Literally this commandment says “You shall not answer in [the case of] your neighbor a testimony of falsehood.” The words that are used here reflect the ancient legal system that depended upon the witness of at least two people in order to convict a person of a crime. This is not a commandment against telling a lie in general, but refers to “false evidence” (New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible) that hurts the reputation of someone else. (Contemporary English Version‘s “Do not tell lies about others” is not exactly accurate.) However, one may express this as “Do not tell lies about someone when you are giving evidence” or “Do not tell lies that hurt another person’s reputation.”

The word for neighbor refers to a companion, friend, or “fellow-Israelite” (Translator’s Old Testament), so this is another commandment that reflects the need to maintain good interpersonal relationships within the Israelite community. This, of course, is true of all the commandments beginning with verse 12. But since this has implications for any society, Good News Translation summarizes: “Do not accuse anyone falsely.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .