Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor: this has to do with giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite in a trial, a testimony that hurts the other person’s reputation (see 10.16-19; Exo 23.1). The commandment should not be translated simply by “You shall not lie.” However, we may say something like “Do not tell lies about someone when you are giving evidence in court.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .