Topical Bible: Murder: To be Proved by Two Witnesses at Least

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In the biblical context, the crime of murder is treated with utmost seriousness, reflecting the sanctity of human life as created in the image of God. The requirement for establishing the guilt of murder is stringent, emphasizing the need for justice and the prevention of false accusations. According to the Mosaic Law, the testimony of at least two witnesses is necessary to convict an individual of murder, ensuring that the charge is substantiated by reliable evidence.

The principle of requiring multiple witnesses is rooted in the legal and moral framework provided in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 17:6 states, "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." This directive underscores the importance of corroborated testimony in capital cases, reflecting a divine mandate for fairness and accuracy in judicial proceedings.

Similarly, Deuteronomy 19:15 reinforces this standard: "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." This passage highlights the broader application of the principle beyond murder, extending it to any serious accusation, thereby safeguarding individuals from wrongful conviction based on insufficient evidence.

The New Testament also echoes this requirement, affirming its continued relevance in the early Christian community. In Matthew 18:16 , Jesus instructs, "But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'" This teaching reflects the enduring value placed on corroborated testimony as a means of establishing truth and maintaining justice within the community.

The insistence on multiple witnesses serves several purposes. It acts as a deterrent against false accusations, ensuring that the gravity of a murder charge is matched by the reliability of the evidence presented. It also reflects a deep respect for human life, recognizing that the irreversible nature of capital punishment demands the highest standard of proof.

In the broader biblical narrative, the requirement for two or three witnesses aligns with the character of God as just and righteous. It underscores the divine concern for truth and the protection of the innocent, while also affirming the community's responsibility to uphold justice in accordance with God's law.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 35:30
Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 19:11,15
But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and flees into one of these cities:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Arrest and Trial of Jesus.
... in order that it might be satisfactorily proved that the ... the true author of the judicial
murder about to ... build it in three days," was cited by two witnesses. ...
/.../renan/the life of jesus/chapter xxiv arrest and trial.htm

Thursday Night - Before Annas and Caiaphas - Peter and Jesus.
... He designates it a private murder (Privat-Mord), committed ... alibi of the witnesses
themselves were proved (comp ... The two Talmudic stories, that witnesses had lain ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xiii thursday night -.htm

Whether the Judicial Precepts were Suitably Framed as to the ...
... which are committed against God, and for murder, for stealing ... was prescribed by the
Law in two cases. ... killeth'] his neighbor ignorantly, and is proved to have ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the judicial precepts were 3.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... For what is there, or can there be of the least dram of truth ... this tenth part,
notwithstanding the faith and faithful testimony of the two witnesses, quite fall ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm

Teaching in the Temple on the Octave of the Feast of Tabernacles.
... But they entertained purposes of murder, and that, because ... scarcely gainsay this,
since there were two parties in ... not yet come, and their fury proved impotent. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter viii teaching in the.htm

Defence against the Arians.
... made much stir about the pretended murder of the ... against it, and Ischyras having
proved nothing at ... 513] , Maris, Theodorus, Macedonius, and two others, young ...
/.../select works and letters or athanasius/defence against the arians.htm

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... If I see one commit robbery or murder, or hear him ... they ought not to have been supposed,
but proved; and till ... or two more, that in the mouth of two or three ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 30 upon our lords.htm

Fresh Troubles
... service a youth who has committed murder and has ... They waited, however"at least two
of them, for the ... as 'your Sanctity,' had egregiously proved his wickedness ...
/.../chapter xxxviii fresh troubles.htm

His Name --The Mighty God
... the Hebrew, expressive of mightiness, and the two taken together ... by noticing how
Jesus Christ has proved himself to ... Murder, great as the offense is, is but the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/his namethe mighty god.htm

The Last Years of Knox: 1567-1572
... band for the murder of Darnley"not the murder at Kirk ... On the 15th two friends came
to see Knox at ... he told "the Kirk" that Lethington's conduct proved that he ...
/.../lang/john knox and the reformation/chapter xviii the last years.htm