◄ Deuteronomy 17:6 ►
On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.
Study Bible
On the testimony of two or three witnesses
This phrase underscores the importance of corroborative evidence in the administration of justice. In the Hebrew context, the word for "witnesses" is "עֵדִים" (edim), which implies those who have firsthand knowledge of an event. The requirement for multiple witnesses is a safeguard against false accusations and ensures that the truth is established through reliable testimony. This principle is echoed in the New Testament, emphasizing its enduring significance in both legal and spiritual matters (Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1).

a man shall be put to death
The phrase reflects the gravity of capital punishment in ancient Israelite society. The Hebrew word for "put to death" is "מוּת" (muth), which signifies a legal execution rather than murder. This underscores the solemnity and seriousness with which life-and-death decisions were made, highlighting the need for justice to be tempered with mercy and due process.

but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness
This clause serves as a critical protection against miscarriages of justice. The Hebrew term for "lone" is "אֶחָד" (echad), meaning one or single. By requiring more than one witness, the law seeks to prevent the potential for personal vendettas or false testimonies to result in wrongful executions. This principle reflects God's justice, which is always fair and righteous, ensuring that the innocent are protected and the guilty are justly punished.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, Moses is delivering God's laws to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, receiving the law as a guide for living in covenant with Him.

3. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

4. Witnesses
Individuals who provide testimony in legal matters, crucial for establishing truth and justice in the community.

5. Judicial System
The system of laws and procedures established by God for the governance of Israel, emphasizing justice and fairness.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Justice
God's law emphasizes fairness and justice, ensuring that no one is condemned without sufficient evidence. This reflects God's character as just and righteous.

The Role of Community in Accountability
The requirement for multiple witnesses underscores the role of community in maintaining accountability and truth. It prevents false accusations and protects individuals from unjust punishment.

The Seriousness of Sin and Judgment
The context of this law is capital punishment, highlighting the gravity of sin and the need for careful deliberation in matters of life and death.

Integrity in Testimony
As believers, we are called to be truthful and reliable witnesses in all areas of life, reflecting God's truthfulness and integrity.

Application in Church Discipline
The principle of multiple witnesses is applicable in church settings, ensuring that accusations are handled with care and fairness, protecting both the accused and the accuser.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the requirement for two or three witnesses in Deuteronomy 17:6 reflect God's character and His desire for justice?

2. In what ways can the principle of requiring multiple witnesses be applied in modern legal systems and church governance?

3. How does the New Testament use the principle of two or three witnesses, and what does this tell us about the continuity of God's standards?

4. What are some practical ways we can ensure integrity and truthfulness in our own testimonies and interactions with others?

5. How can the church today apply the principle of multiple witnesses in handling accusations and maintaining accountability within the community?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 18:16
Jesus reiterates the principle of two or three witnesses in the context of church discipline, showing the continuity of this principle in the New Testament.

1 Timothy 5:19
Paul advises Timothy not to entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses, underscoring the importance of corroborated testimony.

Hebrews 10:28
The author of Hebrews references the law of witnesses in discussing the severity of rejecting the law of Moses, highlighting the seriousness of sin and judgment.
Sermons
Idolatry a Capital CrimeR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 17:1-7
Idolatry a Crime Against SocietyD. Davies Deuteronomy 17:2-7
Criminal ProcedureJ. Orr Deuteronomy 17:4-8
People
Levites, Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt
Topics
Dead, Death, Die, Evidence, Mouth, Punishment, Testimony, Witness, Witnesses, Worthy
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 17:6

     1656   numbers, combinations
     5040   murder
     5361   justice, human
     5472   proof, evidence
     5783   agreement
     6632   conviction

Deuteronomy 17:2-7

     5201   accusation

Library
Bethphage
There is very frequent mention of this place in the Talmudists: and, certainly, a more careful comparison of the maps with those things which are said by them of the situation of this place is worthy to be made; when they place it in mount Olivet, these make it contiguous to the buildings of Jerusalem. I. In the place cited in the margin, the case "of a stubborn judge" (or elder) is handling. For when, by the prescript of the law, difficult matters, and such things as concerning which the lower councils …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

