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Deuteronomy19:15–21

The Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses

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Deuteronomy 19:15–21 — The Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

15

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.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’e·ḥāḏ ‘êḏ lō- yā·qūm lə·ḵāl ‘ā·wōn ū·lə·ḵāl- ḥaṭ·ṭāṯ bə·’îš bə·ḵāl ḥêṭ ’ă·šer ye·ḥĕ·ṭā dā·ḇār yā·qūm ‘al- pî šə·nê ’ōw ‘al- pî šə·lō·šāh- ‘ê·ḏîm ‘ê·ḏîm

Word by word24 · parsed
אֶחָ֜ד’e·ḥāḏA loneH259
√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iNumbermasculine singular
ʼeḥāḏ (H259) — "one," placed in pointed contrast with two or three at the verse's end. A single voice, however true, carries no legal weight; the law builds conviction on plurality.
עֵ֨ד‘êḏwitnessH5707
√ ʻêd — concretely, a witnessNounmasculine singular
ʻêḏ (H5707) — "witness," the governing noun of the whole unit, recurring in vv. 16, 18. The Hebrew thinks in terms of the person testifying, not abstract "evidence."
לֹֽא־lō-is not sufficientH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
יָקוּם֩yā·qūmto establishH6965
√ qûwm — to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yāqūm (H6965, qûm) — Qal imperfect, "shall rise up." Keil & Delitzsch and Poole both note this is the same verb rendered "be established" at the verse's close: qûm means to acquire legal standing. One witness shall not rise; only on two or three mouths does the matter rise to force.
לְכָל־lə·ḵālanyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
עָוֺן֙‘ā·wōnwrongdoingH5771
√ ʻâvôn — perversity, iNouncommon singular
ʻāwōn (H5771) — "iniquity, perversity," guilt bent crooked; the first of three near-synonyms (iniquity / sin / offense) heaped up so that no category of wrong escapes the two-witness rule.
וּלְכָל־ū·lə·ḵāl-[or]H3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
חַטָּ֔אתḥaṭ·ṭāṯsinH2403
√ chaṭṭâʼâh — an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiationNounfeminine singular
ḥaṭṭāʼṯ (H2403) — "sin," lit. a missing of the mark, and its penalty; paired with ʻāwōn and ḥêṭ to make the rule exhaustive — Gill: "whatsoever sins a man may be guilty of."
בְּאִ֗ישׁbə·’îšagainst a manH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personPreposition-bNounmasculine singular
בְּכָל־bə·ḵālregardless of whatH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
חֵ֖טְאḥêṭoffenseH2399
√ chêṭᵉʼ — a crime or its penaltyNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יֶֽחֱטָ֑אye·ḥĕ·ṭāhe may have committedH2398
√ châṭâʼ — properly, to missVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
דָּבָֽר׃dā·ḇārA matterH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordNounmasculine singular
dāḇār (H1697) — "word, matter, thing." In a law about testimony the pun is alive: a spoken word (of witnesses) is what makes a legal matter stand. The same dāḇār returns in v. 20 as the "thing" never to be done again.
יָק֥וּםyā·qūmmust be establishedH6965
√ qûwm — to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yāqūm (H6965) — the verse's closing verb, identical to its opening one. The frame is deliberate: the law denies rising to the lone witness and grants it to the matter borne up by two or three mouths.
עַל־‘al-byH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
פִּ֣י׀pîthe testimonyH6310
√ peh — the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech)Nounmasculine singular construct
pî (H6310, peh) — "mouth," construct. The idiom ʻal pî ("upon the mouth of") is the technical phrase for sworn attestation; proof is anchored in spoken human testimony, echoing the identical rule of Deut 17:6 and Num 35:30.
שְׁנֵ֣יšə·nêof twoH8147
√ shᵉnayim — twoNumbermasculine dual construct
šənê (H8147) — "two," dual construct; the minimum plurality. With "three" it forms the canonical formula of corroboration carried into the New Testament (Matt 18:16; 2 Cor 13:1; 1 Tim 5:19).
א֛וֹ’ōworH176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
עַל־‘al-. . .H5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
פִּ֥יpî. . .H6310
√ peh — the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech)Nounmasculine singular construct
שְׁלֹשָֽׁה־šə·lō·šāh-threeH7969
√ shâlôwsh — threeNumbermasculine singular
עֵדִ֖ים‘ê·ḏîm. . .H5707
√ ʻêd — concretely, a witnessNounmasculine plural
עֵדִ֗ים‘ê·ḏîmwitnessesH5707
√ ʻêd — concretely, a witnessNounmasculine plural
16

If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kî- yā·qūm ḥā·mās ‘êḏ- la·‘ă·nō·wṯ bōw bə·’îš sā·rāh

Word by word8 · parsed
כִּֽי־kî-IfH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
kî (H3588) — "if/when," opening the case-law protasis; the legislator now moves from the rule (v. 15) to the test case of a witness who lies.
יָק֥וּםyā·qūm. . .H6965
√ qûwm — to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yāqūm (H6965) — "rises up"; here, per the Cambridge Bible, in the simpler sense of appearing or offering himself, not yet of being established. His standing is decided only when the judges examine him (v. 18).
חָמָ֖סḥā·māsa falseH2555
√ châmâç — violenceNounmasculine singular
ḥāmās (H2555) — "violence." An ʻêḏ ḥāmās ("witness of violence") is the precise idiom of Exodus 23:1 and Psalm 27:12 — a witness who does violence to truth or intends violence to his neighbor. The charge against him is not weakness but cruelty.
עֵד־‘êḏ-witnessH5707
√ ʻêd — concretely, a witnessNounmasculine singular construct
ʻêḏ (H5707) — "witness," construct with ḥāmās: the bound phrase makes "violence" the very kind of witness he is.
לַעֲנ֥וֹתla·‘ă·nō·wṯtestifiesH6030
√ ʻânâh — properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, iPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
laʻănôṯ (H6030, ʻānāh) — "to testify, answer/respond against"; the legal verb for giving evidence, the same root used in the ninth commandment (Deut 5:20, "bear witness against").
בּ֖וֹbōwagainst
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
בְּאִ֑ישׁbə·’îšsomeoneH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personPreposition-bNounmasculine singular
סָרָֽה׃sā·rāhaccusing him of a crimeH5627
√ çârâh — apostasy, crimeNounfeminine singular
sārāh (H5627) — "defection, apostasy." A rare noun (8 occurrences), it is the word for rebellion against the LORD in Deut 13:5 and Isa 59:13; here Barnes and the Pulpit Commentary read it widened to any "falling away" from the law that would carry punishment.
17

both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

šə·nê- hā·’ă·nā·šîm ’ă·šer- lā·hem hā·rîḇ wə·‘ā·mə·ḏū lip̄·nê Yah·weh lip̄·nê hak·kō·hă·nîm wə·haš·šō·p̄ə·ṭîm ’ă·šer yih·yū hā·hêm bay·yā·mîm

Word by word15 · parsed
שְׁנֵֽי־šə·nê-bothH8147
√ shᵉnayim — twoNumbermasculine dual construct
šənê (H8147) — "two," dual. Barnes argues these are "not the accused and the false witness, but the plaintiff and defendant" — the two parties to the suit, summoned to the supreme court.
הָאֲנָשִׁ֛יםhā·’ă·nā·šîmpartiesH582
√ ʼĕnôwsh — a man in general (singly or collectively)ArticleNounmasculine plural
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-H834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
לָהֶ֥םlā·hem
Preposition-lPronounthird person masculine plural
הָרִ֖יבhā·rîḇto the disputeH7379
√ rîyb — a contest (personal or legal)ArticleNounmasculine singular
hārîḇ (H7379, rîḇ) — "the controversy/lawsuit," the forensic noun; the same term Deut 17:8 uses for hard cases referred to the central tribunal.
וְעָמְד֧וּwə·‘ā·mə·ḏūmust standH5975
√ ʻâmad — to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
wəʻāmḏû (H5975) — "and they shall stand"; perfect with waw, the legal act of taking one's stand before the court. Gill notes the rabbis derived from it that testimony is given standing.
לִפְנֵ֣יlip̄·nêin the presenceH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Preposition-lNouncommon plural construct
lip̄nê (H6440, pānîm) — "before the face of," construct; the idiom of standing in the divine presence, here at the sanctuary.
יְהוָ֑הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
YHWH (H3068) — the covenant Name. Barnes: "The judges acted as God's representative; to lie to them was to lie to Him." Standing before priests and judges is standing before the LORD.
לִפְנֵ֤יlip̄·nêbeforeH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Preposition-lNouncommon plural construct
הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙hak·kō·hă·nîmthe priestsH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine plural
hakkōhănîm (H3548) — "the priests"; with the judges they compose the supreme court of Deut 17:9. Benson: "the supreme court, which consisted partly of priests, and partly of other great persons."
וְהַשֹּׁ֣פְטִ֔יםwə·haš·šō·p̄ə·ṭîmand judgesH8199
√ shâphaṭ — to judge, iConjunctive waw, ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine plural
haššōp̄ṭîm (H8199, šāp̄aṭ) — "and the judges," Qal participle, "the ones judging." Cambridge notes some read this clause as expanded from Deut 17:9; the court is the central one at the place the LORD chooses.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerwhoH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יִהְי֖וּyih·yūare [in office]H1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine plural
yihyû (H1961) — "who shall be [in office]," lit. "who shall be in those days"; the law binds itself to whatever bench is sitting at the time, not a fixed roster.
הָהֵֽם׃hā·hêmat thatH1992
√ hêm — they (only used when emphatic)ArticlePronounthird person masculine plural
בַּיָּמִ֥יםbay·yā·mîmtimeH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Preposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural
18

