Bible Strands
Proverbs 14:5
An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness pours forth lies.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The passage occurs in Proverbs 14 as part of a wisdom collection addressing a general audience, positioned between agricultural and moral observations. It functions as a direct instruction on courtroom and communal truth-telling.
The words — עֵד ('ed) denotes a legal or communal witness, while יָפִיחַ (ya.Fi.ach) literally means to breathe out or blow forth, describing how a dishonest witness expels falsehood.
The thread — The prohibition against false testimony recurs in Exodus 23:1, Proverbs 6:19, and Proverbs 19:5, consistently pairing the rejection of lying with the threat of divine or social judgment.
Why it lands — The text demands that readers verify their own testimony before speaking and refuse to participate in spreading unverified claims. It requires aligning speech with observable reality rather than personal bias or malice.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.
Cross-references
- Exodus 23:1 “You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
- Proverbs 6:19 a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.
- Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.
- Proverbs 12:17 He who speaks the truth declares what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit.
- Proverbs 14:25 A truthful witness saves lives, but one who utters lies is deceitful.
- 1 Kings 22:12 And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
- Proverbs 13:5 The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.
- Proverbs 19:9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who pours out lies will perish.
- Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- 1 Kings 21:13 And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.