Going through Oklahoma’s Ten Commandments one by one has given me a strong sense that the authors of Mosaic Law hit upon good ideas the way that chimpanzees hit on good stock picks. This one, though, seems like it should really stand the test of time:
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
Perjury is quite a serious perversion of justice, indeed. As before, though, we have a yawning chasm between Biblical justice and modern justice when we consider the punishment due to those who break the commandment.
Here is the relevant Biblical law:
Deuteronomy 19:15-21, King James Version (KJV)
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;
17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;
18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
21 And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Now, for sake of comparison, here is the relevant law from the Oklahoma penal code:
§21-500.
Perjury is a felony punishable by imprisonment in the State
Penitentiary as follows:1. When committed on the trial of an indictment for felony, by
imprisonment not less than two (2) years nor more than twenty (20)
years;2. When committed on any other trial proceeding in a court of justice,
by imprisonment for not less than one (1) year nor more than ten (10)
years; and3. In all other cases by imprisonment not more than five (5) years.
As usual, the Biblical punishment is potentially much harsher than what we’d consider justice these days, but I have to give the Biblical compilers some credit for using a sliding scale this time. Given that and the general good sense of barring perjury, I’m putting this one on the list of commandments worth keeping.
