“‘You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am Yahweh.
Parallel translations
- KJV 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.
- BSB You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
- NKJV You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
- NASB You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people; and you are not to jeopardize the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.
- NLT “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. “Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must not spread slander or endanger a neighbor's life.
Overview
This protects both reputation and life from the harm of malicious speech and indifference to others' safety. Slander destroys community trust, and ignoring a neighbor's peril violates love. The verse calls God's people to guard one another's good name and well-being as an expression of holiness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Exod 23:1“You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.
- Exod 23:7“Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous: for I will not justify the wicked.
- Prov 20:19He who goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets; therefore don’t keep company with him who opens wide his lips.
- Ezek 22:9Slanderous men have been in you to shed blood. In you they have eaten on the mountains. They have committed lewdness among you.
- Prov 11:13One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret.
- Jer 6:28They are all grievous rebels, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron: they all of them deal corruptly.
- Jer 9:4“Everyone beware of his neighbor, and don’t trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
- 1 Pet 2:1Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,
- 1 Kgs 21:10–13Set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.”
- Ps 15:3He who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man;
- Exod 20:16“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
- Acts 6:11–13Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
- 1 Tim 3:11Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
- Matt 26:60–61and they found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward,
- Titus 2:3and that older women likewise be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good;
- 2 Tim 3:3without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good,
- Matt 27:4saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”
- Acts 24:4–9But, that I don’t delay you, I entreat you to bear with us and hear a few words.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 19:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.