Why are two or three witnesses needed in Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15?

Answer

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses outlines God’s plan for Israel’s spiritual and community life. Deuteronomy 17:2–13 focuses on Israel’s judicial process, establishing systems to handle accusations fairly and respectfully. One such procedure was to mandate two or three witnesses for a criminal conviction: “You must not convict anyone of a crime based on the testimony of just one witness. The facts of the case must be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15; NLT; see also Numbers 35:30).

One aspect of worshipping the Lord is recognizing that His laws are intended to protect His people, not to punish them. God established rules of justice to prevent unjust, arbitrary, mistaken, or dishonest treatment of individuals. These judicial requirements are referred to as procedural due process and substantive due process.

Israelites who violated the law, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, faced severe penalties, but only after a thorough investigation by community leaders. A person had to be proven guilty of a crime through examination and due process before a penalty could be imposed. In no circumstances could a matter warranting the death penalty be decided based on the testimony of a single witness: “A person is not to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must be two or three witnesses to put someone to death” «By the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall the one deserving of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. », (Deuteronomy 17:6).

The requirement for two or three witnesses is illustrated in 1 Kings 21, when Queen Jezebel devised a wWicked plot to steal a vineyard for her husband, King Ahab. She declared a holiday and invited Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, to sit in a place of honor. All the time behind the scenes, she was orchestrating Naboth’s demise: “Seat two scoundrels opposite him,” she instructed the city leaders, “and have them bring charges that [Naboth] has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death” «and set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. », (1 Kings 21:10). Her murder of Naboth had all the appearances of due process—she made sure there were two witnesses against him, just as the law specified. Jezebel’s trampling of the law—while pretending to honor it—shows the depth of her corruption.

A single party might be able to get away with falsely accusing someone of a crime, but it is much harder for multiple witnesses to conspire to pervert justice. Also, one person could mistakenly misinterpret an act as criminal, but it is far less likely for two or three witnesses to all get it wrong. For this reason, the law required that allegations be evidenced and attested to by no less than two eyewitnesses.

An additional safeguard against falsely convicting someone of a crime was that the witnesses themselves were responsible for initiating the penalty: “The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you” «The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you. », (Deuteronomy 17:7). The whole community joined in administering justice, attesting to the

Corporate character of the covenant family was crucial. Evil, crime, and their punishment affected the entire fellowship. If one Israelite sinned against God, all were accountable in some way. It was in everyone’s best interest to eliminate evil from their midst.

God’s primary purpose for implementing judicial procedures was to uphold purity in the covenant community. Another clear intention was to prompt repentance and restoration for the wrongdoer. God’s nature is one of compassion and mercy. He forgives rebellion and sin, but He does not overlook the guilty (Exodus 34:6-7).

The principle of more than one witness is reiterated in the New Testament. Jewish law acknowledged that the truth or validity of someone’s claims had to be confirmed by two or three witnesses (John 8:17;Matthew 18:16;2 Corinthians 13:1). In the church, an accusation against an elder or leader necessitates two or three witnesses before any action is taken «Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. », (1 Timothy 5:19).

As Jesus ministered, the religious leaders questioned the truth of His claims. In His defense, Christ presented not two or three witnesses but five: John the Baptist, His miracles, the Father, the Scriptures, and Moses (John 5:31-47).

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul” «The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. », (Psalm 19:7). Part of the perfection of God’s law is evident in its preservation of justice and the protections it provided to t.Those accused of crimes.