“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
What Is Lashon Hara?
Lashon hara means “evil speech.” It refers to harmful speech about another person — even when what is said may technically be true. That last part is the part most people miss. In modern culture, truth is considered the only standard. Scripture gives a higher one.
Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it spoken in love? Does it build or destroy? A statement can be factually accurate and still be lashon hara — if its purpose is to wound, embarrass, diminish, or recruit sympathy against another person. The Torah standard for speech is not accuracy. It is Yehovah’s righteousness.
Speech Is Diagnostic
Yeshua taught:
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
That means speech reveals what is already in there. If bitterness comes out, bitterness was already in. If accusation comes out, accusation was already in. If contempt comes out, contempt was already there, waiting. Torah living requires more than clean food. It requires a clean heart — and a tongue shaped by Yehovah’s standard. — which shows up first in the tongue.
- Before speaking about someone, ask: would I say this in their presence?
- Ask: am I trying to solve a problem, or recruiting sympathy?
- Ask: is this wisdom, or am I feeding resentment?
- Am I speaking as a witness to truth, or as an accuser of a person?
- When angry: write it down before you say it. Let a night pass before sending it.
- At the end of the day: did my speech today build covenant or erode it?
The Book of Mormon repeatedly warns against contention as something that belongs not to the covenant but to the adversary:
That is direct. Not all “truth-telling” is righteous. Some people tell the truth with the spirit of an accuser — and that is not Torah, and it is not Christ. The Restoration adds another dimension: the covenant community is supposed to be a place of safety. Lashon hara destroys that safety. Guarding the tongue is not just personal piety; it is covenant stewardship of the community.
If your mouth is not under covenant, your life is not fully under covenant. Guard the tongue. It is one of the first places obedience becomes visible.