Slander is a serious sin that is warned against throughout Scripture. Here is an overview of some key Bible verses about slander:
Exodus 20:16 – “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
This commandment forbids lying about or slandering others. Telling lies about someone is a form of false testimony.
Leviticus 19:16 – “You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.”
This verse condemns gossiping and spreading slander. Slander harms others and goes against God’s command to love our neighbor.
Psalm 15:1-3 – “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend.”
Those who live blameless lives and honor God do not engage in slander against others.
Psalm 101:5 – “Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.”
God detests slander and will punish those who secretly spread lies about others.
Proverbs 10:18 – “The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.”
Spreading slander reveals foolishness and a hateful heart. It is better to conceal offenses than to retaliate with lies.
Proverbs 11:13 – “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.”
Gossips spread confidential information and cannot be trusted. Trustworthy people keep private matters confidential.
Jeremiah 9:4-5 – “Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies.”
This passage laments the prevalence of deceit and slander among God’s people. No one could be fully trusted not to slander their neighbor.
Matthew 15:19-20 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.”
Jesus teaches that slander is an outward expression of inner evil desires and defiles the slanderer.
Mark 7:20-23 – “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Like Jesus, Mark lists slander along with many other sins that flow from the evil in people’s hearts and defile them.
Romans 1:29-30 – “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents.”
Slander is associated with unrighteousness, malice, deceit, and hatred of God. It is a grave sin.
2 Corinthians 12:20 – “For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.”
Paul expresses concern that the Corinthian church was falling into slander, gossip, and other sins. He urges them toward love and unity instead.
Ephesians 4:31 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
Christians are instructed to put off sins like slander and clamor and to instead treat others with kindness and compassion.
Colossians 3:8 – “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”
Believers are commanded to rid themselves of slander, malice, anger and filthy language as part of putting off the old self.
1 Timothy 3:11 – “Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.”
Church leaders’ wives should not be gossips and slanderers. Instead they must be dignified and self-controlled.
Titus 2:3 – “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good.”
Older women in the church should avoid drunkenness and slanderous speech. They should model reverence and righteous living.
1 Peter 2:1 – “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”
Since believers are redeemed by Christ, they should put off all evil attitudes and speech including slander and deceit.
In summary, the Bible consistently condemns slander as a wicked sin that flows from a sinful heart. Christians are instructed to put off slander and instead use their speech to build others up. Slander destroys trust, harms reputations, and goes against the command to love others. The slanderer will ultimately face God’s judgment. Therefore believers must guard their tongues and rid their hearts of evil motives that lead to slander.
Other Related Bible Verses about Gossip and the Tongue:
Proverbs 16:28 – A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
Proverbs 18:8 – The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
Proverbs 26:20 – For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
Proverbs 26:22 – The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
Psalm 41:7 – All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
2 Corinthians 12:20 – For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.
James 1:26 – If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
James 3:5-6 – So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Psalm 64:2-4 – Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
Psalm 50:19-20 – “You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.
Psalm 52:2 – Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
Proverbs 6:16-19 – There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
May we as believers think carefully about our words and use our speech to spread truth and encouragement rather than slander and gossip. Our tongues have power, and we must ask God toBridle them so that they honor Christ.