²⁰ “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Bearing false witness speaks to far more than false testimony. It refers to making a liar of yourself and speaking when the truth is not in your words or heart. You are not only looking to destroy another person, the speaker is actually destroying their own reputation and revealing the uncleanliness that lies within their heart. It is not the place of a believer to hurt another either physically or otherwise in this case. The ultimate command to love your neighbor as yourself is directly violated when you look to harm them. False witness not only destroys one life but both involved as well as defiling the will of God in both lives. (Proverbs 19:5) ⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.