What does עֵד (ʿēḏ) mean in the Bible?
H5707, ʿēḏ, is a Hebrew noun for a witness, testimony, or something that functions as public evidence. A witness may be a person who saw, heard, or knows a matter and is responsible to speak truthfully.
Hebrew · H5707
עֵד
Concretely, a witness ; abstractly, testimony ; specifically, a recorder , i.e. prince
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עֵדH5707
Pronunciationʿēḏ
What does עֵד (ʿēḏ) mean in the Bible?
H5707, ʿēḏ, is a Hebrew noun for a witness, testimony, or something that functions as public evidence. A witness may be a person who saw, heard, or knows a matter and is responsible to speak truthfully.
Reader summary
Full entry for עֵד (H5707) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5707?
The BSB source-word alignment has 69 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include witness (21), witnesses (7), . . . (6), a witness (5), is a witness (5).
Where does עֵד (ʿēḏ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 31:44. Its strongest book concentrations include Deuteronomy (14), Proverbs (11), Isaiah (8), Jeremiah (6).
What This Word Actually Means
H5707, ʿēḏ, is a Hebrew noun for a witness, testimony, or something that functions as public evidence. A witness may be a person who saw, heard, or knows a matter and is responsible to speak truthfully. The word also reaches beyond courtroom speech. People witness a land purchase, a memorial altar stands as a witness between communities, Israel is called to testify to the Lord's uniqueness, and God Himself bears witness in judgment. Across these settings, a witness helps establish what happened, what was promised, or what relationship is being publicly acknowledged.
The legal passages connect witness with both truth and restraint. Deuteronomy refuses to establish a charge on one witness alone, requires thorough investigation, and holds a malicious witness accountable. Leviticus treats silence as culpable when someone has relevant knowledge in response to a public charge. Proverbs shows why this matters: truthful testimony can save life, while false testimony becomes an instrument of violence. These texts do not authorize communities to dismiss a person's report of harm until another eyewitness appears. They require responsible testimony, careful inquiry, protection against false judgment, and justice that is not driven by rumor or status.
H5707 also gives testimony a covenantal and hopeful dimension. Witnesses at Bethlehem make Boaz's redemptive transaction public. The altar in Joshua 22 is a memorial sign intended to prevent later exclusion, not a rival place of sacrifice. Jeremiah's witnessed deed makes promised restoration concrete while Jerusalem is under threat. Isaiah identifies Israel as the Lord's witnesses so that His people may know and proclaim that He alone is God and Savior. Malachi announces that God will testify against perjury and the oppression of workers, widows, orphans, and foreigners. Faithful witness therefore serves truth, accountable community, protection of neighbors, remembrance of God's acts, and hope grounded in His word.
source_lexiconPassage contextCanonical parallelBook contextPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
H5707 moves from legal testimony and the duty to speak truth into public transactions, covenant memorials, prophetic vocation, promised restoration, and God's own testimony against injustice.
- Lev.5.1
“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.
Knowledge can create a responsibility to testify. The verse addresses truthful response to a public charge, not indiscriminate disclosure or exposure without regard for safety and due process.
- Deut.19.15
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.
Israel's courts may not establish a charge on a lone witness. The safeguard restrains wrongful judgment and belongs with the investigation and accountability that follow.
- Deut.19.18
The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,
Witness rules require active, careful investigation rather than mechanical counting. A proven malicious accusation carries moral and legal accountability.
- Josh.22.27
Rather, let it be a witness between us and you and the generations to come, that we will worship the Lord in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings.’ Then in the future, your descendants cannot say to ours, ‘You have no share in the Lord!’
The altar replica is a memorial witness meant to preserve shared covenant belonging across generations. The surrounding explanation explicitly denies that it was built as a rival sacrificial altar.
- Ruth.4.9
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.
Public witnesses at the city gate make the redemption transaction accountable and durable, connecting testimony with the protection of a family and its inheritance.
- Isa.43.10
“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, and after Me none will come.
Israel is called to know and testify that the Lord alone is God. The vocation rests on His revealed identity and saving action, not national superiority or self-generated authority.
- Jer.32.10
I signed and sealed the deed, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.
