By Roy B. Blizzard
[16] Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Translation:
You shall not be a false witness against your neighbor (in a court of law).
Comments:
Notice that this commandment is a part of Exodus 20: 13 (in the Hebrew text) in which four "thou shalt nots" are grouped together in one verse.
Judaism had an elaborate system of courts and laws. There were three basic courts:
(1) the court of only three judges which was basically the congregational court;
(2) the small Sanhedrin of 23 judges that reviewed cases involving capital punishment; and
(3) the great Sanhedrin of 71 members.
In the Mishnah, Order Nezikin, Tractate Sanhedrin, there is considerable discussion on who can give testimony and or serve as a witness in the court of law. The information presented in Tractate Sanhedrin would be well worth your time to read and would, undoubtedly, illuminate and assist in your understanding of several passages of scripture mentioned in the Biblical text.
This passage does not say, "you shall not lie."
There are those who have stated that one lie is just as bad as another. There are little white lies and there are black lies. In Hebrew, a lie means to make a false statement to one’s detriment.
Frankly, there are instances in which it would be the kindest and the most loving thing to do to not state the 100 percent truth. For example, if your wife asks you how do you like my new dress, it would not be wise to say it looks like it was made out of a Purina flour sack. Or, if she asks about a meal that she has prepared, it would not be wise to declare that it "tastes like it was whomped up in a garbage pail." One needs to consider the feelings of others and, in these instances, our words cannot be considered to be a lie as a lie in Hebrew carries with it the implication that what is being said is to one’s detriment. But, again, we want to emphasize that the injunction, "you shall not bear false witness," relates basically to giving false testimony in a court of law.
This passage is very closely connected with the three previous "thou shalt nots" that relate directly to how one relates to their fellow man.
