the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #3140 - μαρτυρέω
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration
- to give (not to keep back) testimony
- to utter honourable testimony, give a good report
- conjure, implore
- Book
- Word
- Parsing
did not use
this Strong's Number
μαρτῠρ-έω,
fut. - ήσω Pi. O. 6.21: — Pass., fut. μαρτυρηθήσομαι Isaiah 8:13, D. 19.40; μαρτυρήσομαι in pass. sense, X. (v.infr. 9), D. 57.37: aor. ἐμαρτυρήθην: pf. μεμαρτύρημαι Antipho 6.16, used in act. sense, LXX Genesis 43:3 : —
bear witness, give evidence: —
Constr.:
I
1 abs., Simon. 4.7, Pi. I. 5(4).48; μαρτυροῦντι πιστεύειν Antipho 2.2.7; ἐξέστω καὶ τοῖς δούλοις μαρτυρεῖν PLille 29.20 (iii B.C.), cf. SIG 953.19 (Calymna, ii B.C.), etc.
2. c. dat. pers., bear witness to or in favour of another, confirm what he says, A. Eu. 594, Hdt. 8.94, etc.; μαρτυρέει μοι τῇ γνώμῃ, ὅτι.. bears witness to my opinion, that.., Id. 2.18, cf. 4.29; μαρτυρεῖς σαυτῷ E. Ion 532; esp. bear favourable witness to, give a good report of a person, IG 22.657 (iii B.C.), etc.; πάντες ἐμαρτύρουν αὐτῷ Eu. Luke 4:22. b. c. dat. rei, μ. τῇ διαθήκῃ POxy. 494.33 (ii A.D.), etc.
3. c. acc. rei, testify to a thing, Alc. 102, Pi. O. 13.108, S. Ant. 515, Pl. Phdr. 244d; μ. τινί τι Pi. O. 6.21, A. Supp. 797 (lyr.).
4. μ. περί τινος Pl. Revelation 21:1-27 a; ὑπέρ τινος D. 29.54.
5. c. inf., testify that a thing is, Heraclit. 34, S. OC 1265, etc.; τίς σοι μαρτυρήσει ταῦτ' ἐμοῦ κλύειν; that he heard.. ? Id. Tr. 422, cf. E. Hipp. 977; ὁ κληθεὶς μαρτυρείτω ἀληθῆ μαρτυρεῖν PHal. 1.225 (iii B.C.): rarely c. part., μαρτυρεῖτέ [μοι].. ῥινηλατούσῃ A. Ag. 1184; μ. τισὶ παραγινομέναις D.H. 8.46.
6. μ. τινὶ ὡς.. A. Ag. 494, cf. Pl. Grg. 523c; σώματα.. ὡς ἔστιν, αὐτὴ ἡ αἴσθησις.. μ. Epicur. Ephesians 1 p.6U.; μ. ὅτι.. X. Vect. 4.25.
7. μ. τινὶ τῆς συμμαχίας testify to, acknowledge the value of his alliance, J. AJ 13.5.3.
8. c. acc. cogn., μαρτυρίαν μ. Isa 11.25, Pl. Erx. 399b; μ. ἀκοήν give hearsay evidence, D. 57.4; μ. ψεῦδος, ψεύδη, bear false witness, Amips. 13, Diph. 32.16; τὰ ψευδῆ Lys. 19.4; τἀληθῆ Aeschin. 1.46: — Pass., μαρτυρίαι μαρτυρηθεῖσαι D. 47.1; μεμαρτύρηταί τι περί τινος Antipho 6.16, cf. Lys. 13.66.
9. impers. in Pass., παρ' ἄλλου ποιητοῦ μαρτυρεῖται testimony is borne by.., Pl. Prt. 344d; οἶδα.. μαρτυρήσεσθαί μοι ὅτι.. X. Mem. 4.8.10, cf. Ap. 26; μεμαρτύρηται ὑμῖν testimony has been given before you, Lys. 19.55, Isaiah 9:5.
10. Pass., μαρτυρεῖταί μοι σοφία is ascribed to me, D.H. 2.26; μαρτυροῦμαι ἐμπειρίαν I have it ascribed to me, Plu. 2.58a, cf. Luc. Sacr. 10; καλοκἀγαθίαν μαρτυρούμενος J. AJ 15.10.5; μαρτυροῦμαι ἐπί τινι I bear a character for.., Ath. 1.25 f; ἄνδρας μαρτυρουμένους men whose character is approved by testimony, Acts 6:3; τεχνίτας.. μαρτυρηθέντας ὑπό τινος SIG 799.28 (Cyzicus, i A.D.); δι' ὅλης οἰκουμένης μαρτυρούμενον θεόν Sammelb. 1070 (Abydos).
