תהלים 50:20

Hebrew Modern Translation

תשב באחיך תדבר בבן אמך תתן דפי׃

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Aleppo Codex
באחיך תדבר בבן-אמך תתן-דפי

Biblia Hebrica Stuttgartensia (1967/77)
תֵּ֭שֵׁב בְּאָחִ֣יךָ תְדַבֵּ֑ר בְּבֶֽן־אִ֝מְּךָ֗ תִּתֶּן־דֹּֽפִי ׃

Westminster Leningrad Codex
תֵּשֵׁב בְּאָחִיךָ תְדַבֵּר בְּבֶֽן־אִמְּךָ תִּתֶּן־דֹּֽפִי ׃

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

speakest: Psalms 31:18, Matthew 5:11, Luke 22:65

slanderest: Leviticus 19:16, Proverbs 10:18, 1 Timothy 3:11, Titus 2:3, Revelation 12:10

thine own: Matthew 10:21

Reciprocal: Job 15:5 - thou choosest Psalms 101:5 - Whoso Jeremiah 6:28 - walking Ezekiel 22:9 - men that carry tales Ephesians 4:31 - evil speaking

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou sittest,.... Either in the chair of Moses, or on the seat of judgment, in the great sanhedrim of the nation; or, as Aben Ezra paraphrases it, "in the seat of the scornful";

[and] speakest against thy brother; even to pass sentence upon him, to put him to death for professing faith in Christ, Matthew 10:21;

thou slanderest thine own mother's son; the apostles and disciples of Christ, who were their brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh; and even our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who was bone of their bone, and flesh of their flesh.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother - To the general character of falsehood and slander there is now added the fact that they were guilty of this in the most aggravated manner conceivable - against their nearest relations, the members of their own families. They were not only guilty of the crime against neighbors - against strangers - against persons to whom they sustained no near relationship; but against those of their own households - those whose characters, on that account, ought to have been especially dear to them. The words ““thou sittest”” probably refer to the fact that they would do this when enjoying social contact with them; in confidential conversation; when words of peace, and not of slander, might be properly expected. The word “brother” “might” be used as denoting any other man, or any one of the same nation; but the phrase which is added, “thine own mother’s son,” shows that it is here to be taken in the strictest sense.

Thou slanderest - literally, “Thou givest to ruin.” Prof. Alexander renders it, “Thou wilt aim a blow.” The Septuagint, the Vulgate, Luther, and DeWette understand it of slander.

Thine own mother’s son - It is to be remembered that where polygamy prevailed there would be many children in the same family who had the same father, but not the same mother. The nearest relationship, therefore, was where there was the same mother as well as the same father. To speak of a brother, in the strictest sense, and as implying the nearest relationship, it would be natural to speak of one as having the same mother. The idea here is, that while professing religion, and performing its external rites with the most scrupulous care, they were guilty of the basest crimes, and showed an entire want of moral principle and of natural affection. External worship, however zealously performed, could not be acceptable in such circumstances to a holy God.