Deuteronomy 19:18 → Exodus 20:16

Exodus 20:16 prohibits bearing false witness (עֵד שָׁקֶר, ed shaqer), and Deuteronomy 19:18 provides the judicial mechanism for enforcing this commandment: "The judges shall investigate thoroughly" (וְדָרְשׁוּ הַשֹּׁפְטִים הֵיטֵב, vedareshu hashofetim hetev). When a witness is found to be false, Deuteronomy prescribes measure-for-measure punishment—whatever harm the false witness intended for the accused falls upon the perjurer. This legal development translates the Decalogue's moral prohibition into courtroom procedure, demonstrating that the ninth commandment's protection of truth is not merely ethical exhortation but an enforceable judicial principle within Israel's legal system.