II Astrol., to be in aspect with, c. dat., Ptol. Tetr. 123; μ. τὴν μοῖραν Cat.Cod.Astr. 7.226: — Pass., Nech. ap. Vett.Val. 279.23.
μαρτυρέω, μαρτυρῶ; imperfect 3 person plural ἐμαρτύρουν; future μαρτυρήσω; 1 aorist ἐμαρτύρησα; perfect μεμαρτύρηκα; passive, present μαρτυροῦμαι; imperfect ἐμαρτυρουμην; perfect μεμαρτύρημαι; 1 aorist ἐμαρτυρήθην; from (Simonides, Pindar), Aeschylus, Herodotus down; to be a witness, to bear witness, testify, i. e. "to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that (so in the N. T.) he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration" (sometimes in the N. T. the apostles are said μαρτυρεῖν, as those wire had been eye-witnesses and ear-witnesses of the extraordinary sayings, deeds and sufferings of Jesus, which proved his Messiahship; so too Paul, as one to whom the risen Christ had visibly appeared; cf. John 15:27; John 19:35; John 21:24; Acts 23:11; 1 Corinthians 15:15; 1 John 1:2, cf. Acts 1:22; Acts 2:32; Acts 3:15; Acts 4:33; Acts 5:32; Acts 10:39, 41; Acts 13:31; Acts 26:16; (cf. Westcott (Speaker's) commentary on John, Introduction, p. 45f));
a. in general; absolutely, to give (not to keep back) testimony: John 15:27; Acts 26:5; followed by ὅτι recitative and the orat. direct., John 4:39; also preceded by λέγων, John 1:32; μαρτυρεῖν εἰς with an accusative of the place into (unto) which the testimony (concerning Christ) is borne, Acts 23:11 (see εἰς, A. I. 5 b.); μαρτυρῶ, inserted parenthetically (Winer's Grammar, § 62, 2), 2 Corinthians 8:3; equivalent to to prove or confirm by testimony, 1 John 5:6f; used of Jesus, predicting what actually befell him, John 13:21; of God, who himself testifies in the Scriptures that a thing is so (viz. as the author declares), followed by the recitative ὅτι, Hebrews 7:17 R. μαρτυρεῖται followed by περί with the genitive of a person, to bear witness concerning one: John 1:7f; περί τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, concerning man, i. e. to tell what one has himself learned about the nature, character, conduct, of men, John 2:25 (see ἄνθρωπος, 1 a.); περί τίνος, followed by direct discourse, John 1:15; the Scriptures are said to testify περί Ἰησοῦ, i. e. to declare things which make it evident that he was truly sent by God, John 5:39; God is said to do the same — through the Scriptures, John 5:37, cf. John 8:18; through the expiation wrought by the baptism and death of Christ, and the Holy Spirit giving souls assurance of this expiation, 1 John 5:6-9; so John the Baptist, as being a 'prophet', John 5:32; so the works which he himself did, John 5:36 (there followed by ὅτι); John 10:25; so the Holy Spirit, John 15:26; the apostles, John 15:27; so Christ himself περί ἑαυτοῦ, John 5:31; John 8:13f, 18. περί with the genitive of the thing, John 21:24; περί τοῦ κακοῦ, to bring forward evidence to prove τό κακόν, John 18:23. with the accusative of a cognate noun, μαρτυρίαν μαρτυρεῖν περί with a genitive of the person, John 5:32; 1 John 5:9 Rec.; 1 John 5:10 (τήν αὐτήν μαρτυρίαν, μαρτυρεῖν, Plato, Eryx., p. 399 b.; τήν μαρτυρίαν αὐτοῦ ἥν τῇ ἀρετή μαρτυρεῖ, Epictetus diss. 4, 8, 32 (cf. Winers Grammar, 225 (211); Buttmann, 148 (129))); with an accusative of the thing, to testify a thing, bear witness to (of) anything: John 3:11, 32; supply αὐτό in John 19:35; τίνι τί, 1 John 1:2; ὅς ἐμαρτύρησε ... Χριστοῦ, who has borne witness of (viz., in this book, i. e. the Apocalypse) what God has spoken and Jesus Christ testified (namely, concerning future events; see λόγος, I. 2 b. ἐ.), Revelation 1:2; ὁ μαρτύρων ταῦτα he that testifieth these things i. e. has caused them to be testified by the prophet, his messenger, Revelation 22:20; μαρτυρῆσαι ὑμῖν ταῦτα ἐπί (L Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading ἐν) ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, to cause these things to be testified to you in the churches or for, on account of, the churches, Revelation 22:16 — unless ἐπί be dropped from the text and the passage translated, to you, viz. the (seven) churches (of Asia Minor), the prophet reverting again to Revelation 1:4; cf. DeWette, Bleek, Düsterdieck, ad loc.; (others, retaining ἐπί, render it over, concerning, cf. Revelation 10:11; Winers Grammar, 393 (368)
