New Living Translation
Leviticus 19:16
16“Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. “Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)“ ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people. “ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
Context of Leviticus 19:16
14“Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God; I am the Lord. 15“Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly. “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. “Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord. 17“Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin. 18“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Read all of Leviticus 19Leviticus 19:16 word by word
לֹא־תֵלֵ֤ךְ רָכִיל֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔יךָ לֹ֥א תַעֲמֹ֖ד עַל־דַּ֣ם רֵעֶ֑ךָ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Leviticus 19:16
- Exodus 23:1“You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.
- Psalms 15:3Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.
- Proverbs 11:13A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
- Proverbs 20:19A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.
- Jeremiah 6:28They are the worst kind of rebel, full of slander. They are as hard as bronze and iron, and they lead others into corruption.
- Jeremiah 9:4“Beware of your neighbor! Don’t even trust your brother! For brother takes advantage of brother, and friend slanders friend.
- Ezekiel 22:9People accuse others falsely and send them to their death. You are filled with idol worshipers and people who do obscene things.
- 1 Timothy 3:11In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.
- 2 Timothy 3:3They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.
- 1 Peter 2:1So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.
- Exodus 20:16“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
- 1 Kings 21:10And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”
- Matthew 26:60But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward
- Matthew 27:4“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
- Acts 6:11So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.”
- Acts 24:4But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment.
Commentaries on Leviticus 19:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer - רכיל rachil signifies a trader, a peddler, and is here applied to the person who travels about dealing in scandal and calumny, getting the secrets of every person and family, and retailing them wherever he goes. A more despicable character exists not: such a person is a pest to society, and should be exiled from the habitations of men. Neither shalt thou stand against the blood, etc. - Thou shalt not be as…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Stand against the blood of thy neighbor - Either, to put his life in danger by standing up as his accuser (compare Matthew 26:60); or, to stand by idly when thy neighbor‘s life is in danger. Whichever interpretation we adopt, the clause prohibits that which might interfere with the course of justice.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16You must not go about spreading slander: Imagine a merchant who trades in damaging rumors and accusations. This behavior quickly weakens the valued community spirit in Israel (see Proverbs 11:13; 16:28; 20:19; 26:20; 2 Corinthians 12:20).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-1611-16. Ye shall not steal--A variety of social duties are inculcated in this passage, chiefly in reference to common and little-thought-of vices to which mankind are exceedingly prone; such as committing petty frauds, or not scrupling to violate truth in transactions of business, ridiculing bodily infirmities, or circulating stories to the prejudice of others. In opposition to these bad habits, a spirit of humanity and brotherly kindness is strongly…Read the comment
Topics related to Leviticus 19:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Leviticus 19
- 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
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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