The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

haš·šō·p̄ə·ṭîm wə·ḏā·rə·šū hê·ṭêḇ wə·hin·nêh ‘êḏ- še·qer hā·‘êḏ še·qer ‘ā·nāh ḇə·’ā·ḥîw

Word by word10 · parsed
הַשֹּׁפְטִ֖יםhaš·šō·p̄ə·ṭîmThe judgesH8199
√ shâphaṭ — to judge, iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine plural
haššōp̄ṭîm (H8199) — "the judges," Qal participle; the active bench of v. 17 now made the subject of investigation. Justice is not passive reception of testimony but active searching.
וְדָרְשׁ֥וּwə·ḏā·rə·šūshall investigateH1875
√ dârash — properly, to tread or frequentConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
wəḏārəšû (H1875, dāraš) — "and they shall search out"; the verb for diligent inquiry, the same root Cambridge links to Deut 13:14 and 17:4 (the inquest into idolatry). The court must dig.
הֵיטֵ֑בhê·ṭêḇthoroughlyH3190
√ yâṭab — to be (causative) make well, literally (sound, beautiful) or figuratively (happy, successful, right)VerbHifilInfinitive absolute
hêṭêḇ (H3190, yāṭaḇ) — infinitive absolute, "doing well/thoroughly," reinforcing the verb: search well. The grammar itself forbids a careless trial.
וְהִנֵּ֤הwə·hin·nêhand ifH2009
√ hinnêh — lo!Conjunctive wawInterjection
wəhinnêh (H2009) — "and behold," the interjection introducing the discovered result; Keil & Delitzsch read what follows as a parenthetical "is the witness a false witness, has he spoken a lie?"
עֵֽד־‘êḏ-the witnessH5707
√ ʻêd — concretely, a witnessNounmasculine singular construct
שֶׁ֙קֶר֙še·qeris proven to be a liarH8267
√ sheqer — an untruthNounmasculine singular
šeqer (H8267) — "falsehood, a lie"; the first of two occurrences in the verse. Cambridge: the same šeqer stands in Exodus 20:16's ninth commandment, distinguishing it from the milder šāwʼ ("vain") of Deut 5:20.
הָעֵ֔דhā·‘êḏ. . .H5707
√ ʻêd — concretely, a witnessArticleNounmasculine singular
שֶׁ֖קֶרše·qerwho has falselyH8267
√ sheqer — an untruthNounmasculine singular
עָנָ֥ה‘ā·nāhaccusedH6030
√ ʻânâh — properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, iVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
ʻānāh (H6030) — "he has testified/answered," Qal perfect; the verdict that the witness did give false evidence — the deed established, not merely alleged.
בְאָחִֽיו׃ḇə·’ā·ḥîwhis brotherH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Preposition-bNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
bə-ʼāḥîw (H251, ʼāḥ) — "against his brother." Cambridge marks brother as Deuteronomy's standard word for a fellow-Israelite; the betrayal is of covenant kin, which is why the penalty (v. 19) is measured against what he meant for that brother.
19

you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wa·‘ă·śî·ṯem lōw ka·’ă·šer zā·mam la·‘ă·śō·wṯ lə·’ā·ḥîw ū·ḇi·‘ar·tā hā·rā‘ miq·qir·be·ḵā

