slander
Slander is speaking false or damaging words against another person. Scripture treats it as a serious sin because it harms a neighbor and violates God’s call to truthfulness and love.
At a Glance
Slander is speaking false or damaging words against another person. Scripture treats it as a serious sin because it harms a neighbor and violates God’s call to truthfulness and love.
Description
Slander is sinful speech that injures another person’s name through falsehood, reckless accusation, or malicious misrepresentation. In Scripture, such speech is not treated as a minor fault but as a violation of love for neighbor and of God’s demand for truthfulness, justice, and self-control. Biblical teaching condemns both direct false accusation and destructive speech that tears others down unjustly. While English translations use several related terms—such as slander, reviling, false witness, and abusive speech—the central idea is clear: God forbids speech that harms others by deceit or malice and calls His people to speech that is true, fitting, and edifying.