The Reign of Saul.
I Sam. 8-31; I Chron. 10 The Demand for a King. The last period saw one tribe after another come to the front and assert itself through some leading man as an emergency arose, but now the tribes are to be united into a monarchy and this, too, at their own request made in the form of a desire for a king. Several things no doubt influenced them to make this request. (1) From the days of Joshua there had been no strong national bond. They were only held together by the law of Moses and the annual assemblages …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

'Make us a King'
'Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel, onto Ramah, 5. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Adonijah
BY REV. ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D., LL.B. It is notorious that the sons of devout men sometimes prove a curse to their parents, and bring dishonour on the cause of God. When Eve rejoiced over her first-born, she little suspected that passions were sleeping within him which would impel him to slay his own brother; and the experience of the first mother has been repeated, though in different forms, in all lands and in all ages. Isaac's heart was rent by the deceit of Jacob, and by the self-will of Esau. …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

Jehoiada and Joash
'And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. 2. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 3. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. 4. And the seventh year Jehoiada …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Bible in the Days of Jesus Christ
[Illustration: (drop cap S) Reading from a Roll--old Roman Painting] Slowly but surely, as time went on, God was adding to His Book, until about four hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ the Old Testament Scriptures, in their present shape, were completed. Many questions have been asked as to how the canon of the Old Testament was formed--that is, how and when did the Jews first begin to understand that the Books of the Old Testament were inspired by God. About the first five Books--the …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Story of the Adulteress.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John VII. 53-VIII. 11. [This section is wanting in nearly all older manuscripts, but Jerome (a.d. 346-420) says that in his time it was contained in "many Greek and Latin manuscripts," and these must have been as good or better than the best manuscripts we now possess. But whether we regard it as part of John's narrative or not, scholars very generally accept it as a genuine piece of history.] ^d 53 And they went every man unto his own house [confused by the question of Nicodemus, …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Golden Eagle is Cut to Pieces. Herod's Barbarity when He was Ready to Die. He Attempts to Kill Himself. He Commands Antipater to be Slain.
1. Now Herod's distemper became more and more severe to him, and this because these his disorders fell upon him in his old age, and when he was in a melancholy condition; for he was already seventy years of age, and had been brought by the calamities that happened to him about his children, whereby he had no pleasure in life, even when he was in health; the grief also that Antipater was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he resolved to put to death now not at random, but as soon as he should …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3.

Subjects of Study. Home Education in Israel; Female Education. Elementary Schools, Schoolmasters, and School Arrangements.
If a faithful picture of society in ancient Greece or Rome were to be presented to view, it is not easy to believe that even they who now most oppose the Bible could wish their aims success. For this, at any rate, may be asserted, without fear of gainsaying, that no other religion than that of the Bible has proved competent to control an advanced, or even an advancing, state of civilisation. Every other bound has been successively passed and submerged by the rising tide; how deep only the student …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Second Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin.
(Palace of Caiaphas. Friday.) ^A Matt. XXVI. 57, 59-68; ^B Mark XIV. 53, 55-65; ^C Luke XXII. 54, 63-65; ^D John XVIII. 24. ^d 24 Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. [Foiled in his attempted examination of Jesus, Annas sends him to trial.] ^b and there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. ^a 57 And they that had taken Jesus led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, ^c and brought him into the high priest's house. ^a where …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Easter Tuesday
Second Sermon. Same Text. Acts 13, 26-39. THE WORD AND THE RESURRECTION.[1] [Footnote 1: This sermon appeared first in the Church Postil, the Explanation of the Epistle and Gospel Texts from Easter to Advent. Printed by Hans Lufft, Wittenberg, 1559.] 1. This sermon was preached by Paul in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, where were gathered with the Jews some Greek converts. Wherever in a city Jews were to be found, there also were their synagogues in which they taught and preached; and many …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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