One of the 10 commandments is “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”
Other translations of the Bible state this passage as “do not give false testimony” or more simply, “do not tell lies about others.”
We typically think of this as a command to not perjure ourselves, that is to not give false or misleading information in a courtroom while under oath. We would certainly never do that, so we can check this command off our list — right?
What about gossip, of spreading intimate or private rumors or facts about another person, of talking behind their back? Could that be another type of “false witness?”
Perhaps we need to more carefully consider God’s instruction to not bear false witness, by understanding it to mean “don’t gossip.”
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
