One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, and for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.
Deuteronomy 19:15 sets out Israel's law of evidence: no charge against a person may stand on the word of one accuser alone. The rule sounds simple. Yet Moses repeats it, the Lord Jesus quotes it, and Paul presses it on the church.
This is not a small detail of Israel's court system. One writer weighs how often Scripture returns to it, and what it would settle among us.
This subject has already come before us. It cannot be too strongly insisted upon. We can judge its importance by who insists on it. Moses presses it on Israel again and again. So does our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So does the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul, in two of his letters. All of them hold to the principle of "two or three witnesses" in every case. One witness, however trustworthy, is not enough to decide a case. If we weighed this plain fact more carefully and took it to heart, a vast amount of strife and quarrelling would end.
A single account may be true. The law asks a different question: can others act on it? One writer finds the answer in what is wrong in us, not only in what we might get wrong.
"The testimony of two men is true," says Scripture. But how is it "true"? May not the testimony of one be true too? Undoubtedly. The meaning is that it can be taken as true; it is valid as evidence. But why can't one man's testimony count as true? Well, the witness may be mistaken, of course... but how often, even so, may a real mistake be due to something worse than this! How often it comes from prejudice, passion, enmity and things like that! And the moral reason is really the main one why we distrust a single witness so much, or even refuse him: evil has come in. That is where the main need for a second witness comes from — to confirm the first.
The chapter set rules for life in the land, where priests and judges settled disputes. One writer traces the harm done where believers ignored the rule, and shows where a case goes now when two people cannot settle it privately.
From verse 15 onwards the subject is what we may call the law of evidence. The command is express: no man is ever to be condemned on the word of one witness. No one may accept an accusation against another unless at least two witnesses back it up. The apostle Paul refers to this and confirms the principle (2 Cor. 13); and how much sorrow and confusion believers everywhere would have escaped if they had accepted it and acted on it. We are so quick to take up false reports and accusations and pass them on. That calls loudly on us to humble ourselves before God... From Matthew 18 we learn that when someone wrongs us personally and we cannot settle it privately, the church is the final court of appeal.
A practical question follows: whose word counts? One writer answers, and names the one thing that can take the place of witnesses.
To establish any charge of wrongdoing there must be two or three witnesses — or the person charged must confess his guilt. One witness will not do. Scripture does not say the witnesses must be Christians, though some insist on that. The word of any reliable, upright person should count.
The same rule guards those who lead a local church. One writer draws the line between two levels of protection.
A single witness might bring a charge against a Christian, as against an Israelite. But it took confirmation to convict him with serious result. An elder could not even have a charge properly brought against him except on the testimony of two or more... No one is so open to attacks from those who resent them. So divine wisdom holds back the urge to take up such charges unless they have serious support. Otherwise oversight would become a dreaded work instead of a good work.
The Lord Jesus appealed to this rule in His own defence.
It was an admitted principle that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established. To this the Lord here appeals: "In your law too it is written that the witness of two men is true." How much more, then, the testimony of the Father and the Son!
The number is not a grudging minimum. It becomes the pattern by which God certifies testimony, even in days when His witnesses are few.
God will acknowledge it, for "at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter shall be established" (Deut. 19:15)... These two witnesses will also be the two olive trees (Rev. 11:4).
- One is not enough — a lone accuser may be honest, but the law refuses to let others act on his word alone.
- Because evil is here — a second witness guards against prejudice, passion and enmity, not just honest mistakes.
- Beyond Israel — Moses, the Lord Jesus and Paul all press the same rule. Ignoring it has cost believers much sorrow and confusion.
- Extra cover for leaders — a charge against a church leader needs two or three witnesses. Without that guard, leading becomes a dreaded job.
- Two is enough for God — the Lord Jesus rested His own case on it — the Father testifies with Him, and that is far more than two men.
If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of an offence;
A single accusation could cost a man his life, his name, or his inheritance. So the law puts the accuser on trial too: this verse opens the case of a witness who comes to court not to serve truth, but to destroy a neighbour.
The charge in this verse meets the rule of the verse just before it. No case stands on one voice alone.
This rule cannot be insisted on too strongly. We may judge of its importance from this. Moses presses it on Israel's attention again and again. And our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul in two of his letters, insist on the principle of "two or three witnesses" in every case. One witness, however trustworthy, is not enough to decide a case. If this plain fact were more carefully weighed and properly attended to, it would put an end to a vast amount of strife and quarrelling.