Jeremiah's witnessed purchase makes a lawful transaction visible in the middle of siege. The deed becomes part of God's concrete promise that fields will again be bought in the land.
- Mal.3.5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the Lord of Hosts.
God's own testimony exposes religious and social evil together. Perjury, wage theft, and denial of justice to vulnerable neighbors all stand under His judgment.
Passage contextBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itwitness21×Exodus 20:16, Exodus 23:1, Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 5:20
witnesses7×Deuteronomy 17:6, Deuteronomy 19:15, Job 10:17, Psalms 27:12
. . .6×Deuteronomy 17:6, Deuteronomy 19:15, Deuteronomy 19:18, Deuteronomy 31:21
a witness5×Genesis 31:44, Deuteronomy 31:19, Joshua 22:27, Job 16:8
is a witness5×Genesis 31:48, Genesis 31:52, Joshua 22:34, 1 Samuel 12:5
are My witnesses3×Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 43:12, Isaiah 44:8
are witnesses2×Joshua 24:22, Ruth 4:9
as a witness2×Deuteronomy 31:26, Joshua 22:28
of the witnesses2×Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:7
their witnesses2×Isaiah 43:9, Isaiah 44:9
We are witnesses2×Joshua 24:22, Ruth 4:11
[is a] witness1×Genesis 31:50
and a witness1×Isaiah 19:20
and I am a witness1×Jeremiah 29:23
and the witnesses1×Jeremiah 32:12
and witnessed1×Jeremiah 32:44
are witnesses today1×Ruth 4:10
has witnessed1×Leviticus 5:1
He is a witness1×1 Samuel 12:5
it as evidence1×Exodus 22:13
my witness1×Job 16:19
the witness1×Deuteronomy 19:18
witness against her1×Numbers 5:13
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 31:44לְעֵ֖דtoa witnessPreposition-l | Noun - masculine singularGenesis 31:48עֵ֛דtois a witnessNoun - masculine singularGenesis 31:50עֵ֖דto[is a] witnessNoun - masculine singularGenesis 31:52עֵ֚דtois a witnessNoun - masculine singularExodus 20:16עֵ֥דtowitnessNoun - masculine singular constructExodus 22:13עֵ֑דtoit as evidenceNoun - masculine singular constructExodus 23:1עֵ֥דtowitnessNoun - masculine singular constructLeviticus 5:1עֵ֔דtohas witnessedNoun - masculine singularNumbers 5:13וְעֵד֙towitness against herConjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singularNumbers 35:30עֵדִ֔יםtoof the witnessesNoun - masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowGenesis 31:44
Aligned rows69
Books represented15
Genesis4Exodus3Leviticus1Numbers3Deuteronomy14Joshua5Ruth31 Samuel3Job3Psalms3Proverbs11Isaiah8Jeremiah6Micah1Malachi1
Source forms
עֵ֣ד10x‘êḏJoshua 22:28, Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 14:5, Proverbs 14:25
עֵ֥ד6x‘êḏExodus 20:16, Exodus 23:1, Deuteronomy 5:20, Deuteronomy 17:6
לְעֵ֖ד3xlə·‘êḏGenesis 31:44, Deuteronomy 31:19, Jeremiah 42:5
עֵד־3x‘êḏ-Deuteronomy 19:16, Proverbs 21:28, Proverbs 24:28
עֵדִ֖ים3x‘ê·ḏîmDeuteronomy 17:6, Deuteronomy 19:15, Isaiah 8:2
עֵדִ֑ים3x‘ê·ḏîmRuth 4:11, Jeremiah 32:10, Jeremiah 32:25
לְעֵ֔ד2xlə·‘êḏDeuteronomy 31:21, Micah 1:2
עֵ֨ד2x‘êḏDeuteronomy 19:15, Joshua 22:27
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular construct16xExodus 20:16, Exodus 22:13, Exodus 23:1, Deuteronomy 5:20
Noun - masculine plural14xNumbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6, Deuteronomy 19:15, Joshua 24:22
Noun - masculine singular13xGenesis 31:48, Genesis 31:50, Genesis 31:52, Leviticus 5:1
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular6xGenesis 31:44, Deuteronomy 31:19, Deuteronomy 31:21, Deuteronomy 31:26
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular5xNumbers 5:13, Numbers 35:30, 1 Samuel 12:5, Psalms 89:37
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular3xIsaiah 43:10, Isaiah 43:12, Isaiah 44:8
Article | Noun - masculine plural2xDeuteronomy 17:7, Jeremiah 32:12
Noun - masculine plural construct2xPsalms 27:12, Psalms 35:11
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- When receiving a serious report, protect immediate safety, listen without promising a predetermined outcome, document carefully, involve qualified authorities where appropriate, and pursue corroboration without retaliating against the reporter.
- When offering testimony, distinguish what you directly observed, what another person reported, what evidence supports, and what you infer; correct the record promptly if any part proves inaccurate.
- Use public memorials, minutes, and signed agreements to preserve accountability, but never let documentation become a substitute for truthful relationships and just action.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that one person's testimony is worthless; Deuteronomy limits judicial establishment by a lone witness while also commanding thorough inquiry.
- Do not claim that two matching statements automatically prove a charge or remove the need to assess credibility, evidence, context, and possible coordination.
- Do not claim divine witness for your own conclusion merely because you feel certain; God's testimony in these passages is His truthful knowledge and judgment.
- Do not claim that a covenant memorial, signed record, or public ceremony guarantees later faithfulness without ongoing truth and obedience.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Witness who testifies in legal or covenant contexts; foundational to truth-establishing and justice in Israelite society.
Source Gloss
concretely, a witness ; abstractly, testimony ; specifically, a recorder , i.e. prince
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Witness who testifies in legal or covenant contexts; foundational to truth-establishing and justice in Israelite society.
concretely, a witness; abstractly, testimony; specifically, a recorder, i.e. prince BDB: witness Usage: witness.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Testimony or witness.
Showing 1 selected witness from 70 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
Why This Word Matters
Defines Israel’s covenant role before the nations.Isaiah 43:8-13
Canonical Themes
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
A biblical witness does more than speak forcefully. The witness places knowledge, testimony, or a public sign into a setting where truth can be responsibly established and remembered. That is why H5707 appears in courts, covenant assemblies, property transactions, prophetic proclamation, and divine judgment. Deuteronomy joins multiple testimony to thorough investigation; it does not replace inquiry with arithmetic.
Leviticus condemns culpable silence, while Proverbs condemns testimony that wounds a neighbor through deceit. Ruth and Jeremiah show witnesses preserving redemptive and hopeful transactions. Joshua uses a memorial witness to protect descendants from exclusion. Isaiah grounds Israel's witness in the Lord's unique identity and saving acts, and Malachi places economic and social oppression under God's own testimony.
Faithful ministry should therefore cultivate truthful speech, documented processes, protection from retaliation, patient inquiry, and decisions proportioned to evidence, all under the God who sees and judges truly.
Anchor passage
Deut.19.15
Doctrinal connections
- Truthful testimony gives practical form to the ninth commandment's protection of neighbors.
- Justice requires credible evidence, careful investigation, and judgment without partiality or haste.
- Covenant memory uses public witnesses to preserve promises and communal accountability across generations.
- Israel's witness vocation proclaims the Lord's unique identity and saving action among nations.
- God is the perfectly knowing witness whose righteous judgment exposes hidden and public evil.
- Faithful testimony protects neighbors, workers, foreigners, widows, orphans, and others vulnerable to power.
H5707 is a masculine Hebrew noun used for a witness-person, testimony, and things that function as public witnesses. Its grammatical range includes singular and plural, absolute and construct forms. Context determines whether the emphasis falls on the person who testifies, the testimony given, or a memorial object that attests an agreement. An object called a witness is not portrayed as conscious; it serves as a durable sign within a covenant or legal relationship.
The exact H5707 artifact is preferable to compound artifacts because this companion traces the single lexical identity across its governed witnesses.
From Old to New Testament
The Old Testament's concern for truthful testimony, corroboration, and fair judgment continues in the New Testament, where matters may be established by multiple witnesses and leaders remain accountable to evidence. The apostles also testify publicly to Jesus' death and resurrection, while Jesus is presented as the faithful and true witness. These connections deepen the theme without transferring every civil procedure in Israel directly into every pastoral or safeguarding situation.
Canonical parallelPastoral application