Dissembling

Dissembling is an old word for pretending, hiding what is real behind a good appearance. Joseph “made himself strange” to his brothers when they came to Egypt, speaking roughly to them while they did not know him (Genesis 42:7). More often in Scripture the pretending is a fault. Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees “hypocrites” and says they are “like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27). The psalmist asks God to “search me” and know his heart. Matthew 23 shows what Jesus thought of religion worn as a costume.

386 verses

Genesis

Genesis 12:13

Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Genesis 42:7

And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

Genesis 42:8

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

Genesis 42:9

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

Genesis 42:10

And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.

Genesis 42:11

We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.

Genesis 42:12

And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

Genesis 42:13

And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

Genesis 42:14

And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:

Genesis 42:15

Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

Genesis 42:16

Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

Genesis 42:17

And he put them all together into ward three days.

Genesis 42:18

And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

Genesis 42:19

If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

Genesis 42:20

But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

Exodus

Exodus 8:15

But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Exodus 8:28

And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.

Exodus 8:29

And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.

Exodus 8:32

And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Exodus 9:27

And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

Exodus 9:28

Intreat the LORD(for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.

Exodus 9:29

And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S.

Exodus 9:30

But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.

Exodus 9:31

And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.

Exodus 9:32

But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.

Exodus 9:33

And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.

Exodus 9:34

And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

Exodus 9:35

And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

Job

Job 8:13

So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:

Job 8:14

Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.

Job 8:15

He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

Job 13:16

He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.

Job 15:31

Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

Job 15:33

He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

Job 15:34

For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

Job 17:8

Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.

Job 20:4

Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,

Job 20:5

That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?

Job 20:6

Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;

Job 20:7

Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

Job 20:8

He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.

Job 20:9

The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.

Job 20:10

His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.

Job 20:11

His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.

Job 20:12

Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;

Job 20:13

Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:

Job 20:14

Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.

Job 20:15

He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.

Job 20:16

He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him.

Job 20:17

He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter.

Job 20:18

That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.

Job 27:8

For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

Job 27:9

Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

Job 27:10

Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

Job 27:13

This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.

Job 27:14

If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

Job 27:15

Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.

Job 27:16

Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

Job 27:17

He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

Job 27:18

He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.

Job 31:33

If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:

Job 31:34

Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?

Job 34:30

That the hypocrite reign not, lest the people be ensnared.

Job 36:13

But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.

Job 36:14

They die in youth, and their life is among the unclean.

Psalms

Psalms 5:9

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

Psalms 50:16

But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

Psalms 50:17

Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.

Psalms 52:4

Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

Psalms 55:12

For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

Psalms 55:13

But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

Psalms 55:14

We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

Psalms 55:20

He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.

Psalms 55:21

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

Psalms 55:23

But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

Psalms 101:7

He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

Proverbs

Proverbs 7:10

And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

Proverbs 7:11

(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

Proverbs 7:12

Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

Proverbs 7:13

So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

Proverbs 7:14

I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

Proverbs 7:15

Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

Proverbs 7:16

I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

Proverbs 7:17

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

Proverbs 7:18

Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

Proverbs 7:19

For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

Proverbs 7:20

He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.

Proverbs 7:21

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

Proverbs 11:9

An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

Proverbs 14:8

The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.

Proverbs 15:8

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Proverbs 20:14

It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

Proverbs 21:27

The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

Proverbs 23:6

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

Proverbs 23:7

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Proverbs 23:8

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Proverbs 25:19

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

Proverbs 26:18

As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,

Proverbs 26:19

So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

Proverbs 26:23

Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.

Based on Nave's Topical Bible by Orville J. Nave (1896). Public domain. KJV scripture text, public domain.