Ninth Commandment
Reading edition
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
Two out of the Ten Commandments deal with sins that find expression by the tongue—the third commandment, which forbids taking God’s name in vain, and this ninth commandment, which forbids false witness against our neighbor. This two-fold prohibition ought to impress us as a solemn warning, especially as we find that the pages of Scripture are full of condemnation of sins of the tongue. The Psalms, Proverbs and the epistle of James deal largely with the subject.