Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Psalms 50:20

You sit around talking about people, finding fault with your own brothers.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Falsehood;   Gossip;   Slander;   Wicked (People);   Scofield Reference Index - Judgments;   Thompson Chain Reference - Backbiting;   Evil;   Silence-Speech;   Slander;   Speaking, Evil;   The Topic Concordance - Forgetting;   Glory;   Reproof;   Salvation;   Speech/communication;   Wickedness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Slander;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Asaph;   Psalms, the Book of;   Sacrifice;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gossip;   Wrath;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Asaph;   English Versions;   Gift, Giving;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Jonah;   Psalms;   Sin;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - God;   Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bat Ḳol;   Calumny;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
You sit, maligning your brother,slandering your mother’s son.
Hebrew Names Version
You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother's son.
King James Version
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
English Standard Version
You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.
New Century Version
You speak against your brother and lie about your mother's son.
New English Translation
You plot against your brother; you slander your own brother.
Amplified Bible
"You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son.
New American Standard Bible
"You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son.
World English Bible
You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother's son.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou sittest, and speakest against thy brother, and slanderest thy mothers sonne.
Legacy Standard Bible
You sit and speak against your brother;You slander your own mother's son.
Berean Standard Bible
You sit and malign your brother; you slander your own mother's son.
Contemporary English Version
you sat around gossiping, ruining the reputation of your own relatives."
Complete Jewish Bible
you sit and speak against your kinsman, you slander your own mother's son.
Darby Translation
Thou sittest [and] speakest against thy brother, thou revilest thine own mother's son:
George Lamsa Translation
You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mothers son.
Good News Translation
You are ready to accuse your own relatives and to find fault with them.
Lexham English Bible
You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your mother's son.
Literal Translation
You sit; you speak against your brother; you give fault to the son of your mother.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou syttest and speakest agaynst thy brother, yee and slaundrest thine owne mothers sonne.
American Standard Version
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; Thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
Bible in Basic English
You say evil of your brother; you make false statements against your mother's son.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
King James Version (1611)
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine owne mothers sonne.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou sattest and spakedst agaynst thy brother: yea and hast slaundered thine owne mothers sonne.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou didst sit and speak against thy brother, and didst scandalize thy mother’s son.
English Revised Version
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou sittynge spakist ayens thi brother, and thou settidist sclaundir ayens the sone of thi modir;
Update Bible Version
You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son.
Webster's Bible Translation
Thou sittest [and] speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thy own mother's son.
New King James Version
You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son.
New Living Translation
You sit around and slander your brother— your own mother's son.
New Life Bible
You sit and speak against your brother. You talk against your own mother's son.
New Revised Standard
You sit and speak against your kin; you slander your own mother's child.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou wouldst sit down - Against thine own brother, wouldst thou speak, Against thine own mother's son, wouldst thou expose a fault: -
Douay-Rheims Bible
(49-20) Sitting thou didst speak against thy brother, and didst lay a scandal against thy mother’s son:
Revised Standard Version
You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.
Young's Literal Translation
Thou sittest, against thy brother thou speakest, Against a son of thy mother givest slander.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son.

Contextual Overview

16 But God says to the wicked, "Stop quoting my laws! Stop talking about my agreement! 17 You hate for me to tell you what to do. You ignore what I say. 18 You see a thief and run to join him. You jump into bed with those who commit adultery. 19 You say evil things and tell lies. 20 You sit around talking about people, finding fault with your own brothers. 21 When you did these things, I said nothing. So you thought that I was just like you. But I will not be quiet any longer. I will correct you and make clear what I have against you. 22 You people who have forgotten God, understand what I am telling you, or I will tear you apart, and no one will be able to save you! 23 Whoever gives a thank offering shows me honor. And whoever decides to live right will see my power to save."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

speakest: Psalms 31:18, Matthew 5:11, Luke 22:65

slanderest: Leviticus 19:16, Proverbs 10:18, 1 Timothy 3:11, Titus 2:3, Revelation 12:10

thine own: Matthew 10:21

Reciprocal: Job 15:5 - thou choosest Psalms 101:5 - Whoso Jeremiah 6:28 - walking Ezekiel 22:9 - men that carry tales Ephesians 4:31 - evil speaking

Cross-References

Genesis 37:4
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he loved them, they hated their brother because of this. They refused to say nice things to him.
Genesis 50:5
‘When my father was near death, I made a promise to him. I promised that I would bury him in a cave in the land of Canaan. This is the cave that he prepared for himself. So please let me go and bury my father. Then I will come back here to you.'"
Genesis 50:8
All the people in Joseph's family, his brothers, and all the people in his father's family went with him. Only the children and the animals stayed in the land of Goshen.
Genesis 50:13
They carried his body to Canaan and buried it in the cave at Machpelah. This was the cave near Mamre in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite. Abraham bought that cave to use as a burial place.
Genesis 50:15
After Jacob died, Joseph's brothers were worried. They were afraid that Joseph would still be mad at them for what they had done years before. They said, "Maybe Joseph still hates us for what we did."
Genesis 50:16
So the brothers sent this message to Joseph: "Before your father died, he told us to give you a message.
Genesis 50:17
He said, ‘Tell Joseph that I beg him to please forgive his brothers for the bad things they did to him.' So now Joseph, we beg you, please forgive us for the bad things we did to you. We are the servants of God, the God of your father." That message made Joseph very sad, and he cried.
Genesis 50:18
His brothers went to him and bowed down in front of him. They said, "We will be your servants."
Genesis 50:20
It is true that you planned to do something bad to me. But really, God was planning good things. God's plan was to use me to save the lives of many people. And that is what happened.
Psalms 56:5
My enemies are always twisting my words. They are always making plans against me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou sittest,.... Either in the chair of Moses, or on the seat of judgment, in the great sanhedrim of the nation; or, as Aben Ezra paraphrases it, "in the seat of the scornful";

[and] speakest against thy brother; even to pass sentence upon him, to put him to death for professing faith in Christ, Matthew 10:21;

thou slanderest thine own mother's son; the apostles and disciples of Christ, who were their brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh; and even our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who was bone of their bone, and flesh of their flesh.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother - To the general character of falsehood and slander there is now added the fact that they were guilty of this in the most aggravated manner conceivable - against their nearest relations, the members of their own families. They were not only guilty of the crime against neighbors - against strangers - against persons to whom they sustained no near relationship; but against those of their own households - those whose characters, on that account, ought to have been especially dear to them. The words ““thou sittest”” probably refer to the fact that they would do this when enjoying social contact with them; in confidential conversation; when words of peace, and not of slander, might be properly expected. The word “brother” “might” be used as denoting any other man, or any one of the same nation; but the phrase which is added, “thine own mother’s son,” shows that it is here to be taken in the strictest sense.

Thou slanderest - literally, “Thou givest to ruin.” Prof. Alexander renders it, “Thou wilt aim a blow.” The Septuagint, the Vulgate, Luther, and DeWette understand it of slander.

Thine own mother’s son - It is to be remembered that where polygamy prevailed there would be many children in the same family who had the same father, but not the same mother. The nearest relationship, therefore, was where there was the same mother as well as the same father. To speak of a brother, in the strictest sense, and as implying the nearest relationship, it would be natural to speak of one as having the same mother. The idea here is, that while professing religion, and performing its external rites with the most scrupulous care, they were guilty of the basest crimes, and showed an entire want of moral principle and of natural affection. External worship, however zealously performed, could not be acceptable in such circumstances to a holy God.


 
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