Word by word9 · parsed
וַעֲשִׂ֣יתֶםwa·‘ă·śî·ṯemyou must doH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine plural
waʻăśîṯem (H6213) — "and you shall do," Qal perfect, 2mp. Cambridge notes this is the lone plural verb in an otherwise singular passage — "either a clerical error or an instance of" a writer slipping between forms of address.
ל֔וֹlōwto him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רka·’ă·šerasH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPreposition-kPronounrelative
זָמַ֖םzā·mamhe intendedH2161
√ zâmam — to plan, usually in a bad senseVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
zāmam (H2161) — "he plotted/devised," Qal perfect; a rare verb almost always of evil scheming. The penalty is keyed to the plan, the false witness's deliberate design against his brother.
לַעֲשׂ֣וֹתla·‘ă·śō·wṯto doH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
לְאָחִ֑יוlə·’ā·ḥîwto his brotherH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Preposition-lNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ū·ḇi·‘ar·tāSo you must purgeH1197
√ bâʻar — to kindle, iConjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular
ūḇiʻartā (H1197, bāʻar) — "and you shall burn away," Piel; the fire-verb of covenant purgation. Cambridge: "so shalt thou put away — Frequent in this Code," cross-referencing Deut 13:5. Evil is consumed, not relocated.
הָרָ֖עhā·rā‘the evilH7451
√ raʻ — bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)ArticleAdjectivemasculine singular
hārāʻ (H7451) — "the evil," the definite noun; what is burned out is not the man as such but the evil embodied in his false testimony — the same word and formula as Deut 13:5.
מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃miq·qir·be·ḵāfrom among youH7130
√ qereb — properly, the nearest part, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
miqqirbeḵā (H7130, qereḇ) — "from your midst/inward part." The evil is treated as a contagion lodged within the body of Israel; the purge reaches the interior.
20

Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·han·niš·’ā·rîm yiš·mə·‘ū wə·yi·rā·’ū wə·lō- yō·si·p̄ū ‘ō·wḏ la·‘ă·śō·wṯ kad·dā·ḇār haz·zeh hā·rā‘ bə·qir·be·ḵā

Word by word11 · parsed
וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֖יםwə·han·niš·’ā·rîmThen the rest [of the people]H7604
√ shâʼar — properly, to swell up, iConjunctive waw, ArticleVerbNifalParticiplemasculine plural
wəhanniš'ārîm (H7604, šāʼar) — "and those remaining," Niphal participle; the remnant of the people who witness the penalty. Poole and Gill gloss it simply as the rest who survive the judgment.
יִשְׁמְע֣וּyiš·mə·‘ūwill hearH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine plural
yišməʻû (H8085, šāmaʻ) — "they shall hear," with attention; paired by sound with the next verb. Hearing of the penalty is the first half of the deterrent.
וְיִרָ֑אוּwə·yi·rā·’ūand be afraidH3372
√ yârêʼ — to fearConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive imperfectthird person masculine plural
wəyirāʼû (H3372, yārêʼ) — "and they shall fear"; the assonant partner of šāmaʻ. Cambridge calls the whole verse "a curious parallel to Deuteronomy 13:11" — the identical hear-and-fear formula of covenant deterrence.
וְלֹֽא־wə·lō-and they will neverH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
יֹסִ֨פוּyō·si·p̄ūagainH3254
√ yâçaph — to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)VerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine plural
yōsip̄û (H3254, yāsap̄) — "they shall add/continue," Hifil; with the negative, "never again continue to do." The fear is meant to end the practice, not merely interrupt it.
ע֗וֹד‘ō·wḏ. . .H5750
√ ʻôwd — properly, iteration or continuanceAdverb
לַעֲשׂ֜וֹתla·‘ă·śō·wṯdoH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
כַּדָּבָ֥רkad·dā·ḇāranythingH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordPreposition-k, ArticleNounmasculine singular
kaddāḇār (H1697, dāḇār) — "according to the thing/word"; the same noun as v. 15, closing the unit's frame. The false testimony that opened the law is the evil thing that must cease.
הַזֶּ֖הhaz·zehsoH2088
√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatArticlePronounmasculine singular
הָרָ֛עhā·rā‘evilH7451
√ raʻ — bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)ArticleAdjectivemasculine singular
בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ׃bə·qir·be·ḵāamong youH7130
√ qereb — properly, the nearest part, iPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
bəqirbeḵā (H7130, qereḇ) — "in your midst," echoing v. 19's miqqirbeḵā ("from your midst"). Evil is purged from the midst (v. 19) so that it is no longer done in the midst (v. 20).
21

You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·lō ṯā·ḥō·ws ‘ê·ne·ḵā ne·p̄eš bə·ne·p̄eš ‘a·yin bə·‘a·yin šên bə·šên yāḏ bə·yāḏ re·ḡel bə·rā·ḡel

Word by word13 · parsed
וְלֹ֥אwə·lōYou must show no pityH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
wəlōʼ (H3808) — "and not"; the prohibition binds the judges, per Gill: "directed to the judges, who should not spare such an one through favour or affection." Mercy here would be miscarriage.
תָח֖וֹסṯā·ḥō·ws. . .H2347
√ chûwç — properly, to cover, iVerbQalImperfectthird person feminine singular
ṯāḥôs (H2347, ḥûs) — "shall pity/spare," Qal imperfect; to look on with compassion. The same verb governs Deut 7:16 and 13:8 — Israel may not let pity override covenant justice.
עֵינֶ֑ךָ‘ê·ne·ḵā. . .H5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)Nouncommon singular constructsecond person masculine singular
ʻêneḵā (H5869, ʻayin) — "your eye," the organ figured as the seat of compassion. The Hebrew locates mercy in the gaze; the judge's eye must not flinch from the verdict.
נֶ֣פֶשׁne·p̄ešlifeH5315
√ nephesh — properly, a breathing creature, iNounfeminine singular
nep̄eš (H5315) — "life, soul, the living self." The first and weightiest of the five pairs: a person answered by a person. Pulpit and JFB note the talion was administered by the court's award, not private revenge; Josephus and Pulpit add a pecuniary commutation was practiced.
בְּנֶ֗פֶשׁbə·ne·p̄ešfor lifeH5315
√ nephesh — properly, a breathing creature, iPreposition-bNounfeminine singular
עַ֤יִן‘a·yineyeH5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)Nouncommon singular
ʻayin (H5869) — "eye," the second pair; the proverbial heart of the lex talionis, carried into Jesus' citation at Matthew 5:38 (cross-Testament — see threads).
בְּעַ֙יִן֙bə·‘a·yinfor eyeH5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)Preposition-bNouncommon singular
שֵׁ֣ןšêntoothH8127
√ shên — a tooth (as sharp)Nouncommon singular
šēn (H8127) — "tooth," the rarer member of the list (48 occurrences); with "eye" it is the pairing quoted by Jesus and the formula echoed in Psalm 37:12's plotting wicked who "gnash the teeth."
בְּשֵׁ֔ןbə·šênfor toothH8127
√ shên — a tooth (as sharp)Preposition-bNouncommon singular
יָ֥דyāḏhandH3027
√ yâd — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etcNounfeminine singular
yāḏ (H3027) — "hand," and v.11 regel (H7272), "foot" — extending the talion across the body's members; Keil & Delitzsch and Cambridge tie the whole to Exodus 21:24 and Leviticus 24:20, where the same five-fold list stands.
בְּיָ֖דbə·yāḏfor handH3027
√ yâd — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etcPreposition-bNounfeminine singular
רֶ֥גֶלre·ḡel[and] footH7272
√ regel — a foot (as used in walking)Nounfeminine singular
בְּרָֽגֶל׃סbə·rā·ḡelfor footH7272
√ regel — a foot (as used in walking)Preposition-bNounfeminine singular

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. One mouth is nothing; two or three make a matter stand — Deuteronomy 19:15

The unit opens on a single verb used twice. A lone witness shall not rise up (yāqūm, H6965) against a man, and only upon the mouth (ʻal pî, H6310) of two or three witnesses shall a matter rise / be established — the same yāqūm closing the verse. Matthew Poole catches the wordplay exactly: the opening verb is "the same word which in the end of the verse is rendered be established." The Cambridge Bible agrees, and Keil & Delitzsch frame the larger move: the rule once reserved for capital crimes in Deut 17:6 and Numbers 35:30 "is raised hereby into a law of general application." The "mouth" is meant literally: John Gill, citing Rashi, records that the witnesses may not "write their testimony in a letter, and send it to the sanhedrim, nor may an interpreter stand between the witnesses and the judges." Proof in Israel is anchored in living, plural, spoken testimony — one voice, however true, carries no legal weight.

ii. The witness of violence and the turning-aside — Deuteronomy 19:16

The case-law turns to the liar. He is an ʻêḏ ḥāmās (H2555) — not merely a "false witness" but a witness of violence. The Cambridge Bible names the Hebrew precisely: "Heb. witness of violence . . . one who forces his evidence, does violence to the truth or intends violence to his neighbour." What he testifies is sārāh (H5627), a turning-aside, apostasy. Albert Barnes traces the word: "used Deuteronomy 13:5 to signify apostasy or revolt; here it is no doubt to be understood in the wider sense of any departure from the Law." The Pulpit Commentary adds the etymology — from sûr, "to go off, to go aside," so the noun "may describe any departure from what is constituted right." The false witness is thus doubly violent: he does violence to truth, and he charges his neighbor with having turned off the road of the law.

iii. Both shall stand before the face of the LORD — Deuteronomy 19:17–18

The remedy is the tribunal. The two parties shall stand (ʻāmaḏ, H5975) before the face of YHWH (lip̄nê YHWH, H6440) — which the Geneva note glosses as "God's presence where his true ministers are assembled." Albert Barnes states the theological hinge: "The judges acted as God's representative; to lie to them was to lie to Him." Keil & Delitzsch locate the court "at the place of the sanctuary, where Jehovah dwelt among His people." Then comes the duty of the bench: wəḏārəšû hêṭêḇ (H1875 + H3190), they shall search out well — Gill: "shall thoroughly examine the testimony given, and look carefully into it." Twice the verse rings with šeqer (H8267), "falsehood" — the very word, Cambridge notes, of the ninth commandment in Exodus 20:16 — and the man wronged is named brother (ʼāḥ, H251), "the usual term in Sg. passages for fellow-Israelite." The crime is perjury, but its victim is kin.

iv. He bears what he plotted; the fire that purges — Deuteronomy 19:19–20

The sentence is exact reciprocity: you shall do to him as he plotted (zāmam, H2161) to do to his brother. The Pulpit Commentary marks the verb: it "frequently has the subaudition of meditating evil." Gill draws the talion: "Inflict the same fine or punishment on him he thought to have brought his brother under by his false testimony." Then the covenant formula — ūḇiʻartā hārāʻ (H1197), you shall burn away the evil from your midst (qereḇ, H7130, "inward part") — the fire-word Deuteronomy repeats over every defilement (Deut 13:5; 17:7). The Cambridge Bible flags a textual seam: the plural "shall ye do" is "the only Pl. in the passage . . . either a clerical error or an instance of" a writer slipping between forms of address. The effect is deterrence: those who remain shall hear and fear (šāmaʻ / yārêʼ, an assonant pair) — a verse Cambridge calls "a curious parallel to Deuteronomy 13:11."

v. Your eye shall not pity: the measured talion — Deuteronomy 19:21

The unit ends in the lex talionis. Your eye shall not pity (ʻêneḵā + ḥûs, H5869/H2347) — and Gill insists the command is to the bench: "directed to the judges, who should not spare such an one through favour or affection." Then the five clipped pairs: nep̄eš bənep̄eš (H5315), life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Benson reads them in context: "What punishment the law allotted to the accused, if he had been convicted, the same was the false accuser to bear." Crucially, this is judicial, not vigilante: Ellicott — "This is to be effected by the award of the judges, not as a matter of private revenge" — and the Pulpit Commentary records that "practically, however, a pecuniary compensation might be accepted for the offence (cf. Josephus)." Keil & Delitzsch and Cambridge anchor the formula to Exodus 21:24 and Leviticus 24:20, where the same five-membered list already stands.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Sola Scriptura, this is a law about the deadly power of a word. The whole unit hangs on dāḇār (H1697) — the "matter" that one mouth cannot make stand (v. 15) and the "evil thing" never to be done again (v. 20) — and on the recognition that a false word is an act of violence (ḥāmās, v. 16). So Israel's first defense of a neighbor's life is structural: no conviction on one mouth, every hard case dragged into the open before the face of the LORD, and the bench commanded to search out well. The genius of the statute is that it turns the liar's own design back upon him by exact measure — he bears what he plotted — so that the talion is not cruelty but symmetry: the penalty can never exceed the crime, because it is the crime, weighed back. And the eye that "shall not pity" is the judge's, not the avenger's; mercy that lets perjury stand is not mercy but the corruption of the court. The same Scripture that forbids the lone witness later puts the very rule on the lips of Christ (Matt 18:16) and Paul (2 Cor 13:1) — so the principle outlives the Sinai polity. Where the talion is hardest, the New Testament does not abolish the justice but relocates its execution: vengeance belongs to God, and the standard of two-or-three witnesses remains the church's safeguard against the witness of violence.

A lie sworn against a brother is not weak evidence — it is violence with a mouth, and the law answers it by the measure of its own intent. (This line is the tool's reading, not Scripture.)

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The two-or-three-witness rule, raised from capital cases to all structural / thematic — confirmed

Deuteronomy 19:15 universalizes the standard already set for capital crimes in Deut 17:6 and (in the Priestly law) Numbers 35:30 — Keil & Delitzsch: the rule "is raised hereby into a law of general application." The Verifier confirms a Hebrew↔Hebrew link sharing ʻêḏ (H5707, witness), peh (H6310, mouth), shâlôwsh (H7969, three) and ʼôw (H176, or) — the same legal formula ("upon the mouth of two or three witnesses"), not a quotation but a shared statutory pattern.

Deuteronomy 17:6 · Numbers 35:30

basis: Hebrew↔Hebrew shared lexemes (Verifier): H5707 ʻêḏ (59 vv), H6310 peh (459 vv), H7969 shâlôwsh (381 vv), H176 ʼôw (218 vv) — the witness-formula pattern; no quotation claimed.

The witness of violence (ʻêḏ ḥāmās) structural / thematic — confirmed

The phrase "witness of violence" (ʻêḏ ḥāmās) in v. 16 is a fixed idiom for the malicious accuser. Its source is the covenant code itself: Exodus 23:1 forbids the Israelite, "thou shalt not be an unrighteous witness" — Heb. ʻêḏ ḥāmās, the very pairing of ʻêḏ (H5707) + châmâç (H2555) the Verifier finds shared here. Cambridge marks the same idiom, and Psalm 27:12 dramatizes it in David's cry: ʻêḏ + châmâç + qûm (H6965) — "false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out violence." None of the three texts quotes another; each independently deploys a fixed legal idiom, so I tier this structural rather than "verbal," though the shared two- and three-word collocations (witness + violence, + rise-up) are notably tight, and the Deut law is plainly the prohibition of Exodus 23:1 restated as a courtroom danger.

Exodus 23:1 · Psalm 27:12

basis: Hebrew↔Hebrew shared lexemes (Verifier): vs Exod 23:1, H5707 ʻêḏ (59 vv) + H2555 châmâç (59 vv) — the source idiom ʻêḏ ḥāmās; vs Ps 27:12, additionally H6965 qûm (596 vv) — "witness of violence rises up." Verifier defaulted to "verbal"; downgraded to structural because none of the verses quotes another — all share a fixed legal idiom.

Defection and falsehood — the prophet indicts the nation in the law's own words structural / thematic — confirmed

The two charges this law weighs against the false witness — sārāh (H5627, "defection, turning-aside," v. 16) and šeqer (H8267, "falsehood," v. 18) — converge in Isaiah's great national confession. Isaiah 59:13 names the nation's guilt as "in transgressing and lying (šeqer) against the LORD, and departing away (sārāh) from our God." The Verifier confirms both lexemes are shared, and sārāh is rare — only 8 occurrences in the whole Bible. What the statute forbids in one lying witness, the prophet finds had become the posture of the whole people: the courtroom sin of "violence to the truth" had metastasized into covenant apostasy, so that "truth is fallen in the street" (Isa 59:14). The link is structural-to-verbal: a shared, weighty vocabulary, though Isaiah is not citing the statute.

Isaiah 59:13

basis: Hebrew↔Hebrew shared lexemes (Verifier): H5627 çârâh (rare — 8 vv, the defection-word of v. 16) + H8267 sheqer (109 vv, the falsehood-word of v. 18). Two weighty lexemes shared, one of them rare; not a quotation but a tight vocabulary overlap — the law's two charges become the prophet's indictment of the nation.

The schemer caught in his own plot (zāmam) structural / thematic — confirmed

The rare verb zāmam (H2161, to plot evil — only 13 occurrences) keys the talion of v. 19: the witness bears "as he plotted to do to his brother." The Verifier links this to the Psalms of the plotting wicked — Psalm 37:12 ("the wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth") and Psalm 31:13 ("they devised to take away my life"). Psalm 37:12 even shares shên (H8127, tooth), the rarer member of v. 21's talion list. The pattern is thematic: the schemer's design recoils upon himself, which Scripture treats as a moral law (Prov 26:27).

Psalm 37:12 · Psalm 31:13

basis: Hebrew↔Hebrew shared lexeme (Verifier): H2161 zâmam (rare — 13 vv); Ps 37:12 additionally shares H8127 shên (48 vv). Shared motif of the wicked who plot; no quotation.

Burn the evil from your midst — Deuteronomy's purge formula structural / thematic — confirmed

"So you shall burn away the evil from your midst" (v. 19) is Deuteronomy's recurring covenant refrain. The Verifier confirms a Hebrew↔Hebrew tie to Deut 13:5 (the false prophet) sharing bâʻar (H1197, burn/purge), raʻ (H7451, evil), and qereḇ (H7130, midst); the same formula recurs at Deut 17:7. And v. 20's "those who remain shall hear and fear" is, in Cambridge's words, "a curious parallel to Deuteronomy 13:11" — the matching deterrent clause. The link is structural: one statutory formula deployed across the code.

Deuteronomy 13:5 · Deuteronomy 17:7 · Deuteronomy 13:11

basis: Hebrew↔Hebrew shared lexemes (Verifier, vs Deut 13:5): H1197 bâʻar (90 vv), H7451 raʻ (623 vv), H7130 qereb (220 vv) — the "purge the evil from your midst" formula; Deut 13:11 parallel per Cambridge for the hear-and-fear clause.

The lex talionis: the five-membered formula across the Torah structural / thematic — confirmed

"Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" (v. 21) is the same five-fold list standing at Exodus 21:24 and (with overlap) Leviticus 24:20. The Verifier confirms a Hebrew↔Hebrew structural link with Exodus 21:24 sharing the bodily nouns shên (H8127, tooth — the rarer term), regel (H7272, foot), ʻayin (H5869, eye), yâd (H3027, hand). Keil & Delitzsch and the Pulpit Commentary read all three texts as one talion-law; this is a shared legal formula, not a quotation of one by another.

