Bird's-eye view
This proverb sets before us a stark and fundamental antithesis, one that undergirds all of reality: the division between truth and falsehood. It is not presented as a spectrum or a matter of degrees, but as a deep, characterological chasm between two kinds of people. The faithful witness is a man of integrity, whose words align with reality because his heart is aligned with the God of truth. For him, truthfulness is a matter of nature. In sharp contrast, the false witness is a fountain of lies. The proverb's language suggests that for him, lying is as natural and effortless as breathing. This verse is a commentary on the ninth commandment, revealing that the command is not merely about courtroom perjury, but about the very fabric of a person's character, which in turn determines the health or sickness of a community.
Ultimately, this proverb forces us to look outside ourselves for a standard. We see the reliability of the faithful witness and the corruption of the false witness, and in so doing, we see our own failures and our desperate need for the only perfectly Faithful and True Witness, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one whose testimony is flawless, and it is only by being united to Him that we can begin to be transformed from those who breathe out lies into those who speak the truth from the heart.
Outline
- 1. The Great Antithesis of the Tongue (Prov 14:5)
- a. The Character of the Truthful Man (Prov 14:5a)
- b. The Nature of the Deceiver (Prov 14:5b)
Context In Proverbs
Proverbs is intensely concerned with the power of the tongue. The book is filled with warnings about gossip, slander, flattery, and lying, and it overflows with praise for words fitly spoken. This verse fits squarely within that major theme. It is part of a collection of antithetical proverbs that contrast the wise with the foolish, the righteous with the wicked. Proverbs 12:17 says, "He who speaks truth shows forth righteousness, But a false witness, deceit." Proverbs 12:22 states plainly, "Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal truthfully are His delight." Proverbs 14:5 sharpens this contrast by focusing on the role of a "witness," which has both a formal, legal sense and a broader, everyday sense. A man's word is his bond, and his testimony, whether in a courtroom or over the back fence, reveals the state of his soul.
Key Issues
- The Ninth Commandment
- The Nature of Truth and Falsehood
- Character and Speech
- The Foundation of Justice
- Christ as the Faithful Witness
Truth as a Foundation
We live in an age that treats truth as a personal preference, a subjective feeling, or a tool for acquiring power. But Scripture teaches that truth is objective, absolute, and grounded in the very character of God. Because God is true, and because He created the world, reality itself has a fixed nature. Truth is simply speaking and thinking in conformity with that reality. A lie, therefore, is an assault on the created order. It is an attempt to create an alternative reality with one's words, an act of rebellion against the Creator.
This is why the ninth commandment is not arbitrary. "You shall not bear false witness" is essential for the functioning of any society. Without a shared commitment to the truth, there can be no justice in the courts, no trust in the marketplace, and no intimacy in the family. When a society gives itself over to lies, it begins to disintegrate. This proverb reminds us that the health of a nation depends on the character of its individual citizens, and a central aspect of that character is a commitment to the truth.
Verse by Verse Commentary
5a A faithful witness will not lie,
The key word here is faithful. This is not just a man who happens to tell the truth on occasion, or when it is convenient. A faithful witness is a man whose character is defined by fidelity, reliability, and loyalty to the truth. The Hebrew word for faithful, emun, is related to our word "Amen." It speaks of firmness, steadfastness, and trustworthiness. Such a man will not lie because it would violate his very nature. His commitment is to reality as it is, not to a version of events that might benefit him. This faithfulness is ultimately a reflection of his covenant relationship with God. Because he fears God, the God of all truth, he fears the consequences of misrepresenting reality. His integrity is seamless. What he is in his heart is what he speaks with his mouth.
5b But a false witness breathes out lies.
The contrast could not be more stark. The false witness does not just tell lies; he breathes them out. The verb here implies a constant, effortless, and life-sustaining action. For this man, falsehood is his native atmosphere. Deceit flows from him as naturally as carbon dioxide. This tells us that his problem is not a series of isolated mistakes, but a deeply corrupt nature. Jesus said that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt 12:34). The false witness has a heart full of deceit, and so his mouth cannot help but be a fountain of lies. He is, as the Apostle Paul would say, a natural man, enslaved to sin, and his speech is simply the evidence of his bondage. He does not need a lesson in ethics; he needs a new heart.
Application
First, this proverb is a mirror for self-examination. We must not read this and immediately think of all the liars we know in politics or the media. We must first ask ourselves: Am I a faithful witness? Do I love the truth, even when it is costly? Do I hate every form of falsehood, including exaggeration, spin, and malicious gossip? Or are there areas where I, like the false witness, breathe out things that are not quite true to get ahead, to protect my reputation, or to harm someone else? Our speech is a diagnostic tool for the soul. A loose relationship with the truth indicates a loose relationship with God.
Second, this proverb is a blueprint for community. A family, a church, or a nation is built on trust. Trust is built on truth. Where lies are tolerated, relationships crumble. In the church, we must be a people who are zealous for the truth. This means we do not tolerate slander. It means we hold one another accountable for our words. It means we practice the ninth commandment positively, by speaking well of our neighbors and defending their reputations. The church is to be the "pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim 3:15), a colony of truth-tellers in a world of liars.
Finally, this proverb drives us to the Gospel. Who among us can say he has been a perfectly faithful witness? We have all lied. We have all borne false witness in some way, if not in a courtroom, then with a flattering word or a deceptive silence. We are all, by nature, false witnesses. And that is why we need a Savior. Jesus Christ is called the "faithful and true witness" (Rev 3:14). He is the only man who never lied, whose every word was in perfect conformity with reality and with the will of His Father. On the cross, He bore the penalty for all our falsehoods. He took the curse of the ninth commandment upon Himself. And through faith in Him, we are not only forgiven for our lies, but we are given His Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, who begins the lifelong work of transforming us from false witnesses into faithful ones.