Witnesses, legal

God gave detailed instructions about the conduct of witnesses in the legal processes of Israel and also in the affairs of the church.

God himself as a witness

Genesis 31:50; Malachi 2:14

General legal requirements about witnesses

A witness to a crime was required to give evidence

Leviticus 5:1 See also Proverbs 29:24

“If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.

Two or more witnesses were required to prove someone guilty

Deuteronomy 19:15 See also Deuteronomy 17:6; Matthew 18:15–16; 2 Corinthians 13:1

A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

The role of witnesses in capital cases

At least two witnesses were required

Numbers 35:30 See also Deuteronomy 17:2–6; Hebrews 10:28

If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.

Witnesses were required to participate in the execution

Deuteronomy 17:7 See also Leviticus 24:13–16; Deuteronomy 13:6–11; Acts 7:57–58

The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.

The role of witnesses in other legal matters

Land transactions

Jeremiah 32:9–12 See also Genesis 23:10–18; Ruth 4:1–9; Jeremiah 32:25, Jeremiah 32:44

So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. Then I took the deed of purchase— the sealed copy with its terms and conditions, as well as the open copy— and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of my cousin Hanamel and the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement and all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

Levirate marriage

Ruth 4:9–11

At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to raise up the name of the deceased through his inheritance, so that his name will not disappear from among his brothers or from the gate of his home. You are witnesses today.” “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

The role of witnesses in disputes concerning believers

Matthew 18:15–17 See also 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19

If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.