The accused man does not face inquiry alone. The judges summon both sides, and leaders carry the duty of examining them.
From verse 15 onwards, the subject is what we may call the law of evidence. How readily people take up false reports and accusations and pass them on! This calls loudly for humbling ourselves before God. Having dealt with what counts as enough evidence, Moses next treats the case of a false witness. He lays down exactly the order to follow. Both the witness and the man he has charged are to "stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges… and the judges shall inquire diligently." The responsibility for the examination lies on those who are in the place of rule or government.
The same writer adds two things. Today the New Testament, not this penalty, decides the discipline for a proven liar. And the inquiry must ask whether the witness lied knowingly or not.
The verse calls him a malicious witness. If the inquiry exposes him, the harm he intended sets his punishment.
Then we find further care taken about witnesses, confirmed by the great law of just retribution. When a witness testified what was deliberately false, and therefore malicious, the law turned the punishment on the man who raised the evil report — the very punishment his charge would have brought if it were true. All this is carefully seen to: "Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."
Men could keep the procedure to the letter and still use it to murder.
Scripture gives us more than one case where men condemned someone with a show of attention to Deuteronomy 17:6-7. Take Naboth in 1 Kings 21, Stephen in Acts 6 and 7, and above all the only perfect Man who ever walked this earth. Sadly, men can at times put on the appearance of wonderful attention to the letter of Scripture when it suits their own ungodly ends.
That last case carries the deepest guilt of all.
The law laid down that if a man "is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother" (Deut. 19:15-19). God regarded false witness against a neighbour so gravely. How much greater, then, was the guilt of denying the Holy and Just One?
Few of us will ever swear a lie in a courtroom. But the sin survives in a smaller, everyday form.
We may see here how God hates false witness. We must also bear in mind that, though we are not under law but under grace, false witness is no less hateful to God. Surely the more fully we enter into the grace in which we stand, the more intensely we shall hate false witness, slander, and evil speaking in every shape and form.
The test is what you do with a story about someone else.
When some slander is spoken about a child of God, do you plead for him, go home and pray for him? If you know he has failed, do you go in love and humility, take the word to him, and wash his feet? (John 13:14.) This is the blessed work of the Advocate. Or do you listen to the story and pass it on lightly to someone else, without knowing whether it is true or not?
- Accusation. One voice is never enough. God insists on two or three witnesses, and holding that line would end much strife.
- Inquiry. Accuser and accused both stand before the Lord. Those in the place of rule must examine the case.
- Verdict. A proven liar receives the very punishment his lie aimed at — life for life, eye for eye.
- Abuse. Naboth, Stephen, and above all Christ show men keeping the form of this law while using it to kill.
- Application. Grace has not softened God's hatred of false witness. The daily test: do you plead for a slandered brother, or pass the story on?
then both the men between whom the controversy is shall stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days;
Behind this verse stands a courtroom. One man accuses another. The loudest voice does not settle it. Both men must come to a hearing in God's presence, before the men He has appointed.
The verse does not call the accused alone to answer. It brings both men into the same place. There the charge gets tested, not assumed.
Two or three witnesses are needed to decide any matter. One witness may be mistaken, or biased, or even dishonest. If two people have a dispute, they must stand before the judges and have the matter examined in full.
Two kinds of authority sit in this court. One writer explains what each one stands for, and ties the rule to the land Israel was about to enter.
Notice that the instructions in this chapter were given with a view to the land the Lord was bringing His people into. So the priests and the judges stand for two things: the priests are the channel through which God's mind is made known, and the judges are the governing authority. From verse 15 on, the subject is what we may call the law of evidence. It firmly lays down that a man must never be condemned on the word of one witness.
The same writer then applies this to the church today.
To stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, as Deuteronomy says, matches an investigation by the church now. In both cases the duty of carrying out the examination rests on those who hold the place of rule.
The words "before the LORD" lift the hearing above a mere human quarrel. They also rule out a rushed verdict. One writer says God Himself brings out the evidence at the right time.
So we are kept in peace while we trust His word. And what kind of spirit could bear to rush in such matters, or want to condemn another person before God has brought out the evidence? The heart stays trusting and calm, knowing that He who sees and knows everything is able to bring out whatever is needed at the right moment.
Once both men are in court, the inquiry can run in either direction. If the charge collapses, the person who brought it is the one exposed.
Still, there has to be discipline: the discipline of God's house. It is not biased and it is not thoughtless. It rests on facts that are well established. So when Paul came, he meant every word to be confirmed by two or three witnesses. Everything should be sifted fairly. Then, if some reports had no basis in fact, their falseness would be exposed, and their weight would fall not on the accused but on the accusers.
