Lexical Summary eduth: Testimony, Witness, Ordinance Original Word: עֵדוּת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance testimony, witness Feminine of ed; testimony -- testimony, witness. see HEBREW ed NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ud Definition testimony NASB Translation admonitions (1), ordinance (1), testimonies (13), testimony (43), warnings (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֵדוּת19 and עֵדֻת27 noun feminine testimony; — ׳ע absolute Exodus 16:34 +, construct Psalm 19:8 +; plural suffix עֵדְוֺתֶיךָ Psalm 119:14 +, עֵדְוֺתָיו Jeremiah 44:23 4t.; — 1 testimony of the Ten Words on the tables as a solemn divine charge, ׳לֻחֹת הע Exodus 31:18; Exodus 32:15; Exodus 34:29 (P), ׳הע Exodus 25:16,21; Exodus 40:20 (P); ark as containing tables, ׳אֲרוֺן הע Exodus 25:22; Exodus 26:33,34; Exodus 30:6,26; Exodus 39:35; Exodus 40:3,5,21; Numbers 4:5; Numbers 7:89 (all P), Joshua 4:16 (J E; Kue הברית [against him Di], so Benn Steuern), ׳הארן לע Exodus 31:7 (P); abbreviated ׳לִפְנֵי הע Exodus 16:34; Exodus 30:36; Numbers 17:19; Numbers 17:25 (P); ׳עַל הע Exodus 27:21 (= ׳הע Leviticus 24:3), Lev 30:6; Leviticus 16:13 (P); tabernacle as containing ark of testimony, ׳משׁכן הע tabernacle of the testimony Exodus 38:21; Numbers 1:50,53 (twice in verse); Numbers 10:11 (P); so ׳אֹהֶל הע Numbers 9:15; Numbers 17:22; Numbers 17:23; Numbers 18:2 (P) 2 Chronicles 24:6. 2 the code of law in General (late), as a testimony of God: Psalm 19:8; Psalm 119:88; Psalm 122:4; "" תּוֺרָה Psalm 78:5; "" חֹק Psalm 81:6. In titles, עַלֿ ׳שׁוּשַׁן ע Psalm 60:1, ׳אֶלשֹֿׁשַׁנּ֑ים ע Psalm 80:1 = melody whose first line compare law as testimony to a choice flower. Special laws of the code are denoted by plural; + חֻקּוֺת etc. 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 23:3 2Chronicles 34:31 (+ חקים etc.), Jeremiah 44:23; חֻקִּים etc. 1 Chronicles 29:19; מִצְוֺת Nehemiah 9:34; plural of contents of covenant 2 Kings 17:15; plural elsewhere Psalm 119:14; Psalm 119:31; Psalm 119:36; Psalm 119:99; Psalm 119:111; Psalm 119:129; Psalm 119:144; Psalm 119:157. See also III.[[עֵדָה]. — For הָעֵדוּת 2 Kings 11:12 2Chronicles 23:11 read probably הַצְּעָדוֺת (compare 2 Samuel 1:10 We and others). Topical Lexicon Concept Overview עֵדוּת (eduth) centers on the idea of “testimony” or “witness,” almost always referring to God’s own self-attesting word, whether inscribed, proclaimed, or embodied in sacred objects. Its occurrences gather around three principal spheres: the Sinai covenant (tablets, ark, tabernacle), the worship life of Israel (festival and song), and the wisdom tradition (especially the Psalms). Sinai and the Covenant: Tablets of the Testimony • Exodus 31:18 records the first appearance: “When He had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony”. The term marks the tablets as God’s sworn covenant document, not merely moral instruction. The Ark and the Tabernacle of the Testimony • The chest that housed the tablets is repeatedly called “the ark of the Testimony” (Exodus 25:22; 26:33; 30:6; 40:5). Here עֵדוּת functions metonymically: the ark’s holiness flows from the covenant document inside it. Cultic Calendar and Ritual Memory • Leviticus 24:3 situates the perpetual lamp “outside the veil of the Testimony,” tying daily priestly service to the ongoing witness of the covenant. Psalms and Wisdom Literature: Testimonies as Divine Revelation The term shifts from an object to a