Proverbs 6:19
New International Version
a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

New Living Translation
a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.

English Standard Version
a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Berean Standard Bible
a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.

King James Bible
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

New King James Version
A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

New American Standard Bible
A false witness who declares lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

NASB 1995
A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

NASB 1977
A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

Legacy Standard Bible
A false witness who breathes out lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

Amplified Bible
A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths], And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.

Christian Standard Bible
a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.

American Standard Version
A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

Contemporary English Version
those who tell lies in court or stir up trouble in a family.

English Revised Version
A false witness that uttereth lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
a dishonest witness spitting out lies, and a person who spreads conflict among relatives.

International Standard Version
a false witness snorting lies, and someone sowing quarrels between brothers.

Majority Standard Bible
a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.

NET Bible
a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who spreads discord among family members.

New Heart English Bible
a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

Webster's Bible Translation
A false witness that speaketh lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.

World English Bible
a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
A false witness [who] breathes out lies, "" And one sending forth contentions between brothers.

Young's Literal Translation
A false witness who doth breathe out lies -- And one sending forth contentions between brethren.

Smith's Literal Translation
A witness of falsehood, breathing out lies, and sending strife between brethren.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
A deceitful witness that uttereth lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.

Catholic Public Domain Version
a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

New American Bible
The false witness who utters lies, and the one who sows discord among kindred.

New Revised Standard Version
a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
A false witness who speaks lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A false witness who speaks lies and deception among brothers.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
A false witness that breatheth out lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warnings Against Foolishness
18a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, 19a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.

Cross References
James 3:6-10
The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. / All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, / but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ...

Matthew 15:18-20
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. / For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. / These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

Ephesians 4:25
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

Colossians 3:9
Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices,

Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

1 John 2:4
If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Romans 1:29-31
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. / They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.

1 Timothy 1:9-10
We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, / for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. / For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, / unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, ...

Titus 1:10-11
For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision, / who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.

Psalm 101:7
No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my presence.

Psalm 120:2-3
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue. / What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?

Jeremiah 9:3-6
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD. / “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. / Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity. ...

Zechariah 8:16-17
These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments in your gates, / do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely, for I hate all these things,” declares the LORD.

Exodus 23:1
“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.


Treasury of Scripture

A false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brothers.

a false

Psalm 12:2,3
They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak…

Psalm 19:5,9
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race…

Psalm 25:18
Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.

that soweth

Proverbs 6:14
Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

Proverbs 16:28
A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

Proverbs 22:10
Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

Jump to Previous
Breathes Breatheth Breathing Contentions Discord Dissension Forth Lies Pours Sending Soweth Sows Speaketh Spreads Stirs Strife Untrue Uttereth Utters Violent Witness Words
Jump to Next
Breathes Breatheth Breathing Contentions Discord Dissension Forth Lies Pours Sending Soweth Sows Speaketh Spreads Stirs Strife Untrue Uttereth Utters Violent Witness Words
Proverbs 6
1. against indebtedness
6. idleness
12. and mischievousness
16. seven things detestable to God
20. the blessings of obedience
25. the mischief of unfaithfulness














a false witness
The term "false witness" in Hebrew is "עֵד שֶׁקֶר" (ed sheker). In the ancient context, a witness held a crucial role in the judicial system, where testimonies could determine life or death. The ninth commandment, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16), underscores the gravity of truthfulness. A false witness not only perverts justice but also undermines the societal fabric by eroding trust. In a spiritual sense, this phrase warns against the dangers of deceit and the moral decay it brings.

who gives false testimony
The act of giving "false testimony" is a deliberate act of lying or misrepresentation. The Hebrew word "יָפִיחַ" (yafiah) implies breathing out or uttering, suggesting an intentional and active role in spreading falsehoods. Historically, false testimony could lead to wrongful punishment or societal chaos. Biblically, it is seen as an affront to God's nature, as God is truth (John 14:6). This phrase serves as a reminder of the importance of integrity and the destructive power of lies.

