We may feign deep concern for the ones we secretly detest, we may even ask others for prayers for him or her (which request can serve as a particularly odious disguise for vicious gossip), but inwardly this hatred destroys our spiritual life. It is a grave danger. St. Vincent de Paul calls these whispering persons “murderers” wherever they may be, and whatever their state in life.

The Sin of Detraction

Detraction comes from detract, which means to diminish, or to speak badly of someone or something. It can be very subtle. And the Whisperer covers all means of defense.

Hatred delights in the troubles of another. It is often manifest, sometimes very subtly, by the sins of gossip and detraction.

“He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still.”— 1 Jn. 2:9

No matter how proper, pious and successful he or she may outwardly appear to others, the Whisperer is a killer. We are warned by the Lord not to spread the poison, not to judge our neighbor (at home or at church). Some restless, mischievous Christians often enough exhibit in vanity a secret delight in the trials and calamities of others. When this happens it is a spiritual crime.

We may feign deep concern for the ones we secretly detest, we may even ask others for prayers for him or her (which request can serve as a particularly odious disguise for vicious gossip), but inwardly this hatred destroys our spiritual life. It is a grave danger.

The Sin of Detraction

Detraction comes from detract, which means to diminish, or to speak badly of someone or something. 

“Triple Murder“

St. Vincent de Paul wrote,

“Detraction is a triple murder: it kills the one who commits it, the one who listens to it, and the one who is the object of it.”¹

He explained that detraction kills the one who commits it by depriving him of grace and charity, the one who listens to it by making him judge his neighbor unfavorably, and the one who is the object of it by ruining his reputation and causing him sorrow. He also said that detraction is worse than homicide, because it kills the soul rather than the body. He said:

– “Those who engage in detraction against Christ in His members, because they kill the souls of future believers, do more damage than those who have destroyed the flesh, which is soon to rise.”¹

He advised his followers to avoid detraction and to speak well of others, even if they are sinners. He wrote:

“We must not judge, we must not condemn, we must not speak evil of others; on the contrary, we must excuse their faults charitably and try to hide them from others as much as possible.”²

– “We must never speak ill of our neighbor unless we are obliged to do so for some reason of justice or charity.”²

Proverbs 20:19 ESV / 11,869 helpful votes
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.

Gossip / Slander / Detraction

Prover 16:28
A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Proverbs 11:13
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 26:20
For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

Leviticus 19:16
You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

Proverbs 18:8
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Psalm 34:13
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

1 Timothy 5:13
Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.

Proverbs 10:18
The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.

2 Corinthians 12:20
For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

James 1:26
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

Exodus 23:1
“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.

James 4:11
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

Psalm 101:5
Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.

Romans 1:29
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

Proverbs 11:9
With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Proverbs 26:22
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Proverbs 21:23
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Proverbs 17:4
An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Titus 3:2
To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Proverbs 17:9
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Psalm 141:3
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

Proverbs 25:23
The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Matthew 12:36
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Luke 6:31
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Proverbs 13:3
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

James 3:5
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

Psalm 15:2-3
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

Exodus 20:16
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Proverbs 26:20-22
For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Romans 1:29-32
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Romans 1:28-32
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Colossians 3:8
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

1 Peter 4:15
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Matthew 7:12
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

2 Timothy 2:16
But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

Romans 1:29-30
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

Matthew 5:11
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

1 Thessalonians 4:11
And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

Proverbs 19:5
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Jeremiah 6:28
They are all stubbornly rebellious, going about with slanders; they are bronze and iron; all of them act corruptly.

2 Thessalonians 3:11 ESV / 2,153 helpful votes
For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.

Matthew 18:17 ESV / 2,037 helpful votes
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Matthew 18:1-35 ESV / 1,998 helpful votes
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, …

Psalm 31:18 ESV / 1,985 helpful votes
Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.

1 Peter 2:1 ESV / 1,969 helpful votes
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

1 Timothy 5:19 ESV / 1,942 helpful votes
Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Ephesians 5:11 ESV / 1,901 helpful votes
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

1 Peter 3:16 ESV / 1,890 helpful votes
Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Proverbs 15:4 ESV / 1,841 helpful votes
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

1 Timothy 5:13-14 ESV / 1,826 helpful votes
Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.

Titus 2:2-3 ESV / 1,790 helpful votes
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,

James 3:8 ESV / 1,774 helpful votes
But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV / 1,728 helpful votes
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Psalm 41:7 ESV / 1,701 helpful votes
All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.

Proverbs 18:6-7 ESV / 1,661 helpful votes
A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Psalm 23:1-6 ESV / 1,632 helpful votes
A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …

Psalm 15:1-5 ESV / 1,630 helpful votes
A Psalm of David. O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Proverbs 16:27 ESV / 1,623 helpful votes
A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Psalm 41:6 ESV / 1,581 helpful votes
And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.

1 Timothy 3:9-11 ESV / 1,547 helpful votes
They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.

Matthew 7:1 ESV / 1,544 helpful votes
“Judge not, that you be not judged.

Isaiah 1:1-31 ESV / 1,516 helpful votes
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. …

Proverbs 11:12 ESV / 1,516 helpful votes
Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent.

Ephesians 4:25 ESV / 1,507 helpful votes
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Deuteronomy 13:14 ESV / 1,500 helpful votes
Then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you,

Psalm 15:3 ESV / 1,481 helpful votes
Who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

Proverbs 26:28 ESV / 1,466 helpful votes
A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Proverbs 26:17 ESV / 1,396 helpful votes
Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

James 3:2 ESV / 1,371 helpful votes
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

Proverbs 25:9-10 ESV / 1,357 helpful votes
Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end.

Psalm 50:20 ESV / 1,355 helpful votes
You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.

Proverbs 12:22 ESV / 1,333 helpful votes
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

Ezekiel 36:3 ESV / 1,289 helpful votes
Therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people,

Proverbs 18:7-8 ESV / 1,284 helpful votes
A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Proverbs 19:9 ESV / 1,272 helpful votes
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.

James 3:6 ESV / 1,210 helpful votes
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

Revelation 1:1 ESV / 1,204 helpful votes
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Psalm 15:1-3 ESV / 1,123 helpful votes
A Psalm of David. O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

1 Timothy 3:11 ESV / 1,089 helpful votes
Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.

Proverbs 11:1-13:25 ESV / 1,046 helpful votes
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. …

John 3:16-17 ESV / 1,026 helpful votes
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Matthew 5:1-11:30 ESV / 1,020 helpful votes
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. …

Matthew 18:16 ESV / 979 helpful votes
But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Titus 2:3 ESV / 940 helpful votes
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,

Proverbs 15:1 ESV / 887 helpful votes
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Romans 1:30 ESV / 868 helpful votes
Slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

Proverbs 10:2 ESV / 848 helpful votes
Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

James 4:17 ESV / 788 helpful votes
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Titus 3:1-2 ESV / 759 helpful votes
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Psalm 15:2 ESV / 727 helpful votes
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

Proverbs 16:1-28:28 ESV / 712 helpful votes
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. …