Does that mean it is a violation ONLY if we lie about someone else? For example, say a child does something he wasn't supposed to do. He can deny he did it or he can say someone else did it. In the former he has merely lied; in the latter he has lied about someone else. It looks to me like he has violated the English translation of the Commandment ONLY in the latter case.
As I understand it, the original Hebrew version consisted of two words that roughly translate as "Don't lie!"
Registered: 08/26/04
Posts: 231
Loc: Land of Debris...
It's easy to see how different interpretations people get from this commandment as it is worded so vague... I have always thought it meant not to spread gossip or rumors about people...
To me, the definition "false witness" implies someone who claims to have firsthand knowledge about someone that they do not, whether it be real or imagined... It doesn't really say specifically it has to be a lie... It can be something true, but it is not for someone who was not actually there to say... So unless you have actually witnessed or experienced something someone has done or said, keep your trap shut...
But then again, I could be wrong...
Edited by inkblister (07/28/1012:53 PM)
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