Leviticus 19 · Verse 16

Leviticus 19:16

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.
Leviticus 19:16, King James Version

Leviticus 19:16 in other translations

BSBYou must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
WEB“‘You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
ASVThou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am Jehovah.
YLT‘Thou dost not go slandering among thy people; thou dost not stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am Jehovah.
DARBYThou shalt not go about as a talebearer among thy people; thou shalt not stand up against the life of thy neighbour: I am Jehovah.
BBEDo not go about saying untrue things among your people, or take away the life of your neighbour by false witness: I am the Lord.
WebsterThou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor; I am the LORD.

What does Leviticus 19:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 19:11-16

11-16. 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…

Read the full comment on Leviticus 19:11-16 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 Thou 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 a false witness, because by such testimony the blood - the life of an innocent man may be endangered.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Leviticus 19:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
תֵלֵ֤ךְte.Lekhyou will go aboutH1980
רָכִיל֙ra.Khila slandererH7400
בְּעַמֶּ֔יךָbe.'a.Mei.khaamong kinspeople<s> yourH5971
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
תַעֲמֹ֖דta.'a.Modyou will standH5975
עַל\־'al-onH5921
דַּ֣םdam[the] blood ofH1818
רֵעֶ֑ךָre.'E.khaneighbor yourH7453
אֲנִ֖י'a.NiIH589
יְהוָֽה\׃Yah.weh[am] YahwehH3068

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 19:16

  • Exodus 23:1

    Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

  • Exodus 23:7

    Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

  • Proverbs 20:19

    He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

  • Proverbs 11:13

    A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

  • Ezekiel 22:9

    In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.

  • Jeremiah 6:28

    They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.

  • Jeremiah 9:4

    Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

  • Psalms 15:3

    He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

  • Acts 6:11-13

    Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

  • Exodus 20:16

    Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

  • 1 Peter 2:1

    Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

  • 1 Kings 21:10-13

    And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
tale-bearer.
Ex 23:1; Ps 15:3; Pr 11:13; 20:19; Jer 6:28; 9:4; Eze 22:9; 1Ti 3:11
2Ti 3:3; Tit 2:3; 1Pe 2:1
stand.
Ex 20:16; 23:1,7; 1Ki 21:10-13; Mt 26:60,61; 27:4; Ac 6:11-13
Ac 24:4-9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Leviticus 19:15

    Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

  • Leviticus 19:16

    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.

  • Leviticus 19:17

    Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

Read all of Leviticus 19

Leviticus 19:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
No andarás chismeando en tus pueblos. No te pondrás contra la sangre de tu prójimo: Yo Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Tu n’iras point çà et là médisant parmi ton peuple. Tu ne t’élèveras pas contre la vie de ton prochain. Moi, je suis l’ Éternel.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Du sollst nicht als ein Verleumder unter deinen Völkern umhergehen. Du sollst nicht wider das Blut deines Nächsten auftreten. Ich bin Jehova. -
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Non eris criminator, nec susurro in populo. Non stabis contra sanguinem proximi tui. Ego Dominus.