"A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice, and the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity"
rascally
This is the Hebrew word beliyyaal which means worthlessness, base, ungodly, destructive. This is the only time the word is translated rascally. The idea is that the word means the person is involved in evil or immoral actions and does not want to get caught. This person has all kinds of ways of trying not to get in trouble because of what they have done.
witness
This is the Hebrew word ed which means evidence or witness. This is the first word that appears in the Hebrew sentence and then this word beliyyaal, so it is the attachment to witness that caused the translators to adjust its meaning to fit the idea of an evil witness. But really, it probably would have been more powerful to just say that the person is an ungodly or worthless witness. This person will not give straight answers to straight questions because it will implicate him/herself. This person lies and accuses people who were not involved. This person stalls.
mockery
This is the Hebrew word lits which means scorn, mock. The issue here is that it puts down this search for truth and the right decision. This kind of person who will not tell the truth is one who will lie and falsely accuse, who heaps scorn on the process of justice. Justice must be done to them because they refuse to aid the process of the wise course of action.
justice
This is the word mishpat which means judgment, justice. The idea is making the right decision. The person who will not tell the truth is the one who makes it extremely difficult to make the right decision.
and the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity
wicked
This is the Hebrew word rasha which means wicked, criminal, evil. It is the person who refuses to acknowledge God's moral authority and boundaries. This person lives outside of the Ten Commandments, doing whatever they want to get what they want.
The mouth of this person is what Solomon focuses on in this proverb. It is not what this person models; it is not what they actually do. It is not even the consequences of what is done. What is said is a destructive force all by itself. This is why it is important not to let your children hang out with this kind of person. Or even worse, to allow your children to have a teacher who lives a wicked, immoral life because they will excuse, rationalize, and even advocate for why their decisions are right.
Our culture is in meltdown because we have failed to act on the wisdom in this proverb. We bring every kind of perversion into our high schools, colleges, and universities in the lifestyles of the professors. We do not think that what they do on their private time affects how they teach. This is so wrong, and it will spread iniquity as Solomon so accurately portrays.
I was reading the other day of a professor at a local college that was learning how to be a witch doctor and practitioner of magic rituals in his spare time. It is not possible for that person to leave his outside stuff outside the class room.
The words of a teacher are powerful. The words of a teacher who has immersed himself/herself in selfishness spread iniquity just as Solomon warns. It is important that parents study the teachers of their children for their lives will impact them.
We have lost this understanding in the secular community, and it will cost us a whole generation of kids who believe that evil is good and that good is evil. They will only know how to pursue selfish desires, believing that they should not be denied anything they desire. And each generation just gets further out on the immorality scale until there will need to be major judgment on the nation.
God will only allow a nation to become so debauched.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz