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Slander, Talebearing

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

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• Slander, Talebearing
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SLANDER, TALEBEARING . Both noun and verb ‘slander’ are used of malicious gossip of varying degrees of heinousness. The references are all to the slandering of persons, except Numbers 14:36 AV [Note: Authorized Version.] , where RV [Note: Revised Version.] has ‘an evil report against the land.’ The expression ‘walking with slanders’ ( Jeremiah 6:28; cf. Jeremiah 9:4 ) is in the original identical with ‘going about as a talebearer’ ( Leviticus 19:16 , Proverbs 11:13; Proverbs 20:19; cf. Ezekiel 22:9 in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] and RV [Note: Revised Version.] ). The element of falsehood in the gossip is seen in 2 Samuel 19:27 , where ‘slandered’ is synonymous with ‘falsely accused.’ ‘Of no sin and wickedness are there so many complaints in OT as of slander and false accusation whereof the Psalms are witness’ (Cornill, Jeremia , 89). See, further, Crimes and Punishments, § 5 .

A. R. S. Kennedy.