Leviticus 19:11

Dealing Honestly

19:11 “‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen. ¹ 

Leviticus 19:1

Religious and Social Regulations

19:1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Leviticus 13:18

A Boil on the Skin

13:18 “When someone’s body has a boil on its skin ²  and it heals,

Psalms 52:3

52:3 You love evil more than good,

lies more than speaking the truth. ³  (Selah)

Psalms 119:29

119:29 Remove me from the path of deceit! ⁴ 

Graciously give me ⁵  your law!

Proverbs 6:17

6:17 haughty eyes, ⁶  a lying tongue, ⁷ 

and hands that shed innocent blood, ⁸ 

Proverbs 12:19

12:19 The one who tells the truth ⁹  will endure forever,

but the one who lies ¹⁰  will last only for a moment. ¹¹ 

Proverbs 12:22

12:22 The Lord ¹²  abhors a person who lies, ¹³ 

but those who deal truthfully ¹⁴  are his delight. ¹⁵ 

Proverbs 21:6

21:6 Making a fortune ¹⁶  by a lying tongue is like ¹⁷  a vapor driven back and forth; ¹⁸ 

they seek death. ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 9:15

9:15 The leaders and the highly respected people ²⁰  are the head,

the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

Isaiah 59:3-4

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ²¹ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ²²  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ²³ 

and give birth to sin.

Isaiah 63:8

63:8 He said, “Certainly they will be my people,

children who are not disloyal.” ²⁴ 

He became their deliverer.

Jeremiah 9:3-5

The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them

9:3 The Lord says, ²⁵ 

“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows.

Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. ²⁶ 

They have become powerful in the land,

but they have not done so by honest means. ²⁷ 

Indeed, they do one evil thing after another ²⁸ 

and do not pay attention to me. ²⁹ 

9:4 Everyone must be on his guard around his friends.

He must not even trust any of his relatives. ³⁰ 

For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. ³¹ 

And all of his friends will tell lies about him.

9:5 One friend deceives another

and no one tells the truth.

These people have trained themselves ³²  to tell lies.

They do wrong and are unable to repent.

Hosea 4:2

4:2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.

They resort to violence and bloodshed. ³³ 

John 8:44

8:44 You people ³⁴  are from ³⁵  your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. ³⁶  He ³⁷  was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, ³⁸  because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, ³⁹  he speaks according to his own nature, ⁴⁰  because he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴¹ 

Acts 5:3-4

5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled ⁴²  your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of ⁴³  the land? 5:4 Before it was sold, ⁴⁴  did it not ⁴⁵  belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money ⁴⁶  not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? ⁴⁷  You have not lied to people ⁴⁸  but to God!”

Colossians 3:9

3:9 Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices

Colossians 3:1

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ⁴⁹  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁵⁰  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Colossians 4:2

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

Titus 1:2

1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. ⁵¹ 

Titus 1:12

1:12 A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ⁵² 

Revelation 21:8

21:8 But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, ⁵³  idol worshipers, ⁵⁴  and all those who lie, their place ⁵⁵  will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. ⁵⁶  That ⁵⁷  is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15

22:15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers ⁵⁸  and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! ⁵⁹ 

[19:11]  ¹ tn Heb “you shall not deal falsely a man with his fellow citizen.”

[13:18]  ² tc Heb (MT) reads, “And flesh if/when there is in it, in its skin, a boil.” Smr has only “in it,” not “in its skin,” and a few medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have only “in its skin” (cf. v. 24 below), not “in it.” It does not effect the meaning of the verse, but one is tempted to suggest that “in it” (בוֹ, vo) was added in error as a partial dittography from the beginning of “in its skin” (בְעֹרוֹ, vÿ’oro).

[52:3]  ³ tn Or “deceit more than speaking what is right.”

[119:29]  ⁴ tn The “path of deceit” refers to a lifestyle characterized by deceit and disloyalty to God. It stands in contrast to the “way of faithfulness” in v. 30.

[119:29]  ⁵ tn Heb “be gracious to me.” The verb is used metonymically here for “graciously giving” the law. (See Gen 33:5, where Jacob uses this verb in describing how God had graciously given him children.)

