Many people are at least somewhat familiar with what the Bible states about being a false witness, particularly with regard to what is instructed in the Ninth of the Ten Commandments.  Far fewer people are aware of what the Bible says about not testifying as a witness.  The question we will attempt to answer in this article is: Does the Bible declare that a person who is knowledgeable about a matter is committing a sin if he (or she) does not testify in a court of law as to what they know about the matter?

To answer this question, we will focus on Leviticus 5:1, which in the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible states, “If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.”

[Note:  Although we generally rely on the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible when we are quoting scripture, the NKJV  translation of Leviticus 5:1 differs significantly from most of the other translations, so we have quoted the NIV translation, which we believe is representative of most of the other translations of this scriptureOther sources quoted in this article may use different translations.]

With regard to Leviticus 5:1, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible says, “The case appears to be that of one who has been put upon his oath as a witness by a magistrate, and fails to utter all he has seen and heard.”

Also, in reference to Leviticus 5:1, Adam Clarke Commentary provides the following perspective:

 It is generally supposed that the case referred to here is that of a person who, being demanded by the civil magistrate to answer upon oath, refuses to tell what he knows concerning the subject; such a one shall bear his iniquity – shall be considered as guilty in the sight of God, of the transgression which he has endeavored to conceal, and must expect to be punished by him for hiding the iniquity to which he was privy, or suppressing the truth which, being discovered, would have led to the exculpation [i.e., freedom from blame] of the innocent, and the punishment of the guilty.

John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible declares with regard to the same scripture,

hear the voice of swearing either of false swearing, or perjury, as when a man hears another swear to a thing which he knows is false; or else of adjuration [i.e., a solemn charge or command], either the voice of a magistrate or of a neighbour adjuring another, calling upon him with an oath to bear testimony in such a case. . . .

and is a witness is able to bear witness to the thing he is adjured about:

whether he hath seen or known of it what he has seen with his eyes, or knows by any means: of such a case . . . there may be seeing without knowing, or knowing without seeing, and in either case a man ought to bear witness:

if he do not utter it – tell the truth, declare what he has seen or known:

then he shall bear his iniquity he shall be charged with sin, and be obliged to acknowledge his offence, and bring a trespass offering for it. . . .

Again, in reference to Leviticus 5:1, Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Bible states,

A man’s concealing the truth when he was sworn as a witness to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. . . . [I]f he hear the voice of swearing (that is, if he be adjured to testify what he knows, by an oath of the Lord upon him, . . .  [I]f in such a case, for fear of offending one that either has been his friend or may be his enemy, he refuses to give evidence, or gives it but in part, he shall bear his iniquity. . . .  He that heareth cursing (that is, that is thus adjured) and betrayeth it not (that is, stifles his evidence, and does not utter it), he is a partner with the sinner. . . .

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary asserts with regard to the same scripture,

[This] instance is that of a witness who has refused to testify.  This is a man who has seen a crime committed or heard something that might help in the solution of a crime.  He must pay the penalty for silence if he hides his knowledge.

Conclusion

Although Leviticus 5:1 is in the Old Testament and is evidently the only scripture in the Bible that addresses the matter of a person not testifying as a witness, there does not seem to be a compelling reason to believe that this scripture is not applicable to people living today.  Therefore, in light of what is stated in this scripture and in the Bible commentaries that we have cited, we believe that anyone who is a witness in regard to a matter that is being adjudicated should provide honest and complete testimony in that regard.  As Leviticus 5:1 indicates, failure to do so is a sin.

We have sympathy for a person who, with regard to certain cases, is genuinely concerned that, if he (or she) serves as a truthful witness, he (or she) and/or their family may suffer serious consequences resulting from the retaliation of the person against whom they testify or from those who support that person.  However, neither Leviticus 5:1 nor any other scripture that we are aware of indicates that such a concern is a sufficient reason to not testify.  Nevertheless, God may not regard unwillingness to testify as a sin if the person who ordinarily would testify is genuinely concerned about possibly suffering serious consequences for testifying.