Deuteronomy 19:15

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
One	אֶחָ֜ד 'e.Chad	H259	properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
witness	עֵ֨ד 'ed	H5707	concretely · noun, common masculine singular absolute
up	יָקוּם֩ ya.Kum	H6965	to rise (in various applications · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
man	בְּאִ֗ישׁ be.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
iniquity	עָוֹן֙ 'a.Von	H5771	perversity · noun, common masculine singular absolute
sin	חַטָּ֔את cha.Tat	H2403	an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
sin	חֵ֖טְא chet'	H2399	a crime or its penalty · noun, common masculine singular absolute
sinneth	יֶֽחֱטָ֑א ye.che.Ta'	H2398	properly · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
mouth	פִּ֣י pi	H6310	the mouth (as the means of blowing) · noun, common masculine singular construct
two	שְׁנֵ֣י she.Nei	H8147	two · noun, common both genders dual construct
witnesses	עֵדִ֗ים 'e.Dim	H5707	concretely · noun, common masculine plural absolute
mouth	פִּ֥י pi	H6310	the mouth (as the means of blowing) · noun, common masculine singular construct
three	שְׁלֹשָֽׁה she.lo.shah-	H7969	three · noun, common both genders singular absolute
witnesses	עֵדִ֖ים 'e.Dim	H5707	concretely · noun, common masculine plural absolute
matter	דָּבָֽר da.Var	H1697	a word · noun, common masculine singular absolute
established	יָק֥וּם ya.Kum	H6965	to rise (in various applications · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Numbers 35:30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person…
Deuteronomy 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shal…
2 Corinthians 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
Matthew 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established…
Hebrews 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
John 8:17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
1 Timothy 5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
1 Kings 21:10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 19:14–end

Here is a statute for the preventing of frauds and perjuries; for the divine law takes care of men's rights and properties, and has made a hedge about them. Such a friend is it to human society and men's civil interest. I. A law against frauds, Deu 19:14. 1. Here is an implicit direction given to the first planters of Canaan to fix land-marks, according to the distribution of the land to the several tribes and families by lot. Note, It is the will of God that every one should know his own, and that all good means should be used to prevent encroachments and the doing and suffering of wrong. When right is settled, care must be taken that it be not afterwards unsettled, and that, if possible, n…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 19:15

TWO WITNESSES REQUIRED. (Deu 19:15) One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity--The following rules to regulate the admission of testimony in public courts are founded on the principles of natural justice. A single witness shall not be admitted to the condemnation of an accused person.

John Gill on Deuteronomy 19:15

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth,.... Whether capital sins, or pecuniary debts; or whatsoever sins a man may be guilty of whether sins against the first or second table of the law, whether greater or lesser sins, whether in moral or civil things; the Jews except only in the case of a woman suspected of adultery and of beheading the heifer: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established; either for acquittance or condemnation; and the witnesses may not, as Jarchi says, write their testimony in a letter, and send it to the sanhedrim, nor may an interpreter stand between…

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John Calvin on Deuteronomy 19:15

Deuteronomy 19:15 15. One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. 15. Non stabit testis unus contra quenquam in quacunque iniquitate, et in quoeunque peccato quod peccaverit: in ore duorum testium vel in ore trium testium stabit verbum. As His severity in exacting punishment, where murder has been unquestionably committed, shows how highly God rates the life of men, so the qualification, which we find here, declares, that he takes equal care for the preservation of innocent blood. For, since too great credulity would often impel…

The Church Fathers

As a matter of fact, a single witness generally speaks the truth, while a mob may tell lies. And the world, in its conversion to Christianity, believed one apostle preaching the gospel rather than the mistaken multitude who persecuted him.
— Augustine of Hippo, AGAINST FAUSTUS, A MANICHAEAN 16.13

At the birth of the Savior, then, there was fulfilled that divine sentence which says, "Every word shall stand with two or three witnesses." For see, the Word of God is born with the Trinity as witness. For indeed, in the womb of holy Mary—when the Holy Spirit comes upon her, when the Most High overshadows her, when Christ is begotten—there is implied a confession of faith in him.
— Maximus of Turin, SERMON 61B.3

Therefore if a people composed of a great multitude was found a false witness, how must it be understood, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand," except that in this way. The Trinity, in which is unending stability of truth, was revealed through a mystery. Do you want to have a good case? Have two or three witnesses, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
— Augustine of Hippo, TRACTATE ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 36.10.1

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Witness — More than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). They were the first to execute the sentence on the condemned (Deut. 13:9; 17:7; 1 Kings 21:13; Matt. 27:1; Acts 7:57, 58).…
Courts Of Justice · The accused: The evidence of two or more witnesses required in — The accused: The evidence of two or more witnesses required in
Evidence · 35:30; — 35:30;
Murder · To be proved by two witnesses at least — To be proved by two witnesses at least
Witness · Two necessary to establish a fact — Two necessary to establish a fact

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Deuteronomy 19:15

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 19:14–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 19:15

John Gill on Deuteronomy 19:15

John Calvin on Deuteronomy 19:15

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Deuteronomy 19:15

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 19:14–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 19:15

John Gill on Deuteronomy 19:15

John Calvin on Deuteronomy 19:15

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Deuteronomy 19:15-16

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Deuteronomy 19:15

Rashi on Deuteronomy 19:15