[6:17]  ⁶ sn The expression “high/ lofty [רָמוֹת, ramot] eyes” refers to a proud look suggesting arrogant ambition (cf. NCV “a proud look”). The use of “eyes” is a metonymy of adjunct, the look in the eyes accompanying the attitude. This term “high” is used in Num 15:30 for the sin of the “high hand,” i.e., willful rebellion or defiant sin. The usage of “haughty eyes” may be illustrated by its use with the pompous Assyrian invader (Isa 10:12-14) and the proud king of the book of Daniel (11:12). God does not tolerate anyone who thinks so highly of himself and who has such ambition.

[6:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “a tongue of deception.” The genitive noun functions attributively. The term “tongue” functions as a metonymy. The term is used of false prophets who deceive (Jer 14:14), and of a deceiver who betrays (Ps 109:2). The Lord hates deceptive speech because it is destructive (26:28).

[6:17]  ⁸ sn The hands are the instruments of murder (metonymy of cause), and God hates bloodshed. Gen 9:6 prohibited shedding blood because people are the image of God. Even David being a man of blood (in war mostly) was not permitted to build the Temple (1 Chr 22:8). But shedding innocent blood was a greater crime – it usually went with positions of power, such as King Manasseh filling the streets with blood (2 Kgs 21:16), or princes doing it for gain (Ezek 22:27).

[12:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “a lip of truth.” The genitive אֱמֶת (’emet, “truth”) functions as an attributive adjective: “truthful lip.” The term שְׂפַת (sÿfat, “lip”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= lip) for the whole (= person): “truthful person.” The contrast is between “the lip of truth” and the “tongue of lying.”

[12:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a tongue of deceit.” The genitive שָׁקֶר (shaqer, “deceit”) functions as an attributive genitive. The noun לָשׁוֹן (lashon, “tongue”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= tongue) for the whole (= person): “lying person.”

[12:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “while I would twinkle.” This expression is an idiom meaning “only for a moment.” The twinkling of the eye, the slightest movement, signals the brevity of the life of a lie (hyperbole). But truth will be established (תִּכּוֹן, tikon), that is, be made firm and endure.

[12:22]  ¹² tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”) is a subjective genitive.

[12:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “lips of lying.” The genitive שָׁקֶר (shaqer, “lying”) functions as an attributive genitive: “lying lips.” The term “lips” functions as a synecdoche of part (= lips) for the whole (= person): “a liar.”

[12:22]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “but doers of truthfulness.” The term “truthfulness” is an objective genitive, meaning: “those who practice truth” or “those who act in good faith.” Their words and works are reliable.

[12:22]  ¹⁵ sn The contrast between “delight/pleasure” and “abomination” is emphatic. What pleases the Lord is acting truthfully or faithfully.

[21:6]  ¹⁶ tn The first word of the verse is the noun meaning “doing, deed, work.” The BHS editors suggest reading with the LXX an active participle – “the one who makes” (cf. NAB “He who makes”). The second word means “treasure,” from the verb “lay up, store up.” It is an objective genitive here.

[21:6]  ¹⁷ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.

[21:6]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew הֶבֶל נִדָּף (hevel nidaf) is properly “a driven vapor” (“driven” = the Niphal participle). The point of the metaphor is that the ill-gotten gains will vanish into thin air. The LXX has “pursues” (as if reading רֹדֵף, rodef); cf. NAB “chasing a bubble over deadly snares.”

[21:6]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew has “seekers of death,” meaning “[they that seek them] are seekers of death,” or that the fortune is “a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.” The sense is not readily apparent. The Greek and the Latin versions have “snares of death”; the form מוֹקְשֵׁי (moqÿshe) was read instead of מְבַקְשֵׁי (mÿvaqshe). This reading does not make a more credible metaphor, and one must explain the loss of the letter ב (bet) in the textual variant. It is, however, slightly easier to interpret in the verse, and is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But whether the easier reading is the correct one in this case would be difficult to prove.

[9:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the elder and the one lifted up with respect to the face.” For another example of the Hebrew idiom, see 2 Kgs 5:1.

[59:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”

[59:4]  ²² tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”

[59:4]  ²³ tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”

[63:8]  ²⁴ tn Heb “children [who] do not act deceitfully.” Here the verb refers to covenantal loyalty.

