TESTIMONY. With a variety of meaning in Scripture, testimony (עֵדוּת, H6343, עֵדֻ֖ת; μαρτυρία, μαρτύριον), depending upon the context, denotes (1) witness, (2) evidence which witnesses to or for something, (3) the tables of stone on which the law of God was written, (4) the Ark, (5) the whole book of the law, (6) God’s Word given a prophet, (7) the Gospel, or (8) all of Scripture.

(1). The first of these is seen in 2 Timothy 1:8 where Paul exhorts Timothy not to be ashamed of his testimony, or witness (μαρτύριον, G3457), to Christ. (2) An instance of the second sense in which the word is used is found in Acts 14:3 where KJV reads that God “gave testimony to the word of his grace,” RSV reads, “who bore witness to the word of his grace,” and NEB translates, “he confirmed the message of his grace.” (3) In a number of instances in the OT “the testimony” (הָעֵדֻ֔ת, in LXX μαρτυρία, G3456) refers to the Decalogue as a pristine statement of God’s will (e.g., Exod 25:16, 21) from which comes the expression “tables of the testimony” (Exod 31:18; 32:15; 34:29). (4) In the same context one reads of “the ark of the testimony” (Exod 25:22; 26:33f.; 30:6; 31:7; et al.), or simply of “the testimony,” where the Ark is intended (Exod 16:34; 27:21; Lev 16:13). (5) The expression “testimony” was then extended to cover the whole book of the law of God (Ps 19:8; 78:5; 81:5; 119:88; 122:4). (6) In some instances testimony signifies the Word of God given a prophet (Isa 8:16, 20). (7) In Revelation 1:2, 9; 12:17 et al., the usage of marturia is that of Gospel. In 12:17 the word is used for Gospel in the sense of a witness to Christ. (8) God’s whole revelation to man is sometimes referred to when “testimonies” is used (Ps 119:22) containing a number of such instances. See also False Swearing, Witness.

Bibliography HDB (1942), IV, 725; IDB (1962), IV, 579; TDNT (1967), IV, 474ff.