The penalties in the verses that follow belonged to the law. One writer points out that Christians do not live under that law, and that the sin is no smaller for it.
Here we can see how God hates false witness. And we must keep in mind that, although we are not under law but under grace, false witness is no less hateful to God. The more deeply we enter into the grace in which we stand, the more strongly we will hate false witness, slander, and evil speaking, in every shape and form.
At the trial of Jesus, this safeguard was turned inside out. The Sanhedrin — the Jewish ruling council — heard the witnesses and condemned the innocent One.
On this false evidence the Sanhedrin condemned the Lord to death. He was then taken to Pilate, and there the chief priests themselves lied about Jesus just as badly before the Roman governor, to make sure He was crucified (Luke 23:2)… And if false witness against a neighbour was treated so seriously, how much greater was the guilt of denying the Holy and the Just One?
- Stand — Accuser and accused stand side by side, so a charge gets tested, not just believed.
- Before the LORD — The hearing happens in God's presence. That rules out the rushed verdict and the private grudge.
- Priests and judges — Two authorities sit in the court. One makes God's mind known; the other governs. One writer sees the same pattern in a church investigation today.
- Inquiry — God can bring out the evidence at the right time. Waiting on Him beats acting on one voice.
- Weight — A charge that fails falls back on the one who made it. The law's penalties belonged to that age, but slander is no less hateful to God under grace.
and the judges shall make thorough inquiry; and if the witness be a false witness, and he have testified falsely against his brother,
Deuteronomy 19:18 sits inside Israel's law of evidence: someone has brought a charge, and both sides now stand before the priests and judges. The court must then inquire diligently, asking one question — has the accuser lied against his own brother?
The chapter looks ahead to the land Israel was about to enter, where these courts would sit. One writer explains who the priests and judges stand for.
The priests represent the channels through which God makes His mind known. The judges represent the governing authorities. From verse 15 onward, the subject is what may be called the law of evidence. The law expressly forbids condemning a man on the word of one witness. It forbids accepting any accusation against another unless at least two witnesses back it. The apostle Paul refers to this and confirms the principle (2 Cor. 13). Think how much sorrow and confusion believers everywhere would have escaped if they had accepted this and acted on it.
The rule of two or three witnesses can look excessive when one witness seems completely trustworthy. One commentator answers that instinct.
Moses presses this on Israel again and again. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself insists on the principle of "two or three witnesses" in every case. So does the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul, in two of his letters. One witness, however trustworthy, is not enough to settle a case. If we weighed this plain fact more carefully and gave it proper attention, it would end a huge amount of strife and quarrelling. In our imagined wisdom we might think that one reliable witness ought to settle any question. Let us remember: God is wiser than we are. Holding fast to His unerring word is always our truest wisdom and our greatest moral safety.
Verse 18 does not stand alone. The inquiry leads to a sentence in verse 19, and witnesses are not always what they appear.
Two or three witnesses are needed for a decision in any matter. One witness may be mistaken, or prejudiced, or even dishonest. If two people have a dispute, they must stand before the judges, who then investigate the matter fully. If one has testified falsely, he must suffer the judgment he wanted brought on his opponent (vv. 18-19). Under law there was no mercy — eye for eye, tooth for tooth.
The clearest breach of this law was the trial of Jesus.
The Jewish council condemned the Lord to death on false evidence. They took Him next to Pilate, where the chief priests themselves bore equally lying witness against Jesus before the Roman governor, to secure His crucifixion (Luke 23:2). The law decreed that if a man "is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely," then "you shall do to him as he had planned to do to his brother" (Deut. 19:15-19). If false witness against a neighbour was so serious, how much worse was the guilt of denying the Holy and Just One?
Do these directions still apply when believers handle accusations today? The writer who set out the law of evidence traces the procedure forward.
Matthew 18 teaches this: when a personal wrong cannot be settled privately, the church is the final court of appeal. So standing before the Lord, before the priests and the judges in Deuteronomy matches exactly a church inquiry today. In both cases the duty of examining falls on those who hold the place of rule or government. In the church, that means those who take the lead alongside their fellow believers and hold their trust. And before the fitting discipline can be declared, they must look carefully into the character of the false testimony — whether the witness brought it knowingly or unknowingly.
The eye-for-eye penalty belonged to the law. God's estimate of the sin did not change with it.
