A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

PROVERBS 25:18KJV
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Proverbs 25:18 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 25:18 mean?

Proverbs 25:18 warns that someone who lies about their neighbor is as dangerous and destructive as a heavy club, a sword, or a sharp arrow. The verse uses these vivid images to show that false testimony can seriously harm another person.

This proverb is part of a collection of wise sayings attributed to Solomon, directed at anyone seeking to live wisely and justly. The verse highlights the real-world damage caused by lying about others, especially in legal or community settings where a person’s reputation or safety could be at stake.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 25:18

  • מַפֵּץ (mapetz, "maul"): This word means a heavy hammer or club, emphasizing blunt force and destruction. The comparison suggests that false testimony is not just a small mistake, but something that can crush or break a person.
  • חֶרֶב (cherev, "sword"): This is the standard word for a sword, a weapon that cuts and wounds. The verse links lying to violence, showing that words can be as harmful as weapons.
  • חֵץ שָׁנוּן (chets shanun, "sharp arrow"): The word for arrow here is paired with "sharp," stressing precision and the ability to strike from a distance. False witness can harm someone even when the liar is not physically close.

Why Proverbs 25:18 matters

  • Proverbs 25:18 makes clear that lying about someone is not a minor issue, but a serious offense with real consequences, like physical violence.
  • The verse uses three different weapons to show that false witness can harm in many ways—bluntly, deeply, or from afar—helping the reader grasp the full danger of dishonest words.
  • This proverb fits into a broader biblical theme that values truth and warns against false testimony, especially in community and legal life.

Where else these words appear

“sharp” Hebrew H8150 · used in 9 verses

  • Deuteronomy 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
  • Psalms 45:5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
  • Psalms 120:4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

“arrow” Hebrew H2671 · used in 50 verses

  • Genesis 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
  • 2 Chronicles 26:15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
  • Proverbs 7:23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

“witness” Hebrew H5707 · used in 59 verses

  • Genesis 31:44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
  • Joshua 22:27 But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.
  • Proverbs 19:9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

“false” Hebrew H8267 · used in 109 verses

  • Exodus 5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
  • Psalms 144:8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
  • Jeremiah 8:8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.