Deuteronomy 19:15-21·~1 min

The Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses

No accusation is to stand on a single witness alone. Wrongdoing must be established by two or three witnesses.

A¹⁵ 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.

When a witness accuses someone falsely, both parties must appear before the LORD and the appointed authorities. If the lie is exposed, the false witness receives the punishment he planned for his brother.

¹⁶If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, ¹⁷both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. ¹⁸The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, ¹⁹you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.

Such judgment is meant to restrain future evil through public fear. The closing formula keeps punishment measured and matched to the harm intended.

²⁰Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. ²¹You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.

Section summaryThis section requires more than one witness to establish guilt and places disputed testimony before the LORD through priests and judges. A false witness is to receive the penalty he meant to bring on another, so evil is checked and justice remains proportionate.

Role in the chapterAfter laws about bloodshed and inheritance, this section guards the process by which wrongdoing is proved. It keeps judgment from resting on one voice and turns false accusation into an offense against the whole order of justice.