literary and ethical category, especially in Psalm 119 where it appears more than twenty times. Examples: In these contexts עֵדוּת embraces the entire corpus of revealed instruction, revered as treasure, counselor, and source of joy (Psalm 19:7; 25:10; 78:5). Prophetic Usage: Testimony in Covenant Lawsuit Prophets appeal to the written witness to indict covenant breakers. For instance, Isaiah 8:16 commands, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples.” Habakkuk 2:3 refers to the inscribed vision as a testimony that will surely come to pass. Such usage frames prophecy as prosecution on the basis of the standing covenant document. Historical Books: National Faithfulness Gauged by the Testimony • 1 Kings 2:3 exhorts Solomon to “keep His testimonies” as the path to prosperity. Intertextual Bridge to the New Testament While עֵדוּת itself is Hebrew, its theological load is carried over by the Greek μαρτυρία (martyria). Jesus declares, “Search the Scriptures…these are the very words that testify about Me” (John 5:39). The ark once housed stone tablets; the incarnation houses the living Word (John 1:14). Revelation 12:17 speaks of those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus,” merging Sinai testimony with Christ’s gospel. Ministry Implications 1. Centrality of Scripture: Worship, guidance, and communal identity revolve around the inscripturated testimony. Modern ministry that marginalizes Scripture forfeits the very presence it mediates. Summary of Distribution Approximately fifty-nine occurrences cluster as follows: Torah and historical narratives (about twenty-six, largely Exodus–Numbers, Joshua, Kings), Psalms (about thirty-one, chiefly Psalm 119 and related psalms), and isolated prophetic references. The pattern traces a movement from physical artifact to internalized delight, yet the core remains unchanged: God’s covenant word stands as the permanent, authoritative testimony to His character and will. Forms and Transliterations בְעֵֽדְוֹתֶ֑יךָ בעדותיך הָ֣עֵד֔וּת הָ֣עֵדֻ֔ת הָֽעֵד֔וּת הָֽעֵדֻת֙ הָעֵד֑וּת הָעֵד֔וּת הָעֵד֖וּת הָעֵדֻ֑ת הָעֵדֻ֔ת הָעֵדֻ֖ת הָעֵדֻ֗ת הָעֵדֻ֜ת הָעֵדֻֽת׃ הָעֵדֻת֙ הָעֵדֽוּת׃ העדות העדות׃ העדת העדת׃ וְעֵֽדְוֹתָ֣יו וְעֵדְוֹתָ֔יו וּבְעֵדְוֹתָ֖יו וּלְעֵ֣דְוֹתֶ֔יךָ ובעדותיו ולעדותיך ועדותיו לָֽעֵדֻ֔ת לעדת מֵ֝עֵדְוֹתֶ֗יךָ מעדותיך עֵ֝דְוֹתֶ֗יךָ עֵ֤דוּת ׀ עֵֽדְוֹתָ֔יו עֵד֣וּת עֵד֥וּת עֵד֨וּת ׀ עֵדְוֹתֶ֑יךָ עֵדְוֹתֶ֖יךָ עֵדְוֹתֶ֗יךָ עֵדְוֹתֶ֣יךָ עֵדְוֹתֶ֥יךָ עֵדְוֹתָ֤יו עדות עדותיו עדותיך ‘ê·ḏə·wō·ṯāw ‘ê·ḏə·wō·ṯe·ḵā ‘ê·ḏūṯ ‘êḏəwōṯāw ‘êḏəwōṯeḵā ‘êḏūṯ ḇə‘êḏəwōṯeḵā ḇə·‘ê·ḏə·wō·ṯe·ḵā edevoTav edevoTeicha eDut hā‘êḏuṯ hā‘êḏūṯ hā·‘ê·ḏuṯ hā·‘ê·ḏūṯ haeDut haeiDut lā‘êḏuṯ lā·‘ê·ḏuṯ laeDut mê‘êḏəwōṯeḵā mê·‘ê·ḏə·wō·ṯe·ḵā meedevoTeicha ū·ḇə·‘ê·ḏə·wō·ṯāw ū·lə·‘ê·ḏə·wō·ṯe·ḵā ūḇə‘êḏəwōṯāw ūlə‘êḏəwōṯeḵā uleEdevoTeicha uveedevoTav veedevoTav veedevoTeicha wə‘êḏəwōṯāw wə·‘ê·ḏə·wō·ṯāwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 16:34 HEB: אַהֲרֹ֛ן לִפְנֵ֥י הָעֵדֻ֖ת לְמִשְׁמָֽרֶת׃ NAS: it before the Testimony, to be kept. KJV: before the Testimony, to be kept. INT: Aaron before the Testimony to be kept Exodus 25:16 Exodus 25:21 Exodus 25:22 Exodus 26:33 Exodus 26:34 Exodus 27:21 Exodus 30:6 Exodus 30:6 Exodus 30:26 Exodus 30:36 Exodus 31:7 Exodus 31:18 Exodus 32:15 Exodus 34:29 Exodus 38:21 Exodus 39:35 Exodus 40:3 Exodus 40:5 Exodus 40:20 Exodus 40:21 Leviticus 16:13 Leviticus 24:3 Numbers 1:50 Numbers 1:53 59 Occurrences |
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