There are a number of Scriptures which admonish us not to speak evil of our rulers or dignitaries.  What do they mean?  Let’s take a closer look.

Rulers

There is an intriguing incident in which the apostle Paul spoke out against the high priest.

Act 23:1  Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”
Act 23:2  And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.
Act 23:3  Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”
Act 23:4  And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”
Act 23:5  Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK EVIL OF A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.'”

The high priest unfairly commanded Paul to be hit and Paul spoke out against it.  When Paul realised it was the high priest, he let the crowd know he didn’t know and acknowledged it was wrong to speak evil of leaders.  The part of the law Paul quoted was Exodus 22:28.

Exo 22:28  “You shall not revile God, nor curse [arar] a ruler of your people.

The Hebrew word translated curse is arar, which is the same word used when God cursed the serpent and Adam and Eve and also the same word used for the fate of those who sin (Deuteronomy 27).  To curse a ruler is to call down harm upon him.  This is what Paul did.  He said to the high priest, “God will strike you”.

A similar incident happened to Jesus, but His response was different.

Joh 18:19  The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.
Joh 18:20  Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.
Joh 18:21  Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.”
Joh 18:22  And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?”
Joh 18:23  Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”

After being hit, Jesus spoke.  Revealingly, He did not call down harm on anyone.  He just asked why He was struck.

It is clear that we should not curse a ruler, that is, verbally wish a ruler harm.  However, the New Testament goes further and applies the principle not just to rulers but to everyone. 

Tit 3:1  Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work,
Tit 3:2  to speak evil [blasphemeo] of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.

The Greek word translated “speak evil” is blasphemeo and means to speak evil, blaspheme, revile, rail. 

The Bible is clear.  We should not curse anyone, that is, verbally wish anyone harm.

Dignitaries

In both 2 Peter and Jude, the unjust are described as speaking evil of dignitaries.  These passages are sometimes misunderstood, so it’s worth taking a look at them.

2Pe 2:9  then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
2Pe 2:10  and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil [blasphemeo] of dignitaries [doxa],
2Pe 2:11  whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling [blasphemos] accusation against them before the Lord.
2Pe 2:12  But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil [blasphemeo] of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,

Jud 1:8  Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil [blasphemeo] of dignitaries [doxa].
Jud 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling [blasphemia] accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Jud 1:10  But these speak evil [blasphemeo] of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

The Greek word translated dignitaries is doxa and means glory.  Many translations have “glorious ones” or “angelic beings”.  The context also points to these “dignitaries” being angelic beings, for the next verse in both passages says not even angels speak such evil.

The “dignitaries” are spirit beings, not human rulers.  The admonition in passages can be thus summarised as, don’t speak evil of spiritual beings (good or evil), especially when you don’t understand the realities involved. 

Calling out Evil

Because it is wrong to speak evil of leaders, some people mistakenly think it is wrong to openly call a wicked leader wicked.  However, we can call the wicked what they are, wicked.

Good examples are John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, who both called the religious leaders of their time, the Pharisees and Sadducees, a brood of vipers.

Mat 3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Mat 3:8  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
Mat 3:9  and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Mat 3:10  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Mat 23:1  Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,
…
Mat 23:29  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
…
Mat 23:33  Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

Calling them “brood of vipers” was calling them what they were, wicked.  It wasn’t to wish them harm, but rather for their good, to warn them to repent.  God wants all people to repent and be saved.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

So should we.  We can call out evil when we see it, not out of spite or hatred, but out of love and concern lest they perish.

Conclusion

Speaking evil of rulers is to verbally wish them harm.  The Bible admonishes us against this.

Calling an evil ruler what he is, evil, is not speaking evil of him.  The Bible provides examples of this where it was done out of love and concern for their eternal wellbeing.