Here we may see how God hates false witness. And we must keep in mind that although we are not under law but under grace, false witness is no less hateful to God. Surely the deeper we enter into the grace in which we stand, the more we will hate false witness, slander, and evil speaking in every form.
- Two witnesses first. No one may be condemned on a single voice, however reliable it seems. God's rule is safer than our confidence.
- Then diligent inquiry. A witness can be mistaken, prejudiced, or dishonest. So the judges dig into the dispute before any verdict, weighing whether the lie was deliberate.
- Then matching justice. A proven liar receives what he intended for his brother — under law, without mercy.
- The pattern carries over. Standing before the priests and judges matches a church inquiry today. The duty of examining falls on those trusted to lead.
- The hatred remains. Grace removes the eye-for-eye penalty. It does not soften God's hatred of false witness, slander, and evil speaking — the sin that condemned Christ Himself.
then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.
A man lies in court to destroy his neighbour. The judges investigate, and they expose the lie. Now the law turns the sentence around onto the accuser. Why does God treat a lying tongue so severely? And what does purging the evil ask of people who no longer live under Israel's courts?
The law measures the sentence exactly.
Then we find further care taken about witnesses, and the great law of just retribution confirms it. When a witness said what was deliberately false, and therefore of course malicious, the punishment had to fall on the man who raised the evil report. It was the punishment the accused would have suffered if the charge had been true. Every detail is carefully guarded. "Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."
Two points sit inside that. A deliberate lie counts as malice. And the liar's own plan sets the measure of his sentence.
The verse speaks to a courtroom. Verse 18 has already named the judges, and that changes how we read the whole rule.
The principle of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" belongs to the legal directions that regulated the daily life of the people. It is not a principle for the conscience of a particular individual, but a legal direction for the authorities and judges of Israel. This is clear from Exodus 21:22 and Deuteronomy 19:18, where the text names the judges. The direction rests on the principle of absolute fairness in repaying the deed, and it served as a warning and a deterrent to the people (Deut. 19:20).
Scripture elsewhere praises the love that covers offences. This verse marks the point where covering stops and judgment must act.
Yet even Israel, not Christians only, were to be holy. If a false witness rose up and the judges convicted him, both men stood before the LORD. Then, instead of covering the sin, they had to do to him what he intended against his brother, and so put the evil away from among them. Any other course is Satan's work. It sets one Scripture against another instead of obeying them all. To bring human feeling into such a case is as contrary to the gospel as it was to the law. "Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?" "Holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore." This is as unchangeable as love's privilege to cover all offences personally. When our Lord on the mountain taught His disciples not to resist evil (Matthew 5:38-42), rather than repay by the law of retaliation, He was speaking of the Christian's individual walk. The same Lord insisted on unsparing judgment of evil in the church.
Personal forgiveness and public holiness are not rivals. Each has its own sphere, and the mistake is to use one to cancel the other.
Israel's own high court broke this law at the trial of Jesus.
On this false evidence, the Sanhedrin condemned the Lord to death. He was then taken to Pilate. There the chief priests themselves gave equally false witness against Jesus before the Roman governor, to secure His crucifixion (Luke 23:2). This sin against justice in court still lies on the nation, and God's just retribution will yet come upon them... If false witness against a neighbour was treated so seriously, how much greater was the guilt of denying the Holy and Just One?
Israel's courts and their sentences are long gone. God's view of the sin has not changed.
Here we may see how God hates false witness. We have to bear in mind that, though we are not under law but under grace, false witness is no less hateful to God. The more fully we enter into the grace in which we stand, the more deeply we shall hate false witness, slander, and evil speaking in every shape and form.
One writer applies the same rebound to accusations made inside the church.
Every report should be sifted with impartiality. Then, if some reports were not based on fact, their falsity would come to light, and their weight would fall on the head of the accusers, not the accused... We venture to think that if today there were as much zeal in disciplining those who slander and whisper as those who are immoral, it would be for the spiritual health and well-being of the church of God.
- Malice. A deliberate lie in court counts as malice, so the liar receives the very sentence he aimed at his victim.
- Judges. God gave this rule to Israel's courts, not to private consciences, and it stood as a warning to the whole nation.
- Purge. Love may cover personal offences. Proven evil among God's people must be put out, so holiness and love each keep their own place.
- Grace. We are not under law, but God hates false witness no less. The deeper we know grace, the more we hate slander.
- Rebound. The failed charge falls back on the accuser. In the church too, slander calls for as much discipline as immorality.