who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,
Parallel translations
- WEB He who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man;
- KJV He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
- NKJV He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
- NASB He does not slander with his tongue, Nor do evil to his neighbor, Nor bring shame on his friend;
- NLT Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.
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
The godly person does no harm with the tongue and does not slander or wrong his neighbor. It matters because how we treat others reveals whether we truly belong to God.
Overview
The character of one fit for God's presence includes restraint of the tongue, refusing to slander, harm a friend, or reproach a neighbor. Loving one's neighbor in word and deed is integral to genuine godliness. This echoes the second great commandment that Jesus affirmed and embodied.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Rom 13:10Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
- Ps 101:5–8Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.
- Matt 7:12In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
- Jas 4:11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.
- Lev 19:16You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
- 3 Jn 1:11Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
- Jer 9:4–9“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
- Exod 23:1–33“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
- 1 Pet 2:1–2Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
- Isa 56:2Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
- Prov 25:3As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be searched.
- Prov 22:10Drive out the mocker, and conflict will depart; even quarreling and insults will cease.
- Rom 1:30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents.
- Titus 3:2to malign no one, and to be peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone.
- 1 Sam 24:11See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. See and know that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life.
- Rom 12:17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 15:3 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.