H3960 H3960
to slander, to use the tongue maliciously against another
This verbal form specifically means to use the tongue for slander—speaking malicious falsehoods about another person. The Poʿel participle in Psalm 101:5 describes someone who secretly slanders their neighbor, an action the psalmist says he will not tolerate. The Hiphil form appears in Proverbs 30:10 as a warning not to slander a servant to his master. The verb captures the destructive use of speech to damage another's reputation.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Cross-linguistic evidence uniformly points to slanderous speech. English 'slander, whoever-slanders,' Spanish 'calumnies,' and French 'calomnier' all denote false, malicious accusations. Psalm 101:5 portrays the secret slanderer as intolerable in God's presence, while Proverbs 30:10 warns against slandering even a servant, lest the accuser be held guilty. 3×
AR["تَوْشِ", "مَن-يُشَهِّر-بِ"]·ben["নিন্দা-করো", "পরনিন্দাকারী"]·DE["[ketiv]", "[תלשן]", "whoever-slanders"]·EN["[ketiv]", "slander", "whoever-slanders"]·FR["calomnier", "תלשן"]·heb["(מלושני)", "[מלשני]", "תלשין"]·HI["(जो-निंदा-करता-है)", "जो-निंदा-करता-है", "निन्दा-कर"]·ID["[yang-memfitnah]", "memfitnah", "yang-memfitnah"]·IT["[(מלושני)]", "[[מלשני]]", "slander"]·jav["Tiyang-ingkang-mitenah", "ngremehaken"]·KO["비방하다", "헐뜻는-자-를"]·PT["-o-que-difama", "Aquele-que-calunia", "calunies"]·RU["(клеветника)", "[клевещущего]", "клевещи-на"]·ES["Al-que-calumnia", "[ketiv]", "calumnies"]·SW["(anayesengenya)", "[anayesengenya]", "mchongelee"]·TR["(iftira-eden)", "[iftira-eden]", "iftira-etme"]·urd["(وہ-جو-بدنام-کرتا-ہے)", "بدنام-کرنے-والا", "چغلی-کھا"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [לָשַׁן] vb. denom. use the tongue, only specif., slander;—Poʿel Pt. מְלָו֯שְׁנִי בַּסֵּתֶר רֵעֵהוּ ψ 101:5 (on form, cf. Ges§ 55 b, 90 l KöLgb. i. § 26). Hiph. Impf. 2 ms. juss. אַל־תַּלְשֵׁן עֶבֶד וגו׳ Pr 30:10.