“He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit” (Proverbs 12:17).
When the apostle Paul wrote that all Scripture is “given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16), he coined the Greek word theopneuotos (“God-breathed”) to express this profound and significant truth. When the America Standard Version was published in 1901, it noted that the Hebrew word translated “speaks” in this proverb literally means “breathes”.
Just as air is the perpetual atmosphere our lungs need, truth is God’s unchanging atmosphere. He cannot lie (Titus 1:2); He cannot even be tempted to do so (James 1:13). Jehovah lives at a higher plane than humans currently do. He does not just declare truth, truth is the very atmosphere which He breathes.
The truth that anyone who “speaks (breathes) truth declares righteousness” explains why David could confidently assert about Jehovah’s word: The law of the Lord is perfect, the testimony of the Lord is sure, the statutes of the Lord are right, the commandment of the Lord is pure, and the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether (Ps. 19:7-9).
God breathes in the atmosphere of pure truth. Therefore, His word ever declares righteousness.
