The actual rendering in most English versions of the Bible concerning the Ninth Commandment is, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20).
But, bearing false witness against your neighbor amounts to lying about him or her with the express intent to cause mental, emotional, or even physical harm.
It is the polar opposite view that would later be taught in Leviticus 19:18, where the Israelites were to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Loving one’s neighbor was further reiterated by Jesus (Mt 19:19; 22:39), as well as the Apostle Paul (Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14) and James (2:8).
In fact, Paul would argue that all the commandments dealing with human relationships were “summed up” in the love relationship between neighbors (Rom 13:9).
This did not mean that neighbors had to necessarily like everything they saw or heard their neighbors do.
But, at the end of the day, love was the ultimate standard for neighbors to abide, for “love covers a multitude of sins,” wrote Peter (1 Pet 4:8).
The Ninth Commandment takes into account a legal setting, whereby issues that might spring forth from one neighbor disapproving of another neighbor’s words or activities, and that neighbor wishes for a judge to intervene.
Whenever that occurred, lying or slandering the accused was forbidden.
Just stick to the facts, since obviously regardless of the judge’s decision, the two parties will still be neighbors and have to live in the same proximity.
Better yet, and especially between those who claim to be believers, avoiding the courts in a lawsuit is prudent, since parading grievances before an unbelieving world “is already a defeat for” the believer.
In fact, it would be better to be defrauded than settle what amounts to petty scuffles between believers in a secular legal setting (1 Cor 5:7).
The Ninth Commandment is highly relevant even today, when lying about everything seems to be acceptable, even if that means attempting to destroy one’s neighbor by bearing false witness against him.
