Proverbs 24:28

Proverbs 24:28, in plain English

Don't make false accusations against someone in court, and more broadly, don't use words as weapons to deceive people.

Why it's here

Ancient courts depended entirely on testimony, so false witnesses could destroy an innocent person. The writer is calling out a deeply destructive sin—using your voice to harm someone who hasn't actually wronged you. This goes beyond courtrooms to any time you lie about someone.

Who's speaking

The wise teachers, protecting against a specific form of injustice.

Where it sits in the story

False witness was serious enough to be in the Ten Commandments. Jesus and the prophets constantly called out people who used words to deceive and harm. Your words have power to build up or tear down.

The scholarly reading

Bring no false testimony against your neighbor, and do not use words to deceive—both judicial and personal integrity require honest speech.

Language and setting

The legal framework surfaces again with עֵד (ʿēd, 'witness') and the prohibition against testifying שׁוְא (šāwʾ, 'falsely' or 'without cause'). The parallel line extends this from the formal court to personal speech: deceiving 'with your lips' (בִּשְׂפָתוֹ) violates relational trust. The Hebrew שׁוְא carries a sense of emptiness, futility, and malice—false witness doesn't merely fail factually but actively corrupts the truth-seeking process. This appears to address the young man's various temptations: to flatter the powerful, to implicate the rival, to curry favor through clever speech.

Voice

The sage continuing his instruction on the proper use of words in both public and private domains.

Significance

This echoes the Decalogue's prohibition on false witness (Ex. 20:16) and anticipates Jesus's teaching that 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks' (Matt. 12:34), suggesting that verbal integrity flows from ethical character.

26An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.

27Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.

28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.

29Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”

30I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.

Read all of Proverbs 24 — If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength. Wisdom builds a house; by understanding it is established.