Psalms 50:20 · Bible study
Psalms 50:20 Commentary: Slandering Your Own Mother's Son
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 50:20 exposes the hypocrisy of worshipers who slander their closest family. Commentators see this as a climactic charge against empty religion.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God indicts hypocrites for slandering their closest family members.
- Key words: slandering (dophi), brother (ach), mother's son (ben-immekha).
- Main debate: Whether the accused are formalists (trusting sacrifices) or open sinners (hypocrites who profess yet sin).
- Theological theme: Hypocrisy in worship is exposed by failure in family relationships.
- Best use: Teaching on integrity, the ninth commandment, and the seriousness of slander.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You sit and malign your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.
WEB World English Bible 2000
You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son.
KJV King James Version 1769
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s son.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; Thou slanderest thine own mother’s son.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Thou sittest, against thy brother thou speakest, Against a son of thy mother givest slander.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Thou sittest [and] speakest against thy brother, thou revilest thine own mother's son:
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Tomabas asiento, y hablabas contra tu hermano; contra el hijo de tu madre ponías infamia.
Tu te sentas e falas contra teu irmão; contra o filho de tua mãe tu dizes ofensas.
Tu t’ assieds, et tu parles contre ton frère,
Du sitzest und redest wider deinen Bruder; deiner Mutter Sohn verleumdest du.
Gij zit, gij spreekt tegen uw broeder; tegen den zoon uwer moeder geeft gij lastering uit.
Tu siedi e parli contro il tuo fratello, tu diffami il figlio di tua madre.
Zasiadłszy mówisz przeciwko bratu twemu, a lżysz syna matki twojej.
Облагодетельствуй, [Господи,] по благоволению Твоему Сион; воздвигни стены Иерусалима:
你坐著 毀謗 你的兄弟，讒毀 你親母 的兒子。
You say evil of your brother; you make false statements against your mother's son.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 50:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse is the climax of God's indictment against hypocritical worshipers. The phrase 'your own mother's son' specifies the closest possible blood relation, making the sin of slander particularly heinous. Keil and Delitzsch note that the preposition b with dabbar (speak) gives a hostile sense, and 'you sit' (teshev) implies settled, deliberate slander, not a rash word. Barnes observes that in a culture where polygamy was common, a brother from the same mother was the nearest tie; to slander that brother is a betrayal of natural affection. The Cambridge Bible places this verse within the context of breaking the eighth, seventh, and ninth commandments, showing that hypocrisy involves both wrong worship and broken relationships. Gill sees it describing those who would persecute Christ and his disciples (Matthew 10:21), but still notes the gravity of slandering one's own flesh and blood. The consensus is firm: external religious activity becomes worthless when it coexists with slander against the closest family.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Slandering one's closest family is a severe sin that renders worship unacceptable to God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the accused | All agree that God is addressing those who profess his covenant but live wickedly. | Some see these as the same formalists from vv. 7, 15 (Hengstenberg), while Keil and Delitzsch argue for a distinct group of open hypocrites (vv. 16, 20). |
| Meaning of 'mother's son' | It denotes the closest possible biological relationship, heightening the sin. | Barnes and Keil stress literal full sibling given polygamy; some early interpreters (e.g., Gill) see it prophetically as the Jewish persecution of Christ, still involving kin. |
| Role of the ninth commandment | Slander violates the command against bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16). | Whether this is the primary commandment broken or one among several (Cambridge Bible includes eighth and seventh in v. 18). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 50 opens with a theophany: God appears from Zion to judge his covenant people. Verses 7, 15 address those who trust in sacrifices but miss the heart of worship. Then verse 16 turns sharply to 'the wicked' who take God's covenant on their lips while hating instruction. The indictment in verse 20 is drawn from the second table of the Decalogue, specifically the ninth commandment against bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16).
In ancient Israel, family was the core unit of covenant identity. The phrase 'your own mother's son' (ben-immekha) points to the tightest biological bond, especially where polygamy meant half-siblings were common. Barnes notes that speaking against a full brother was 'the most aggravated manner conceivable.' The verb 'you sit' (teshev) suggests not just an impulsive word but a settled habit, perhaps in the gate (where elders judged) or in social company. Keil and Delitzsch compare it to 'the seat of scoffers' (Psalm 1:1).
Leviticus 19:16 commands, 'You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people.' Slander in the Hebrew mind tore at the fabric of community. When directed at a mother's son, it attacked the very household God had called to reflect his covenant. The historical setting, probably pre-exilic, in the time of the temple (v. 8 mentions sacrifices), shows that empty ritual had crowded out the relational obedience God requires.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts and traditions.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this verse continued the prophetic criticism of empty sacrifice found in Hosea and Amos. Early Christian readers, such as Matthew Henry, used it to warn against a religion of form without love. John Gill applied it to Pharisaic opposition to Jesus, seeing 'your own mother's son' as Christ himself, the Jewish brother accused and handed over (Matthew 10:21). The Reformed tradition (Calvin, Keil) emphasized the psalm's broad critique of hypocrisy and the need for God's judgment on those who separate worship from ethics. In modern teaching, the verse is often used to highlight the importance of family relationships as the proving ground of genuine faith.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- God sees past your worship to your words. The accused participants in sacrifices (vv. 7, 15), but God's charge zeros in on their speech, especially against family.
- Betraying family is betraying God. Slandering a mother's son is not a small flaw; it breaks the covenant and shows a heart far from God.
- God's silence is not approval. Verse 21 says, 'I kept silent,' but judgment is coming. This verse feels the weight of that coming rebuke.
Five-Point Outline
- The courtroom setting: God summons heaven and earth (vv. 1, 6) to witness his judgment on hypocrites.
- The specific charge: Not just any slander, but against one's own mother's son, the closest possible relation.
- The hypocrisy exposed: Those who 'declare my statutes' (v. 16) are guilty of tearing down their own family.
- The depth of the sin: It is deliberate ('you sit'), calculated, and repeated.
- The urgent call: 'Consider this, you who forget God' (v. 22), repentance begins by facing the truth about our words.
Illustration Hooks
- A churchgoer who consistently gossips about a sibling at family gatherings, thinking it doesn't matter because they attend worship faithfully.
- A family that appears united in public but is fractured by whispered criticisms and betrayals among siblings.
- The contrast between a carefully prepared giving of offerings (v. 8) and the carelessness of words that wound those closest to us.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Does God really care about what I say in private to family members?
- How can I know if my worship is just hypocrisy?
- Is slander a sin that can cancel out my good deeds or my religious participation?
Leading a Discussion
This small-group guide helps you connect the ancient charge of slander against family to the real spaces we live in, homes, dinner tables, and phone calls. The psalm lifts the curtain on worship that looks right but lacks the relational integrity God requires.
Discussion Questions
- Read Psalm 50:16, 20 aloud. Who does God address, and what accusation does he make about their speech?
- Why do you think the psalmist specifies 'your own mother's son' rather than simply 'your brother'? What does that add?
- Look at the cross-reference Leviticus 19:16. How does slander among family members break God's design for community?
- Verse 18 mentions consenting with a thief and participating with adulterers. How does slander fit into this list of serious sins?
- In verse 21, God says he 'kept silent.' What does that silence imply about God's patience and about human assumptions?
- How can our regular worship offerings (prayers, songs, giving) become empty if we harbor slander against family?
- What practical step could you take this week to replace a slanderous pattern with words that build up a family member?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 19:16 | “‘You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am Yahweh. |
| Psalms 31:18 | Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt. |
| Proverbs 10:18 | He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool. |
| Matthew 5:11 | “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. |
| Matthew 10:21 | “Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. |
| Luke 22:65 | They spoke many other things against him, insulting him. |
| I Timothy 3:11 | Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, and faithful in all things. |
| Titus 2:3 | and that older women likewise be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that slandering a close family member is far worse than slandering a stranger. Speaking against your own mother's son, in a polygamous setting the nearest relative, showed utter disregard for natural affection. Doing so during friendly conversation made the hypocrisy of their religious rituals even more obvious.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists that true worship is spiritual, not a matter of outward ceremonies. He argues that hypocrites dishonor God by confusing ritual with religion itself, and he points to two essential elements: prayer and thanksgiving.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools note that God charges the hypocrite with deliberate slander, emphasized by the image of sitting to accuse. Slandering even one's own brother or mother's son shows a moral breakdown so severe that the closest family bonds are ignored.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the treachery of slandering someone so close as a brother, even one's own mother's son. It underscores the shocking intimacy of the betrayal: the offender sits comfortably while speaking against a family member, turning a bond of kinship into a target for malicious talk.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets the sitting as taking a position of judgment against one's own countrymen, specifically the Jewish leaders condemning believers in Christ. He sees the brother and mother's son as fellow Jews by birth, even including Jesus himself as their flesh-and-blood kinsman whom they slandered and condemned.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch draws a clear line between two kinds of sinners: those who trust in outward religious observance and a distinct group of open evildoers who still speak God's words. These manifest sinners deceive themselves into thinking God is like them, blind to their own hypocrisy. God will confront them by setting the real condition of their hearts plainly before their eyes.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats the Psalm as a prophetic vision where God does not announce a new law but deepens the people's understanding of the covenant they already have. He stresses that God does not reject Mosaic sacrifices outright but corrects the false notion that they serve any need of His. The judgment calls for heartfelt obedience and thanks-living, not merely ritual observance.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry reads this verse as God's direct challenge to hypocrites who profess religion yet live wickedly. The question forces them to justify by what right they claim God's covenant while their lives contradict it. Henry sees this as targeting those who use religious profession as a cloak for sin.