Proverbs 14:5 The anatomy of a lie
A trustworthy witness will not lie, But a false witness utters lies.
Proverbs 14:5 NASB
Rotherham: A faithful witness, will not deceive, but a false witness, uttereth deceitful things.
There is a subtle distinction in the Hebrew with how “lie” is used. The first translated, will not lie, is a verb from kazab, meaning to lie or to be a liar. The second, utters lies, noun also from kazab, a lie, falsehood, deceptive thing. The contrast is between the character of the true — whose nature it is to be honest, and the false — whose nature is embedded in deception and works with lies like a cook works with spices in the kitchen — with skill to flavor the dish in just the right (or wrong!) way.
The commentary from Gill says:
A faithful witness will not lie… For that would be contrary to his character; and as he will not witness to a falsehood upon oath in a court of judicature, so neither will he tell a lie in common conversation.
From Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
But a false witness will utter lies; or “blow” them out, and spread them abroad in great plenty; he will not stick to tell them, and, having no conscience, will utter them as fast as he can, with all boldness and confidence; for one that fears not to bear testimony to a falsehood upon oath, will not scruple to lie in common talk. He that accustoms himself to lying, in his conversation with men in private company, will become a false witness upon occasion in a public court of judicature: such an one is not to be depended on; lesser sins lead to greater, lying to perjury.
He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit.
Proverbs12:17NASB
There are six things the Lord hates… A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
Proverbs 6:19 NASB
A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will not escape.
Proverbs 19:5 NASB
There is a significant values check that may be applied to people in the way one regards truth or falsehood. Something is true or it is not. As soon as someone aligns with what is false, the character also becomes false. The core of a person’s character is compromised. The lesson of this proverb isn’t just about a testimony in court, it’s about character and how one may spot that which is reliable. Our life is made up of thousands of decisions every day. The things I choose become the story of my life, interwoven with my being. Choosing truth, valuing what is right above the benefit a lie may bring me, says something about me.
Taking a rabbit trail into the science of truthfulness, when a person takes a polygraph test, it recognizes an elevated heart rate, a blip in blood pressure when a lie is spoken. The baseline for most people is truth — so when a person resorts to a lie, it’s easy to spot. There are other “tells” as well, a glance away, or down. A blink of the eye. A truthful person knows what is false. In contrast, a person who lives and breathes lies actually starts to believe that they are true. Please note, that the truth detector in humans is not broken, it still works, but in the case of a liar, they have a workaround — the thing that is false becomes true. They say it, think it, believe it, and do not allow evidence contrary to it. The problem isn’t that something is true or false, it is that there is little value for that distinction in the bigger picture of getting one’s way in life. The better one is at lying, the shorter the time between telling the lie and actually believing it. God forbid that someone would lie to the liar — the hacked truth meter doesn’t shut down the human justice meter. (Most likely the liar can spot another very quickly. Bees assemble in their common bee hive.)
Even so, people who lie can change. Our Father has chosen to love imperfect people, to love me. We are all failures in one way or another that he redeems. As we embrace Him, we become like Him. He does not lie or deceive, and we become like him.
The word used for the false man who utters: Hebrew puach, to breath or blow. A primitive root; to puff, i.e. Blow with the breath or air; hence, to fan (as a breeze). It shows that falseness can be as easy as breathing out. It’s a normal state for someone who is false to lie.
Yet it’s interesting that the Spirit of God is called ruach in the Hebrew. Wind, breath. Puach in lies or Ruach in truth. One is a puff, a temporary exhale, gone as soon as it blows. The other is a wind, sustained breeze, having a lasting impact.
Who will I trust? Our God makes it easy to draw that line and trust who He trusts.