Proverbs 25:18

18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.

Proverbs 25:18 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 25:18

A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour
In whose house he has often been, and whom he has frequently visited; and, observing what was done there, not only discovers and tells abroad the secrets of his family, but even things which are false; yea, in a court of judicature, appears a witness against him, and swears falsely to his hurt and prejudice. Such a man [is] a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow;
that is, to his neighbour, against whom he bears false witness; and, by so doing, he mauls his fame, his credit, character, and reputation; and, as with a sword, takes away his life; and against whom there is no more guarding than against a sharp arrow, that comes from afar, suddenly and swiftly.

Proverbs 25:18 In-Context

16 If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you be sated with it and vomit it.
17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he become weary of you and hate you.
18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trust in a faithless man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
20 He who sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on a wound.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.