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Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
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102. Ten Commandments: When a Report Becomes a Verdict


God’s Image • Commandment 9: Do Not Bear False Witness

An accusation may pass from one person to another until it becomes the accepted account. Those repeating it may never have heard the person accused.

Exodus 23 brings false reports, cooperation with wrongdoing, and pressure from a crowd into the same passage.

What Are We Carrying Forward?

“You shall not bear a false report”

— Exodus 23:1, LSB, excerpt

The Hebrew verb נָשָׂא — nāśāʾ (H5375) carries the sense of lifting or bearing. Here it appears with שֵׁמַע — šēmaʿ (H8088), a report, and שָׁוְא — šāwʾ (H7723), falsehood or emptiness.

The instruction concerns taking up a false report. The verse then prohibits joining with a wicked person to become a malicious witness. Examine Exodus 23:1 in Hebrew.

Our responsibility therefore includes what we support and carry forward.

When we repeat an accusation, what have we actually established? Do we know what happened, or only what someone said happened?

Following the Crowd

Verse 2 prohibits following the masses in wrongdoing or allowing their influence to turn testimony away from justice. The Hebrew רַבִּים — rabbîm refers to the many or the crowd. Examine Exodus 23:2 in Hebrew.

The number of people accepting an accusation does not establish its truth.

This matters when a group has already settled its view of someone. A person may feel pressure to agree, remain silent, or repeat the accepted description.

We can ask:

  • Would I give this account the same scrutiny if it concerned someone I favored?

  • Have several people independently witnessed something, or are they repeating one report?

  • Am I afraid that questioning the accusation will make others question my loyalty?

  • Have I confused agreement within a group with evidence?

Justice Without Favoritism

Exodus 23:3 prohibits favoring a poor person in a case. Verse 6 also prohibits denying the needy person justice.

Both instructions must remain together. Neither sympathy nor contempt is permission to distort the matter. Verse 7 directs the hearer to keep far from a false charge and protects the innocent and righteous from being put to death. Read Exodus 23:3, 6–7.

These instructions continue the examination begun in our Partiality Study.

Correction Requires a Truthful Account

Before reproving someone, we must accurately identify what is being corrected.

A disagreement can be explained. A teaching can be compared with Scripture. Harmful conduct can be described truthfully.

But repeating that someone is dangerous, rebellious, or opposed to God requires more than another person’s confidence.

We remain responsible for the account we give, even when we received it from someone we trust.

Threads to Follow

  • Careful inquiry: Examine Deuteronomy 19:15–19 before treating an accusation as established.

  • Misrepresented words: Follow the testimony against Jesus in Mark 14:55–59.

  • Truthful correction: Keep patience and teaching beside reproof and rebuke in 2 Timothy 4:2.

The books were opened…

🌿Studies by Maria Emilia ~ 🗺️Continue exploring: Visit Bible Books to find studies organized by book of the Bible, along with related studies and links.

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