Exodus 21:24 · Leviticus 24:20

basis: Hebrew↔Hebrew shared lexemes (Verifier, vs Exod 21:24): H8127 shên (48 vv), H7272 regel (230 vv), H5869 ʻayin (827 vv), H3027 yâd (1445 vv) — the matched talion list; one statutory formula, no quotation claimed.

Two or three witnesses, carried into the New Testament flagged — verify source

Jesus (Matt 18:16) and Paul (2 Cor 13:1; cf. 1 Tim 5:19) explicitly invoke this Deuteronomic rule: "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter shall be established." These are genuine New Testament citations of Deut 19:15, but they are cross-Testament: the Greek of the Gospels and Epistles shares no Hebrew Strong's number with the Masoretic text, so the Verifier finds no lexeme overlap and the basis cannot be "verbal" by shared lemma. The provenance of the quotation is, however, explicit on the page of the NT itself; I flag it for the reader to verify the citation against the Greek (which renders the LXX of this verse), not because the link is doubtful but because the conceptual basis must be argued rather than read off shared lexemes.

Matthew 18:16 · 2 Corinthians 13:1 · 1 Timothy 5:19

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): Verifier finds NO shared Strong's lexeme — a Greek NT verse cannot share a Hebrew number, so this cannot be tiered "verbal." The NT explicitly cites Deut 19:15 (via LXX); flagged so the reader verifies the quotation in the Greek rather than asserting a lexeme link.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

Christ condemned by false witnesses — the law turned against the Law-giver ancient/widely-held

This very statute frames the trial of Jesus. The Sanhedrin "sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death" (Matt 26:59-60), and Mark notes their testimony did not agree — the two-or-three rule (v. 15) failing precisely because the witnesses were of violence (ḥāmās, v. 16). The penalty Deuteronomy 19:19 demands for the lying witness — that he bear what he plotted — fell instead upon the innocent: the schemers' design stood, and the just One was condemned. The reading is widely held in the church: the law that protected a brother's life was violated to take the life of the Brother of all, and the talion the false witness deserved was borne, by grace, in the substitution of the Cross.

Matthew 26:59 · Mark 14:56 · Psalm 27:12

Mercy that does not abolish justice but bears it: the talion fulfilled at the Cross novel

Jesus cites this passage by name — "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" (Matt 5:38) — and redirects it from private retaliation, which the law never licensed (Ellicott: "not as a matter of private revenge"), to non-resistance of personal wrong. He does not call the lex talionis unjust; the standard "the penalty must equal the crime" is honored, but its execution is taken out of the avenger's hand and committed to God (Rom 12:19). The deepest fulfillment is substitutionary: the exact reciprocity Deuteronomy demands — life for life — is satisfied not by exacting it from sinners but by Christ giving "his life a ransom" (Mark 10:45), life for life, so that the eye need not pity because justice has already been borne. This Christological reading of the talion is a novel synthesis here, offered to be tested, not a settled patristic gloss.

Matthew 5:38 · Romans 12:19 · Mark 10:45

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

This unit is seven Hebrew verses, so every same-language cross-reference is Hebrew→Hebrew and is tiered from the Verifier's computed shared Strong's lexemes (recorded in each badge). Three honesty notes for this unit: (1) The Deut 19:16 ↔ Psalm 27:12 link ("witness of violence rises up") was returned by the Verifier as verbal / quotation on the strength of three shared lexemes (ʻêḏ + châmâç + qûm), but I have downgraded it to structural under the prefer-under-claiming rule: neither verse quotes the other; both independently use a fixed idiom. (2) The New Testament citations of the two-witness rule (Matt 18:16; 2 Cor 13:1; 1 Tim 5:19) are genuine quotations of Deut 19:15, yet they are cross-Testament — a Greek verse shares no Hebrew Strong's number, so the Verifier finds zero lexeme overlap and the link is tiered flagged — verify source: the basis is the explicit NT citation (via the LXX), which the reader should confirm in the Greek rather than read off a shared lemma. Cross-Testament Christ readings (Matt 5:38; 26:59) are likewise conceptual, never verbal. (3) Cambridge flags a real textual seam at v. 19 — "shall ye do" is the lone plural in an otherwise singular passage, "either a clerical error or" a slip between forms of address (confirmed by the Samaritan and LXX); this unit reports it but the parsed forms (Berean/Strong's) are followed, not overruled.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)