Witness (Hastings' Dictionary)

For 'tabernacle of witness' (nnyn Nu 17'- » 18-, 2 Ch 24« ; toO luiprvplov Ac 7" [RV in all ' testimony ']) see art. Testimony. ' Witness,' as treated in tlie present article, represents the fol- lowini; verbs and nouns: [•niv], ■"'W (lit. 'answer'); IS! and ni]/, (the latter only of things) ; LXX and NT fiaprvpiii), iiritmprvpiw, KaTafivpTvp^ia ('witness against'), <rvv/iaprrvpiu) ('witness along with,' 'cor- roborate'), \l/tvSciii.

apTvpiw ('bear false witness'), (lapripoiuu, SiaiiapTupofuu, rpo/iaprupofiai ( ' witness beforehand ') ; /idprvs (of persons), iMprvpla, nap- TVpLOV. The nouns ly and n-iji [whose root notion is proi). that of reiterating, hence empliatically affirming^ are used in two leading senses — 1. W it ness= testimony, evidence (of things) : Gn 3J44. 48.

62 [jE] ^he heap of stones that was to wit- ness the covenant between Jacob and Laban, Ex 22'- (IS) [E] the carcass that was to be brought in evidence that the animal entrusted to the keeping of a neighbour had been torn, Dt 31"- " [J] the Song of Moses is to be a witness against the cliiUlren of Israel if they go astray, v.-' (D^) the book of the Law is to serve the same purpose, Jos 2-r.i. 2s. M [p] j],e altar erected by the 2i tribes (see art.

Ed), Is 19-" the altar and the mazzcbah in the land of Egypt, Job 16* Job's miserable condition is a witness against him, Ps 89^ (^' the moon [possibly, but we prefer the interpretation below]. In all these passages ijr is used.

Tiy [only E] occurs in Gn 21" of the seven ewe lambs that are to witness the covenant between Abraham and Abimelech, 31" the heap of stones that witnessed Laban's covenant with Jacob, Jos 24'-^ "^ the great stone set up by Joshua at Shechem to witness Israel's covenant with Jahweh. — Similarly in NT pLafrrOpiof is used : Mt 8 (|| Mk 1", Lk 5") of the gift to be ofiered by the leper, Mt IQi* (|| Mk 1.

3', Lk 21'^) the persecutions of Christ's followers, Mk 6" (II Lk 9°) the dust to be shaken oft' the apostle's feet [on all these passages see Swete's note on Mk 1"], Ja 5' the dust of the rich men's silver and gold to be a witness against them. 2. Witness (of persons) : (a) of God : Gn S\^ [E] God is to be witness between Jacob and Laban, Job 16'" 'my witness is in heaven,' 1 S 12"'" ' the Lord is witness against you . . He is witness,' so V.'

[reading ■"■ n;:, after LXX fidprvs Ki'/jios], 20" ' the Lord be witness ' [inserting i^ before ""■], Jer 29'-^ against the false prophets Ahab and Zedekiah, 42' invoked as a witness by Johanan and his com- panions (cf. Jg II'", where the elders of Gilead say to Jei)hthah, 'The Lord shall be witness [lit. 'hearer,' jjpi:'] between us'), Mic P against the nations, Mai 3' against evil-doers in Israel, Pa ggs? (38) < (;],g witness in the sky, i.e. God [see Driver, Par. Psalt.], is faithful.'

— Similarly, in NT St. Paul calls God as witness {fiiprvs) to the truth of his words and the purity of his motives, Ro 1", 2 Co l^*, 1 Th 2» i», Ph 18. (6) David (or perhaps the Davidic dynasty per- sonitied) was God's witness to the nations, Is 55^. (c) Of witnesses in a more or less strictly forensic sense : Jer 32'°- "■ ^- " of transfer of pro- perty, Ru 49- "• " betrothal (see art. Shoe) ; usually of testimony in court and in civil and social relations : e.g.

Nu 5", Dt 5= 17«, Job 10" (fig.) Is 8^ Jer 32"'. Note the phrases 'false witness' tp;^ ly (hence Ex 20" ? if^v' "'5! ■"'^I' 'bear false witness [lit. 'answer (in court) as a false witness'] against") Ex 20", Dt 19""", Ps 21", Py 6'» 14" ; also kv ij; Dt S^", Pr 25'8 ; D-i,7;fi ly Pr 12" 19»-»; D'5!3 Tj, Pr21=«; Djn i-^ 24^^; Vs!:S? Hi 19, cf. ccij 1]! ' witness of [i.e. supporting] violence,' Ex 23' [E], Dt 19", Ps 35"; 'faithful witness' is D'JiD.

