Slander, the act of spreading false statements that harm others, is condemned throughout Scripture.
The Bible calls believers to speak truthfully and to guard their words, recognizing the power they hold.
Slander not only damages relationships but also reflects a heart far from God’s righteousness.
These verses serve as a reminder to uphold honesty and integrity in speech, to avoid gossip, and to promote peace and love.
Bible Verses About Slander
1. Proverbs 10:18 – Concealed Hatred
“Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.”
Slander stems from concealed hatred, revealing the foolishness of dishonesty.
This verse warns against deceptive speech fueled by bitterness and malice.
Living in honesty ensures aligning words with God’s truth and love.
2. James 4:11 – Do Not Speak Evil
“Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it.”
Speaking against others undermines God’s law and unity within His family.
This verse emphasizes respecting one another to honor His commands.
Living in unity ensures reflecting God’s love in all relationships.
3. Psalm 101:5 – Destroying Slander
“Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate.”
God’s judgment is against slander and arrogance, highlighting His commitment to justice.
This verse calls believers to accountability in speech and humility.
Living in humility ensures avoiding actions that grieve Him.
4. Proverbs 16:28 – Gossip and Division
“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.”
Slander and gossip destroy relationships, leading to division and mistrust.
This verse urges believers to protect friendships by avoiding harmful speech.
Living in peace ensures fostering harmony and trust among others.
5. 1 Peter 2:1 – Rid of Slander
“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”
Slander reflects a heart consumed by sin, contrary to God’s righteousness.
This verse encourages repentance and commitment to purity in speech.
Living in repentance ensures embracing His transformative grace daily.
6. Colossians 3:8 – Remove Malice
“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
Slander is grouped with destructive sins that damage relationships and dishonor God.
This verse calls believers to reject speech rooted in anger and malice.
Living in purity ensures speaking words that reflect God’s holiness and grace.
7. Proverbs 11:9 – Hypocrite’s Words
“With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape.”
Slander destroys reputations, contrasting with wisdom that builds others up.
This verse highlights the danger of godless speech and the value of righteous understanding.
Living in wisdom ensures speaking truth that preserves and uplifts others.
8. Matthew 15:19 – From the Heart
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
Slander originates from a corrupted heart, reflecting deeper spiritual issues.
This verse reminds believers to seek transformation in their thoughts and attitudes.
Living in renewal ensures guarding hearts to align speech with God’s truth.
9. Psalm 15:2-3 – Speaking Truth
“The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others.”
Integrity requires avoiding slander and speaking truth with sincerity.
This verse emphasizes living a righteous life that honors God and others.
Living in integrity ensures reflecting His character through honest speech.
10. Ephesians 4:29 – Build Up
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Words should encourage and strengthen, avoiding harm or negativity.
This verse directs believers to use speech for edification and kindness.
Living in encouragement ensures bringing life and hope through words.
11. Titus 3:2 – Avoid Quarreling
“To slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”
Believers are called to reject slander and embrace gentleness in their interactions.
This verse highlights the importance of fostering peace and consideration.
Living in gentleness ensures promoting harmony in relationships.
12. Proverbs 12:18 – Reckless Words
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Slander wounds deeply, while wisdom heals and restores relationships.
This verse contrasts harmful speech with the life-giving power of kind words.
Living in wisdom ensures speaking words that build up and heal.
13. Psalm 50:20 – Accusing Speech
“You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.”
Slander against family betrays trust and dishonors God’s commandments.
This verse warns against harming loved ones through dishonest words.
Living in love ensures protecting relationships from harmful accusations.
14. Matthew 12:36 – Account for Every Word
“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”
Slanderous words are not forgotten and will be judged by God.
This verse urges believers to speak with intention and care.
Living in accountability ensures aligning words with His truth and righteousness.
15. Proverbs 18:21 – Power of the Tongue
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Slander can destroy, but wise speech brings life and encouragement.
This verse emphasizes the responsibility of using words wisely.
Living in awareness ensures speaking life into every situation.
16. James 3:8 – Taming the Tongue
“But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
The tongue’s potential for harm includes slander and destructive speech.
This verse reminds believers to rely on God’s help for self-control.
Living in dependence ensures guarding speech with His strength.
17. Romans 1:30 – A Mark of Sin
“They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents.”
Slander is listed among grievous sins that reflect rebellion against God.
This verse calls for repentance and turning toward His righteousness.
Living in humility ensures rejecting sinful habits and honoring Him.
18. Psalm 34:13 – Guard Your Tongue
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.”
Guarding speech is essential to living a life pleasing to God.
This verse encourages mindfulness in choosing words wisely.
