Psalms 15:3

Psalms 15:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
• New International Version (NIV)whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others;
• English Standard Version (ESV)who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
• New King James Version (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;

Context of Psalms 15:3

1Lord, who may stay with you, in your own home? Who may live there, on your holy hill? 2It is the person who does only things that are right. It is the person who lives in a completely good way, and who speaks only what he knows is true. He says nothing bad against other people. He does nothing that will hurt his friends, nor does he insult them. 4He does not respect wicked people, but he does respect people who serve the Lord. When he promises to do something, he always does it. 5He lends his money to help other people, and he does not ask for more money in return. He does not accept a bribe, to speak against people who have done nothing wrong. People who live in this way will always be safe.

Psalms 15:3 word by word

לֹֽא־רָגַ֨ל׀ עַל־לְשֹׁנ֗וֹ לֹא־עָשָׂ֣ה לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ רָעָ֑ה וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה לֹא־נָשָׂ֥א עַל־קְרֹֽבוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• backbitethרָגַלrâgal · to spyH7270
• not with his tongueלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongueH3956
• nor doethעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
• to his neighbourרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
• nor taketh upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: loudH5375
• a reproachחֶרְפָּהcherpâh · reproachH2781
• against his neighbourקָרֹבqârôb qârôb · nearH7138

Cross-references for Psalms 15:3

• Psalms 101:5If anyone secretly speaks against his friend, I will destroy them. If anyone is proud and they boast about themselves, I will send them away from me.
• Exodus 23:1Do not make false reports. Do not tell lies in court to help wicked people.
• Leviticus 19:16You must not speak bad words about other people. If somebody is in danger of death, do not keep quiet if you know the truth. I am the Lord.
• Jeremiah 9:4Be careful of your friends. Do not even trust your brothers! They will always try to cheat you. All your friends will speak lies about you.
• Romans 1:30They tell lies about people. They hate God. They insult other people. They are proud and they say how important they are. They think of many ways to do bad things. They do not obey their parents.
• James 4:11My Christian friends, do not say bad things against each other. If you speak against another believer, you are really speaking against God's Law. If you judge another believer, then you are judging the law too. When you do that, you are not obeying the Law. You are giving yourself authority to decide what the Law says.
• 1 Peter 2:1So you must refuse to do any evil things. Do not tell lies to deceive people. Do not be hypocrites. Do not be jealous of other people. Do not say bad things against other people.
• 1 Samuel 24:11My father, look at what I have in my hand! It is a small piece of your coat. I cut this off the corner of your coat, but I did not kill you. So you must know that I do not want to do anything bad against you. I have not turned against you. I am not guilty of anything, but you are chasing after me so that you can kill me.
• Isaiah 56:2God will bless the people who do what is right. They must be careful to obey my laws. They must respect the rules for the Sabbath day and keep it special. They must refuse to do anything that is evil.
• Matthew 7:12So do the good things for other people that you would want them to do for you. That is true in everything you do. That is what God's Law and the messages of God's prophets teach us.’
• Romans 12:17If someone has done bad things against you, do not do bad things back to them. Try to live in a good way so that people will respect you. They will see that you do good things.
• Romans 13:10If you love other people, you will never do anything bad to them. So anyone who loves other people has obeyed God's Law completely.
• 3 John 1:11My friend, do not copy what bad people do. Instead, you should copy the good things that people do. The person who does good things shows that he belongs to God. But anyone who does bad things does not know God.
• Proverbs 22:10If someone laughs at what is right, send him away. Then there will be no more arguments, quarrels and insults.
• Proverbs 25:3You can never know all the thoughts of a king. They go high above the sky and deep below the earth.

Commentaries on Psalms 15:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3He that backbiteth not with his tongue - לשנו על רגל לא lo ragal al leshono, "he foots not upon his tongue." 4. He is one who treats his neighbor with respect. He says nothing that might injure him in his character, person, or property; he forgets no calumny, he is author of no slander, he insinuates nothing by which his neighbor may be injured. The tongue, because of its slanderous conversation, is represented in the nervous original as kicking about the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3He that backbiteth not with his tongue - The word “backbite” means to censure; slander; reproach; speak evil of. The Hebrew word - רגל râgal - a verb formed from the word foot, means properly “to foot it,” and then “to go about.” Then it means to go about as a tale-bearer or slanderer; to circulate reports unfavorable to others. It is not improperly rendered here “backbite;” and the idea is, that it is essential to true piety that one should “not” be a…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-5This wisdom poem contrasts the lifestyle of the righteous with the actions of fools (Psalm 14). The questions in this psalm invite people to examine themselves and not pay attention to problems with the wicked. The question of who dwells in God’s presence leads into a description of godly character qualities (compare Psalm 24:3–6; Isaiah 33:14–16).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. He neither slanders nor spreads slander.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 15:3

• Backbiting
• Holiness
• Integrity
• Neighbor
• Righteous
• Righteousness
• Slander
• Speaking
• Talebearer

In the dictionaries

• Backbite
• Contemn
• Evilspeaking
• Tabernacle
• God
• Neighbor
• Papyrus
• Psalms, Book of
• Slander
• Poetry, Hebrew

Commentaries on Psalms 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings