:16” (commentaries). What Ephesians adds is the reason: for we are members one of another. A lie told inside a body is told to part of yourself.

If you are being lied to

Psalm 120:2 is the prayer, and it asks to be delivered from lying lips rather than to be proved right. Proverbs 26:24-26 is the description, and its warning is about charm: When his speech is charming, don’t believe him. If it is someone close who has done it, our verses about betrayal are written for that.

If you have lied

Psalm 51:6 is the verse for this, and it asks for truth in the inward parts, which is more than a correction to what was said. Our verses about regret and verses about shame go further.

The hard case: the Hebrew midwives

The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigourous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.Exodus 1:19-21 · World English Bible

The midwives have been ordered to kill Hebrew boys at birth, and this is their answer to Pharaoh. Readers have disagreed about it for a long time. Poole’s commentary suggests it “might be no lie, as many suppose, but a truth concerning many of them”; Keil and Delitzsch say plainly that “they succeeded in deceiving the king with this reply” (commentaries). The text itself says why God dealt well with them: because the midwives feared God. It does not comment on the words. We are not going to settle it, and what the disagreement rules out is anyone claiming the Bible answers the question of lying to save a life in a single verse.

What these verses do not say

  • Revelation 21:8 does not single lying out. All liars comes last in a list that begins with the cowardly. Christians read the book’s images in more than one way, and this page does not settle that.
  • They do not make keeping a confidence into lying. Proverbs 11:13 on our gossip page praises the person who keeps a matter.

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For the conversation you keep replaying

Deliver my soul, LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.

Psalm 120:2

You said you can't stop going over what they told you. This one is short enough to say instead.

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Questions

What does the Bible say about lying?

Exodus 20:16 forbids bearing false witness against your neighbour, Proverbs 12:22 calls lying lips an abomination to the LORD, Ephesians 4:25 says to put away falsehood and speak truth with your neighbour, and Colossians 3:9 says not to lie to one another.

Is lying one of the Ten Commandments?

The ninth commandment forbids bearing false witness against your neighbour (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20). It is about testimony that harms someone. The two versions use different Hebrew words for 'false': sheqer, a lie, in Exodus, and shav, emptiness, in Deuteronomy.

Did the Hebrew midwives lie in Exodus 1?

Commentators disagree. Poole suggests their answer may have been true of many Hebrew women; Keil and Delitzsch say they deceived the king. Exodus 1:21 says God dealt well with them because they feared God, and does not comment on what they said.

What does the Bible say about being lied to?

Psalm 120:2 prays to be delivered from lying lips, and Proverbs 26:24-26 warns against believing a charming speaker who harbours malice. If someone close lied to you, see our verses about betrayal.

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