and one who stirs up discord
The phrase "stirs up discord" comes from the Hebrew "מְשַׁלֵּחַ מְדָנִים" (meshalach medanim). The verb "מְשַׁלֵּחַ" (meshalach) means to send out or let loose, indicating an active effort to incite conflict. Discord, or "מְדָנִים" (medanim), refers to strife or contention. In the biblical context, unity among God's people is highly valued (Psalm 133:1). This phrase highlights the destructive nature of sowing division, which can fracture communities and families, contrary to the call for peace and reconciliation.

among brothers
The term "brothers" in Hebrew is "בֵּין אַחִים" (bein achim), which can refer to literal siblings or, more broadly, members of a community or nation. The familial language emphasizes the closeness and inherent bond that should exist among people of faith. Historically, the unity of the Israelite tribes was crucial for their survival and prosperity. In the New Testament, believers are called to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 4:21). This phrase serves as a poignant reminder of the call to foster harmony and love within the Christian community, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ.

Verse 19. - The sixth thing is perjury. A false witness that speaketh lies; literally, he that breathes out, or utters, lies as a false witness. So the Vulgate, proferentem mendacia testem fallacem. The Hebrew puakh is "to breathe," "to blow," and in the hiph. form, which is used here (yaphiakh, hiph. future), it is "to blow out" or" utter," either in a bad sense, as in the present instance, and in Proverbs 6:19; Proverbs 14:5; Proverbs 19:5, 9 (cf. Psalm 10:5; Psalm 12:5); or in a good sense, "to utter the truth," as in Proverbs 12:17. Lies; Hebrew k'zavim, plural of kazav, "falsehood," "lying" (cf. Proverbs 21:25). A false witness (Hebrew, ed-k'zavim), as in margin, "a witness of lies." The expression, "as a false witness," as it appears in the original, is explanatory, and indicates the particular aspect under which the speaking of lies is regarded. Lying in its more general sense has been already spoken of in ver. 17. The vice which is here noted as odious to God is expressly forbidden in the moral code, "Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour" (Exodus 20:16). But this, though the chief, is only one view of the case. Perjury may be employed, not only in ruining the innocent, but also in screen-tog the guilty. "Much hurt," says Muffet, in loc., "doth the deceitful and lying witness, for he corrupteth the judge, oppresseth the innocent, suppresseth the truth, and in the courts of justice sinneth against his own soul and the Lord himself most grievously." "He that speaketh lies as a false witness," again, may be the vile instrument in the hands of unscrupulous and inexorable enemies, as those employed against our Lord and Stephen. Perjury, too, destroys the security of communities. The shipwreck of society which it occasions may be seen in the frightful misery which ensued when the system of delatores was not only countenanced, but encouraged under the Roman empire. Truly speaking, he that lies as a false witness must be hateful to God. And he that soweth discord among brethren; the seventh and last thing in the enumeration, but not, as Delitzsch holds, the ne plus ultra of all that is hated of God. It closes, as in ver. 14, the series, but with the addition "among brethren;" thus emphatically stigmatizing the conduct of that man as diabolical who destroys the harmony and unity of those who ought to live together in brotherly affection, and who disturbs the peace of communities.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
a false
שָׁ֑קֶר (šā·qer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8267: Deception, disappointment, falsehood

witness
עֵ֣ד (‘êḏ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5707: A witness, testimony, a recorder, prince

who gives false
כְּ֭זָבִים (kə·zā·ḇîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3577: A lie, falsehood, deceptive thing

testimony,
יָפִ֣יחַ (yā·p̄î·aḥ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6315: To puff, blow with the breath, air, to fan, to utter, to kindle, to scoff

and one who stirs up
וּמְשַׁלֵּ֥חַ (ū·mə·šal·lê·aḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

discord
מְ֝דָנִ֗ים (mə·ḏā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4090: A contest, quarrel

among
בֵּ֣ין (bên)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

brothers.
אַחִֽים׃ (’a·ḥîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 251: A brother, )


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 6:19 A false witness who utters lies (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 6:18
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