c.; see ἐπί, B. 2 f. β. at the end). of testimony borne not in word but by deed, in the phrase used of Christ μαρτυρεῖν τήν καλήν ὁμολογίαν, to witness the good confession, to attest the truth of the (Christian) profession by his sufferings and death, 1 Timothy 6:13, where cf. Hofmann. Passive: Romans 3:21 (a righteousness such as the Scriptures testify that God ascribes to believers, cf. Romans 4:3). μεμαρτύρηκα followed by ὅτι that, John 1:34 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 273 (256)); (John 4:44);
b. emphatically; to utter honorable testimony, give a good report: with a dative of the person, Luke 4:22; ἐπί τίνι, on account of, for a thing, Hebrews 11:4 (here L Tr read μαρτυροῦντος ἐπί κτλ. τῷ Θεῷ (but see the commentaries)); μεμαρτύρηται τίνι ὑπό τίνος, 3 John 1:12; passive μαρτυροῦμαι "to be borne (good) witness to, to be well reported of, to hate (good) testimony borne to one, accredited, attested, of good report, approved": Acts 6:3 (Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 17, 1f [ET]; 18, 1 [ET]; 19, 1 [ET]; 47, 4 [ET]); followed by ἐν with a dative of the thing in which the commmended excellence appears, 1 Timothy 5:10; Hebrews 11:2 (ἐπί τίνι, for a thing, Athen. 1, p. 25 f.; (yet cf. Winer's Grammar, 387 (362) note)); διά τίνος, to have (honorable) testimony borne to one through (by) a thing, Hebrews 11:39; ὑπό with the genitive of the person giving honorable testimony, Acts 10:22; Acts 16:2; Acts 22:12 (Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 38, 2 [ET]; 44, 3 [ET]; Ignatius ad Philad. c. 5, 2 [ET] cf. 11, 1 [ET] and ad Eph. 12, 2 [ET]; Antoninus 7, 62); with the dative of the person testifying (equivalent to ὑπό τίνος), Acts 26:22 R G.
c. middle, according to a false reading, to conjure, implore: 1 Thessalonians 2:12 (11), where T Tr WH have rightly restored μαρτυρόμενοι. (Compare: ἐπιμαρτυρέω, συνεπιμαρτυρέω, καταμαρτυρέω, συμμαρτυρέω.)
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μαρτυρέω , -ῶ
(< μάρτυς ),
[in LXX chiefly for H5707 (Genesis 31:47-48, al.), also for H5749 hi. (Genesis 43:3, Lamentations 2:13), H6030 (Numbers 35:30);]
(a) prop., to be a witness, bear witness, testify: absol. (find., al.), John 15:27, Acts 26:5; parenthetical (Bl., § 79, 7; MM, xvi), 2 Corinthians 8:3; c. dat. pers. (comm. et incomm.; El., § 37, 2), Acts 22:5, Hebrews 10:15; id. seq. ὅτι , Matthew 23:31, Romans 10:2, al.; acc et inf., Acts 10:43; c. acc rei (cl.), John 3:11, Revelation 22:16; Revelation 22:20; c. acc cogn., seq. περί , John 5:32, 1 John 5:10; c. dat. rei, John 5:33, Acts 14:3, al.; seq. περί , c. gen. (pers. et rei), John 1:7-8; John 1:15; John 2:25; John 18:23; John 21:24, al.; id. seq. ὅτι , John 5:36; John 7:7; ὅτι , John 1:34; John 4:44 al.; ὅτι recit., John 4:39; κατά seq. ὅτι , 1 Corinthians 15:15; pass., Hebrews 7:8; ptcp., Romans 3:21; impers., Hebrews 7:17;
(b) in late Gk., to witness favourably, give a good report, approve (Bl., § 54, 3; MM, xvi; Deiss., BS, 265): c. dat. pers., Luke 4:22; seq. ἐπί c. dat. rei, Hebrews 11:4; pass., Acts 6:3; seq. ἐν , 1 Timothy 5:10, Hebrews 11:2; διά , c. gen. rei, Hebrews 11:39; c. gen. pers., Acts 10:22, al.; impers., 3 John 1:12 (cf. ἐπι , συν -επι -, κατα -, συν -μαρτυρέω ).
