Backbite

Backbiting in Scripture refers to speaking evil of someone in their absence — malicious gossip or slander that undermines a person's reputation without confronting them directly. Psalm 15:3 includes he that backbiteth not with his tongue among the characteristics of the person who may dwell on God's holy hill, placing freedom from slander among the marks of genuine integrity. Proverbs 25:23 notes that a backbiting tongue produces angry countenance, just as the north wind produces rain.

Paul lists backbiting among the vices that characterized pagan society in its rejection of God (Romans 1:30) and expresses concern that he will find it present in the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 12:20), alongside contentions, envyings, and other relational sins. The biblical vocabulary for this sin — including slander, tale-bearing, and whispering — reflects a consistent concern with the destructive social power of speech used to harm rather than build up. James 3 and 4 develop the theme most fully: the tongue set on fire by hell, and the commandment not to speak evil of one another.