Defining Slander Biblically: Truth vs. Falsehood

What is Slander?

Slander, as addressed in Scripture, involves the deliberate spread of false or harmful statements designed to damage another’s reputation.

The Bible defines slander as a malicious act that perverts truth for destructive purposes. Leviticus 19:16 explicitly prohibits such behavior, commanding, 'You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.' This verse underscores the moral obligation to avoid speech that seeks to harm rather than edify.

Unlike honest speech, which aligns with truth and seeks justice, slander thrives on distortion and deceit. Recognizing this distinction prepares us to examine the broader spiritual and relational consequences of slander in the next section.

Leviticus 19:16 and the Prohibition of Slander

Leviticus 19:16 explicitly forbids spreading false reports and aligning with wickedness to distort justice.

The command 'You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people' (Leviticus 19:16) functioned as a cornerstone of ancient Israelite law, safeguarding communal trust by prohibiting the malicious distortion of truth. In a society structured around kinship and covenantal relationships, such speech threatened social cohesion and divine justice. The verse also condemned complicity in wrongdoing, requiring individuals to reject roles that enabled harm through false testimony. This legal prohibition reflects a theological commitment to truth as a foundation for righteous community.

Christian ethics inherit this biblical emphasis, framing slander as a violation of love’s mandate to build up neighbors (Romans 13:10). By upholding Levitical principles, early Christians reoriented Old Testament law toward Christ’s teachings on truth and mercy. This bridge from covenantal law to gospel ethics remains central to addressing modern character defamation.

Consequences of Slander in Scripture

Scripture highlights how slander causes serious spiritual and relational damage, warning about its corrosive effects.

Proverbs 18:8 illustrates this danger by comparing gossip to 'choice morsels,' highlighting how slander spreads rapidly and deceptively satisfies a destructive curiosity. The Bible calls this speech a spiritual offense that breaks communal trust and distorts God’s truth. By perpetuating falsehoods, slanderers undermine the covenantal relationships central to biblical ethics.

Jesus intensifies this warning in Matthew 12:34-37, asserting that 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.' malicious speech reveals a heart aligned with evil, while words expose the state of one’s inner being. This teaching positions slander as a moral failure with eternal implications, as speech becomes a measure of spiritual accountability before God.

Why Slander Matters Today

In today’s digital age, the ancient biblical prohibition against slander remains urgently relevant as modern platforms amplify deceptive speech and erode communal trust.

Slander manifests in contemporary culture through social media defamation, where false claims spread rapidly, and workplace gossip that undermines professional integrity. Such speech not only harms individuals but also fractures communities by breeding suspicion and mistrust. The Bible calls believers to counter this by upholding truth and safeguarding reputations, reflecting God’s character as a guardian of justice.

Christians are ethically bound to pursue truth with compassion, rejecting speech that distorts or destroys. This commitment to integrity bridges to practical steps for avoiding slander, which we will explore next.

Going Deeper

Truthful speech, as emphasized in Scripture, reflects God’s character and serves as a foundation for relational and spiritual integrity.

James 3:9-10 highlights the contradiction of blessing God with our mouths while cursing others, revealing how speech exposes the state of our hearts. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to replace slander with speech that honors God and uplifts others, transforming tongues that once spread falsehood into instruments of grace and restoration.