A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
The verse belongs to chapters 1 to 24, the proverbs of Solomon brought together by him or in his time. This sets it apart from the collection of Hezekiah in chapters 25 to 29, made three hundred years after Solomon. It is likewise distinct from the words of Agur in chapter 30 and the words of Lemuel in chapter 31, both of later date. As a proverb it is a maxim, a comparison, a brief, sententious saying.
It declares that a false witness shall not go unpunished and that he who speaks lies shall perish. Here to perish means to die, to lose life, to be destroyed, and to come to nothing. The word is a forceful description of the end. Liars therefore will be destroyed with no escape from punishment. The verse is evidence that the wicked ultimately end in utter destruction.
Its sentence falls on false shepherds who lead the flock away from the true and away from green and fresh pastures. It falls also on false brethren who are hangers-on. Such are a positive drawback and hindrance to the work of God.
The verse belongs to chapters 1 to 24, the proverbs of Solomon brought together by him or in his time. This sets it apart from the collection of Hezekiah in chapters 25 to 29, made three hundred years after Solomon. It is likewise distinct from the words of Agur in chapter 30 and the words of Lemuel in chapter 31, both of later date. As a proverb it is a maxim, a comparison, a brief, sententious saying.
It declares that a false witness shall not go unpunished and that he who speaks lies shall perish. Here to perish means to die, to lose life, to be destroyed, and to come to nothing. The word is a forceful description of the end. Liars therefore will be destroyed with no escape from punishment. The verse is evidence that the wicked ultimately end in utter destruction.
Its sentence falls on false shepherds who lead the flock away from the true and away from green and fresh pastures. It falls also on false brethren who are hangers-on. Such are a positive drawback and hindrance to the work of God.