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
The common occurrence of this word after a signature, just as we write ";witness,"; e.g. P Oxy I. 105.13 (a will—A.D. 117–137) Σαραπίων Σαραπίωνος. . μαρτυρῶ, P Lond 1164 (f).35 (records of sales and receipts—A.D. 212) (= III. p. 162) Ἡλιό [δ ]ωρος. . . μαρτυρῶ, P Grenf II. 68.21 f. (deed of gift—A.D. 247) Αὐρήλιος Φιλοσάραπις. . μαρτ [υρ ]ῶ. Αὐρήλιος Ἀμμώνιος. . μαρτυρῶ, may be cited in illustration of the Pauline usage in 2 Corinthians 8:3. The verb has again a judicial sense in P Amh II. 66.35 (A.D. 124) Στοτοήτιος λέγοντος. . . παρεῖναι τοὺς μαρτυρῆσαι δυναμένους τὸ [ν ] φόν [ο ]ν, ";Stotoëtis Stated that there were present persons able to witness to the murder"; (Edd.), cf. .38. For the more general meaning, ";bear witness to,"; ";report,"; cf. PSI I. 94.3 (ii/A.D.) πρὸς τὸ μαρτυρῆσαι ὑμεῖν τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν μου, P Oxy VII. 1064.12 (iii/A.D.) γράφω σοι. . ὅπως συνλάβῃς τῷ Ἄπει. . ξενίαν δὲ αὐτῷ ποιήσῃς, πρὸς τὸ ἐπανελθόντα αὐτὸν μαρτυρῆσαί μοι, ";I write to you that you may assist Apis, and may show him hospitality, so that on his return he may bear witness of it to me"; (Ed,), similarly ib. 1068.19 (iii/A.D.), ib. XII, 1424.17 (c. A.D. 318) ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα μοι μαρτυρήσῃ τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγαθῆς σου προαιρέσεως αὐτῷ ὑπαρχθέντα, ";but let him testify to the benefits gained by your good will"; (Edd.) (for the construction cf. Mark 5:23, Ephesians 5:33, al.), and the early Christian letter P Grenf II. 73.16 (late iii/A.D.) (= Selections, p.118) ὅταν ἔλθῃ σὺν Θεῷ, μαρτυρήσι σοι περὶ ὧν αὐτὴν πεποιήκασιν, ";when he airives by the help of God, he will bear you witness of what they have done to her."; Another Christian example is P Oxy VIII. 1164.11 (vi/vii A.D.) where a minor local magnate writes to a comes —μαρτυρεῖ μοι γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ὅτι σπουδάζω ἐν ἅπασιν τὰ κελευόμενά μοι παρ᾽ ὑμῶν ἁποπληρῶσαι, ";God is my witness that I am anxious in everything to perform your orders"; (Ed.). For μαρτυρέω, ";give a good report,"; as in Luke 4:22, cf. P Oxy VI. 930.16 (ii/iii A.D.), where a mother writes to her son that she had received a good report of his παιδαγωγός from his former teacher—ἐμαρτύρει δὲ πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ παιδαγωγοῦ σου : cf. Syll 197 (= .3374).37 (c. B.C. 287–6) πολλάκις μεμαρτύρηκεν αὐτῶν ὁ βασιλεύς. The corresponding use of the pass, with reference to ";the good name"; witnessed of a man, as in Acts 6:8; Acts 10:22, 1 Timothy 5:10, Hebrews 11:2, may be illustrated from BGU IV, 1141.15 (B.C. 14) ὡς καὶ μαρτυρηθήσεταί σοι ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων, ib. 1155.15 (B.C. 10) (= Chrest. II. p.75) πιττακ ̣ι ̣ου μεμαρτυρημένου δὲ δι᾽ ὧν ἀνήνενκεν ὁ Πρώταρχος συνχωρήσεων, and from the inscrr. Syll 366 (= .3799).28 (c. A.D. 38) ἀρχιτέκτονας μαρτυρηθέντας ὑπὸ τῆς σεμνοτάτης Τρυφαίν [ης, and Latyschev I. 21.26 ff. (Olbia—ii/A.D.), where it is said of a certain Carzoazus—ἀλλὰ καὶ (μέχρι) περάτων γῆς ἐμαρτυρήθη τοὺς ὑπὲρ φιλίας κινδύνους μέχρι Σεβαστῶν συμμαχίᾳ παραβολευσάμενος, ";but also to the ends of the world it was witnessed of him that in the interests of friendship he had exposed himself to dangers as an advocate in (legal) strife (by taking his clients’ causes even) up to emperors"; (Deissmann LAE p. 84 n..5) : see also the temple inscr. from Abydos Preisigke 1070 δι᾽ ὅλης οἰκουμέν (ης) μαρτυρούμενον οὐράνιον θεὸν [Βησᾶν ἐ ]δείσα [μεν, and further exx. in Deissmann BS, p. 265, CR i. p. 46. MGr μαρτυρῶ, ";acknowledge,";";confess";; ";inform.";
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