-) IS Pr 14', or nt^ ny Jer 42', Pr 14'^ ; ' at the mouth of witnesses' is D'-a 'p^ Nu 35^ [PI or (o'jIH 'rVy Dt 17« "* 19" "". The verb [TV], denom. from ly, means In Hiphil [the only instance of Qal is in KethUth of La 21^] — (1) ' testif\- or witness,' in favour of (Job 29", La 2is [A'ct-C]), or against (1 K 211" '3) one, or between two parties (Mal'yi'i) ; (2) ' cause to testify,' i.e. •take as witness' (Is 82, Jer 3'2'»-25.

"), with ^ 'against' (Dt 428 3018 3128) ; (3) • protest,' ' affirm solemnly,' ' warn ' (Jer 6H> Neh IS"), with 51 (Gn 44'»(<' [JJ, Ex 1921 [E] 2119 (Hoph. ' if • protest have been entered '), 1 S 89 Sis, 1 K 2", 2 Ch 24i», Neh 92« 1321, Jer 4219, Am 31S) ; note esp. the instances where God ia the subject : Ex 1923 [j], Dt S" 32«, 2 K IT'S.

1», Neh 9» 3»- 3«, Jer H'ler, Zeo 36, Ps 60' 81'; whencs the use explained >» tit WIZARD WOMAN 933 Tmtisiont of the term 'testimonies' for God's laws as solemn chaives or declarations of the l>ivine ftill. r^y [lit. 'answer,' 'reapond'] has the specific sense of 'respond off a vitness,' 'testify': with 3 'for' Gn 3(M3 ; but usually against. Ex W 232, Nu 3530 (pj, ut 3" 1918- 18, 1 S 12^, 8 S li«, Is 38 &9'2, Mic 63, Jer 14?

, Ru 1»» (7), Pr Zo's ; with I'jfJ H08 5» 7i», Job 168 ; with VJ5^ Dt SI" (+1^) ' a» witness 'X The testimony of at least two witnesses was required to justify a capital sentence, Dt 17' 19", Nu 35** [P]. Cf.

tlie general saying 'that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established' (Mt \S", similarly 2 Co 13', He 10= ; also the rule laid down in 1 Ti 5'" that an accusation is not to be received against an elder except on the information of two or three wit- nesses) ; and note the two witnesses against Naboth (1 K 21'"), and against Jesus (Mt '2G').

Although perjury was punished by the inlliction of the same penalty as the false evidence, if accepted, would have involved for the accused (Dt 19'"*^), we gather from the last two instances (cf. the evidence suborned against Stephen, Ac 6") as ■well as from the terms of the Ninth Command- ment, that amongst the Jews false witness was as common and as easily procurable as it still is in many Eastern courts of justice.

The witnesses, in the event of the accused being condemned to death, had to take the leading part in carrying out the sentence, Dt 17', cf. 13'" i»i and Ac 7*. In the NT the apostles are repeatedly presented in the character of witnesses (iiipTvpe^) regarding the life and death and, above all, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Lk 24«, Ac P-, 2^- 3" o»- lO^"- •" 13" 22» 26", 1 P 5' ; cf. Mt •24'^, Ac 4'^). Tlie name fiAprvs is twice (Kev 1» 3', cf.

1 Ti 6") ap- plied to our Lord Himself ; it is u.sed also of the two witnesses of Kev 11'. John the Baptist came els uapTiplay, that lie might bear witness concerning the Light (Jn 1'). The heroes of faith of the OT are 'the cloud of witnes.ses' {y^<pos piapTipuv) of He 12'. A V tr. niprvs by ' martyr ' in Ac 'i-il", Uev 2" 17', but it is questiunalile whether the word had acquired this sense in NT times (see Martyu). RV has 'martyr' onlj' in Kev 17', elsewhere 'wit- ness.'

For the ' witness of tlie Spirit ' (Ko 8", cf. 1 Jn 5'") see art. Holy Si'Irit, vol. ii. p. 409''. J. A. Shldie.