You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
The Suzerain does not permit dishonesty. Since it would require more than one witness in court to meet the minimum evidence of a crime, it would invariably be collusion and conspiracy to offer a false accusation or account.
But it’s far more than just the narrow application of a trial court. This includes rumors, unjustified hatred, or any of the thousands of ways we take life and sanity from people one tiny sliver at a time. The security and safety of your neighbor is your own. When it becomes every man for himself, every man dies — literally in some measure, but most fully in the figurative sense.
This is a mystical God speaking His demands in a mystical culture to a people acquainted with mystical logic. Truth is Our God, and if we are not committed to the Truth, we are His enemy. Speaking a lie against God is blasphemy, but speaking a lie against His declaration is hardly less of a sin. God says if you aren’t willing to suffer for His Truth, you can’t gain the safety of lies. Thus, the symbolism: In court cases, those caught lying will receive the punishment they hoped to gain for the person against whom they perjured themselves. When you begin digging into anything contrary to God’s revelation, you have chosen death.
