The act of telling falsehoods as truth. Israel is exhorted against using God’s name for false oaths and lying on the witness stand in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:7; Exod 20:16; Deut 5:11; Deut 5:20). Witnesses who testify falsely will receive the punishment that would have been meted out to their accused (Deut 19:15-21). Indeed, all falsehoods are prohibited by the Torah (Exod 23:7; Lev 19:11). Persons who lie, and thereby defraud their neighbor, must pay restitution for the property loss plus a fine to the owner, and they must also bring a sacrificial offering before they are forgiven by God (Lev 6:1-7). Lying is thus an abomination to God (Prov 12:22; Ps 119:163), for God never lies (Num 23:19; 1Sam 15:29). False prophets are singled out for particular condemnation (Isa 9:15; Jer 23:9-32; Ezek 13), since their lies may influence the people to oppose God’s will. The penalty for false prophecy is death (Deut 18:20-22; Jer 28). Likewise, in the NT, the “father of lies” is the devil (John 8:44), and Paul condemns those who worship idols because they have exchanged the truth about God for a lie (Rom 1:25).
