Topical Bible: Punishment: Death Penalty for Perjury

◄ Punishment: Death Penalty for Perjury ►

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In the biblical context, the concept of perjury, or bearing false witness, is addressed with utmost seriousness, reflecting the gravity of truth and justice in the eyes of God. The Ninth Commandment explicitly states, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16). This command underscores the importance of truthfulness and integrity within the community of God's people.

The Old Testament law provides specific instructions regarding the consequences of perjury, particularly in legal settings. Deuteronomy 19:16-21 outlines the procedure and punishment for a false witness: "If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, the two parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" .

This passage highlights the principle of lex talionis, or the law of retaliation, which serves as a deterrent against false testimony. The punishment for perjury is severe, reflecting the potential harm that false testimony can inflict on individuals and the community. The false witness is to receive the same penalty that would have been imposed on the accused, up to and including the death penalty if the false testimony could have led to a capital punishment.

The severity of the punishment underscores the sanctity of justice and the protection of the innocent. In ancient Israel, the legal system was designed to reflect God's justice, and perjury was seen as a direct affront to divine order. The community was called to uphold truth and righteousness, ensuring that justice was not perverted by deceit.

The New Testament continues to affirm the importance of truthfulness. Jesus Himself condemns false testimony, emphasizing the moral and spiritual implications of one's words: "But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken" (Matthew 12:36). The apostle Paul also warns against deceit, urging believers to "put away falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor" (Ephesians 4:25).

In summary, the biblical mandate against perjury and the associated penalties reflect a divine commitment to truth and justice. The death penalty for perjury, as outlined in the Old Testament, serves as a sobering reminder of the destructive power of falsehood and the high value placed on integrity within the covenant community.

Nave's Topical Index

Zechariah 5:4
I will bring it forth, said the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that swears falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the middle of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Letter cxcix. Canonica Secunda.
... set on cohabitation, let them admit the penalty of fornication ... violence is not liable
to punishment, whenever it ... she has evidence of his death, commits adultery ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter cxcix canonica secunda.htm

In Pilate's Judgment Hall
... hoped that Pilate would now inflict the death penalty on Jesus ... and rulers demanded
that He be sentenced to death. ... he could even boast of the punishment he had ...
/.../white/the desire of ages/chapter 77 in pilates judgment.htm

Period I: the Imperial State Church of the Undivided Empire, or ...
... threshold of another, under the penalty established against ... the destruction of sin
and death; begotten of ... celebrate sacrifices, let a punishment appropriate to ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period i the imperial state.htm

Of the Law.
... and if thou neglectest any of them, I determine that punishment which is ... of man at
liberty, not subjecting him to the penalty of a temporal death, but giving ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec iv of the law.htm

The Fourth Book
... misdoings are concerned, we deserve the penalty of death ... poor, to whom even the general
panacea brings death. ... is rushing headlong into eternal punishment by the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/salvian/on the government of god/the fourth book.htm

Acts iv. 36, 37
... evidently regards the death of Ananias and Sapphira ... was henceforth terrible, inflicting
punishment, exposing even ... apparent disproportion of the penalty to the ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xii acts iv 36.htm

After the Whole People had Been Freed from all Distress...
... He may pay the penalty of his inconsiderate oath, for ... order that they may put them
to death, so also ... both for its present evils, and for its future punishment. ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily xiv after the whole.htm

Faustus is Willing to Admit that Christ May have Said that He came ...
... not the symbols which declare Christ's death and resurrection ... to make them liable
to the punishment of hell ... of compensation, that the penalty should correspond ...
/.../faustus is willing to admit.htm

The Lamb of God, the Great Atonement
... His own glory, remit this penalty without satisfaction ... Guilt or obnoxiousness to
punishment being removed, the ... by the Redeemer's agonies and death, might have ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xvi the lamb of.htm

Ephesians i. 14-Nov
... the case, there would be no such thing as punishment. ... penalty of plunder and
rapaciousness, an untimely death; and not only suffer as a penalty the loss of ...
/.../homily ii ephesians i 14-nov.htm