About…
witnesses in the Bible

• More than one witness required

  According to the law of Moses, more than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15).

  Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy by the mouth of two or three witnesses. —Hebrews 10:28

  …he shall not be put to death on the mouth of one witness —Deuteronomy 17:6 excerpt

• To be a witness required very strong sincerity

  Witnesses were the first to execute the sentence on the condemned (Deuteronomy 13:9; 17:7; 1 Kings 21:13; Matthew 27:1; Acts 7:57-58).

• Illegal to refuse to provide witness

  It was an offense to refuse to bear witness.

  “Now if a person sins after he hears a public oath to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt.” —Leviticus 5:1 LSB

• Christ’s instruction about confronting sin among the brethern

  Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. —Matthew 18:16

• Accusation against an Elder

  The Apostle Paul told Timothy…

  Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. —1 Timothy 5:19

• God is my witness

  “For God, whom I [Paul] serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how without ceasing I make mention of you” —Romans 1:9

  “For we never came with a flattering word, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness… You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly and righteously and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers” —1 Thess. 2:5, 10

• Being a witness to other about Jesus Christ

  See: witnesses for Christ and martyrs in the Bible

  Stumped about how to share your faith in Christ with others? ChristianAnswers’ Effective Evangelism section assists believers in effectively reaching out to others with love and truth. Learn about the worldview of the people you meet, ways to share the gospel, read stories submitted by site users, and more.

• False witnesses

  God hates lying. Among the children of Israel, false witnesses were liable for strong punishment according to Mosaic Law, as they were to be pure and righteous representatives to the world of the holy one true God.

  “If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. And the judges shall inquire thoroughly, and behold, if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. And the rest will hear and be afraid and will never again do such an evil thing among you. Thus your eye shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” —Deuteronomy 19:16-21 LSB

  And they [Synagogue of the Freedmen] put forward false witnesses who said, “This man [Stephen] never ceases speaking words against this holy place and the Law; —Acts 6:13

  And when they had driven him [Stephen] out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. —Acts 7:58

• Caiaphas claims no need for further witnesses to convict Jesus

  Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. …two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the sanctuary of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” [Christ’s actual words are recorded in John 2:18-22]

  But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest [Caiaphas] said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

  Jesus said to him, “You yourself said it; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

  Then the high priest tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy —Matthew 26:59-65 excerpt

More information

• What is justice? What does the Bible say about it? Answer
• What is a judge in Israel? and when were they active?
• Law
• What is the witness of the Spirit?
• What are the 10 Commandments?
• What is truth?
• What does the Bible say about lying and deception?
• Punishments mentioned in the Bible
• Executioners in the Bible
• What are judgments of God in the Bible?
• What is the justice of God?
• What is the “anger of God”?
• What is the “fury” of God?