[9:3]  ²⁵ tn The words “The Lord says” have been moved up from the end of the verse to make clear that a change in speaker has occurred.

[9:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “They have readied [or strung] their tongue as their bow for lies.”

[9:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “but not through honesty.”

[9:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “they go from evil to evil.”

[9:3]  ²⁹ tn Or “do not acknowledge me”; Heb “do not know me.” But “knowing” in Hebrew thought often involves more than intellectual knowledge; it involves emotional and volitional commitment as well. For יָדַע meaning “acknowledge” see 1 Chr 28:9; Isa 29:21; Hos 2:20; Prov 3:6. This word is also found in ancient Near Eastern treaty contexts where it has the idea of a vassal king acknowledging the sovereignty of a greater king (cf. H. Huffmon, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew yada,” BASOR 181 [1966]: 31-37).

[9:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Be on your guard…Do not trust.” The verbs are second masculine plural of direct address and there seems no way to translate literally and not give the mistaken impression that Jeremiah is being addressed. This is another example of the tendency in Hebrew style to turn from description to direct address (a figure of speech called apostrophe).

[9:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “cheating, each of them will cheat.”

[9:5]  ³² tn Heb “their tongues.” However, this is probably not a natural idiom in contemporary English and the tongue may stand as a part for the whole anyway.

[4:2]  ³³ tn Heb “they break out and bloodshed touches bloodshed.” The Hebrew term פָּרַץ (parats, “to break out”) refers to violent and wicked actions (BDB 829 s.v. פָּרַץ 7; HALOT 972 s.v. פרץ 6.c). It is used elsewhere in a concrete sense to describe breaking through physical barriers. Here it is used figuratively to describe breaking moral barriers and restraints (cf. TEV “Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another”).

[8:44]  ³⁴ tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.

[8:44]  ³⁵ tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).

[8:44]  ³⁶ tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”

[8:44]  ³⁷ tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).

[8:44]  ³⁸ tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).

[8:44]  ³⁹ tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”

[8:44]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”

[8:44]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”

[5:3]  ⁴² sn This is a good example of the Greek verb fill (πληρόω, plhrow) meaning “to exercise control over someone’s thought and action” (cf. Eph 5:18).

[5:3]  ⁴³ tn The words “from the sale of” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the meaning, since the phrase “proceeds from the land” could possibly be understood as crops rather than money from the sale.

[5:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “Remaining to you.”

[5:4]  ⁴⁵ tn The negative interrogative particle οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply to this question and the following one (“And when it was sold, was it not at your disposal?”).

[5:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “it”; the referent of the pronoun (the money generated from the sale of the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “How is it that you have [or Why have you] placed this deed in your heart?” Both of these literal translations differ from the normal way of expressing the thought in English.

[5:4]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “to men.” If Peter’s remark refers only to the apostles, the translation “to men” would be appropriate. But if (as is likely) the action was taken to impress the entire congregation (who would presumably have witnessed the donation or been aware of it) then the more general “to people” is more appropriate, since the audience would have included both men and women.

[1:10]  ⁴⁹ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁵⁰ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:2]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “before eternal ages.”

[1:12]  ⁵² sn A saying attributed to the poet Epimenides of Crete (6th century b.c.).

[21:8]  ⁵³ tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “idolaters.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “their share.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁶ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “sulfur, which is.” The relative pronoun has been translated as “that” to indicate its connection to the previous clause. The nearest logical antecedent is “the lake [that burns with fire and sulfur],” although “lake” (λίμνη, limnh) is feminine gender, while the pronoun “which” (ὅ, Jo) is neuter gender. This means that (1) the proper antecedent could be “their place” (Grk “their share,”) agreeing with the relative pronoun in number and gender, or (2) the neuter pronoun still has as its antecedent the feminine noun “lake,” since agreement in gender between pronoun and antecedent was not always maintained, with an explanatory phrase occurring with a neuter pronoun regardless of the case of the antecedent. In favor of the latter explanation is Rev 20:14, where the phrase “the lake of fire” is in apposition to the phrase “the second death.”

[22:15]  ⁵⁸ tn On the term φάρμακοι (farmakoi) see L&N 53.101.

[22:15]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “lying,” “deceit.”