Living in vigilance ensures avoiding actions that lead to harm or sin.
19. Colossians 4:6 – Graceful Speech
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Speech should reflect grace, rejecting slander and negativity.
This verse teaches the importance of words that uplift and inspire.
Living in grace ensures becoming a positive influence through communication.
20. 2 Corinthians 12:20 – Discord and Slander
“For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.”
Slander leads to discord, disrupting unity within the body of Christ.
This verse warns against behaviors that damage community relationships.
Living in unity ensures fostering peace and harmony in His Church.
21. Proverbs 6:16-19 – God Hates Slander
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”
God despises slander and conflict, emphasizing His call for truth and unity.
This verse highlights the destructive impact of divisive and deceitful actions.
Living in integrity ensures avoiding behaviors that grieve Him.
22. Exodus 23:1 – False Report
“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.”
Spreading slander violates God’s command for honesty and justice.
This verse urges believers to reject participation in deceitful actions.
Living in truth ensures promoting fairness and righteousness.
23. Psalm 140:11 – Calamity on the Slanderer
“May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent.”
Slander brings destruction upon those who engage in it.
This verse serves as a warning about the consequences of harmful speech.
Living in caution ensures avoiding words that lead to ruin.
24. Leviticus 19:16 – Do Not Spread Slander
“Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.”
Slander jeopardizes relationships and reflects disobedience to God’s law.
This verse emphasizes respect and protection for others’ reputations.
Living in respect ensures fostering community harmony and care.
25. Proverbs 26:20 – Gossip Dies Without Fuel
“Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.”
Slander fuels conflict, but avoiding it fosters peace.
This verse reminds believers to refrain from spreading harmful words.
Living in restraint ensures nurturing calm and understanding.
26. Isaiah 29:20-21 – End of the Slanderer
“The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.”
God promises to bring justice against slanderers and deceivers.
This verse reassures believers of His commitment to truth and fairness.
Living in faith ensures trusting His judgment and timing.
27. Luke 6:28 – Bless and Pray
“Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Responding to slander with blessing demonstrates God’s love.
This verse calls for extending grace in difficult circumstances.
Living in grace ensures reflecting His kindness to others.
28. Proverbs 15:1 – A Gentle Answer
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Gentle speech counters the harm caused by slander.
This verse encourages using words to diffuse tension and promote peace.
Living in gentleness ensures fostering understanding and reconciliation.
29. Ephesians 5:4 – Obscene Talk
“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
Speech should reflect gratitude, avoiding negativity or harm.
This verse challenges believers to elevate their words with thanksgiving.
Living in thankfulness ensures glorifying God through wholesome communication.
30. Proverbs 20:19 – Avoid the Gossip
“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.”
Slanderous speech breaches trust and damages relationships.
This verse warns believers to guard against involvement with gossip.
Living in discernment ensures maintaining trustworthy and uplifting connections.
31. 1 Timothy 5:13 – Idleness Breeds Gossip
“Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.”
Idleness often leads to harmful talk and slander.
This verse cautions believers to engage in productive, godly pursuits.
Living in purpose ensures avoiding the pitfalls of careless speech.
32. Zechariah 8:17 – God’s Hatred for Lies
“Do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this, declares the Lord.”
God detests dishonesty and slander among His people.
This verse calls believers to cultivate love and honesty in relationships.
Living in love ensures reflecting His character in all interactions.
33. 2 Timothy 3:1-3 – Slander in the Last Days
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good.”
Slander characterizes the brokenness of humanity in difficult times.
This verse challenges believers to stand apart from such behaviors.
Living in holiness ensures resisting the sinfulness of the world.
34. Proverbs 17:9 – Cover an Offense
“Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.”
Repeating offenses through slander destroys friendships and trust.
This verse promotes love and reconciliation over division and harm.
Living in forgiveness ensures building strong, lasting relationships.
35. Matthew 7:1-2 – Judge Not
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Slander often stems from a judgmental heart, which invites judgment in return.
This verse calls believers to humility and self-reflection.
Living in humility ensures treating others with the grace God extends.
Our Thoughts on What the Bible Says About Slander
The Bible clearly condemns slander, emphasizing the harm it causes to individuals, relationships, and communities.
From Proverbs 10:18’s warning about concealed hatred to Matthew 7:1-2’s call to avoid judgmental attitudes, these verses reveal slander’s destructive nature and the heart transformation required to overcome it.
Slander undermines trust, creates division, and dishonors God’s call for unity and love.
However, Scripture offers hope and guidance, urging believers to speak truth, seek peace, and rely on His grace for transformation.
By guarding our words, we not only honor God but also reflect His love and build harmony within His creation.