Lexical Summary sahed: Witness, Testimony Original Word: שָׂהֵד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance record From an unused root meaning to testify; a witness -- record. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof foreign origin Definition a witness NASB Translation advocate (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [שָׂהֵד] noun [masculine] witness (Aramaic loan-word = Hebrew עֵד; √ סְהַד ![]() שׂהר (√ of following; compare Arabic [שָֽׂהֲדוּ] noun feminine testimony (√ שְׂהַד = ᵑ7 סְהַד testify, Syriac Topical Lexicon Overview שָׂהֵד (Strong’s 7717) appears only once in the Hebrew canon, yet its solitary placement in Job 16:19 opens a wide door into the Bible’s theology of “witness.” Job employs the term to describe a heavenly figure who testifies on his behalf. By doing so, the book of Job contributes to a larger biblical pattern in which God provides righteous testimony that vindicates the believer. Biblical Context (Job 16:19) “Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.” (Job 16:19) Within Job’s lament, the patriarch has been misjudged by friends and seemingly left without earthly support. He answers that deficit by appealing to a transcendent Witness who “is in heaven.” The verse couples שָׂהֵד (“witness”) with “advocate”—language hinting at both judicial testimony and legal representation. Job therefore locates ultimate justice not in human courts but in the divine court where God Himself hears and vindicates. Witness in the Heavenly Courtroom 1. Judicial imagery saturates Scripture. Deuteronomy 19:15 insists that “a matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” Job anticipates that requirement, trusting an unimpeachable Witness above. Connection to the Broader Biblical Theology of Witness While שָׂהֵד is unique to Job, the theme of “witness” recurs through cognate Hebrew words (עֵד, עֵדוּת) and New Testament terms (μάρτυς, μαρτυρία). A consistent narrative emerges: Christological Implications Job’s cry for a heavenly Witness foreshadows the mediatorial ministry of Jesus Christ. Hebrews presents Jesus as “the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 8:6) whose blood “speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). The “advocate” motif re-emerges in 1 John 2:1: “If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” Thus Job’s lone use of שָׂהֵד prophetically prefigures a Messiah who stands before God on behalf of sinners. Pastoral and Ministry Applications 1. Assurance amid accusation: Like Job, believers facing false charges can appeal to the heavenly Witness who knows the heart (Jeremiah 17:10). Historical Jewish and Christian Interpretation Early Jewish commentators discerned in Job 16:19 the image of God recording human deeds in a heavenly archive. Patristic writers, notably Gregory the Great, identified the Witness with Christ preincarnate, interpreting Job’s words as a confession of faith in the future Redeemer. Reformation teachers stressed the juridical nature of justification, aligning Job’s heavenly Witness with God’s forensic declaration of righteousness. Summary Though שָׂהֵד occurs only once, its strategic placement crystallizes a central biblical truth: God Himself supplies the witness necessary to vindicate His people. Job’s experience directs readers to the ultimate Advocate, Jesus Christ, whose testimony secures eternal justification and fuels the Church’s ongoing witness in the world. Forms and Transliterations וְ֝שָׂהֲדִ֗י ושהדי vesahaDi wə·śā·hă·ḏî wəśāhăḏîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 16:19 HEB: בַשָּׁמַ֣יִם עֵדִ֑י וְ֝שָׂהֲדִ֗י בַּמְּרוֹמִֽים׃ NAS: is in heaven, And my advocate is on high. KJV: [is] in heaven, and my record [is] on high. INT: heaven my witness and my advocate high 1 Occurrence |