Deuteronomy 19:15

Context

Deuteronomy consists of sermons that Moses delivered to the people of Israel on the plains of Moab before they entered Canaan. Chapter 19 belongs to the section of legal provisions (chapters 12–26). The first part of the chapter contains the regulations for the cities of refuge, which protect a person who has killed someone unintentionally (vv. 1–13), and the prohibition against moving a neighbor's landmark (v. 14). Verse 15 follows with a provision on testimony in judicial proceedings.

From verse 16 onward the passage addresses false witnesses, and its conclusion, Deuteronomy 19:18–21, directs that the punishment a false witness intended for the accused be inflicted on the false witness himself. The same principle appears in Deuteronomy 17:6 and Numbers 35:30 in connection with capital offenses. By speaking of "any iniquity" and "any sin," 19:15 extends the principle to the determination of every kind of offense.

Interpretation

• As a legal safeguard: Many commentators regard this provision as a safeguard that prevents conviction on the testimony of a single person, thereby protecting the accused from false and retaliatory accusations. Some also read it in connection with the ninth commandment of the Ten Commandments, which forbids bearing false witness.
• In Jewish tradition: Rabbinic tradition is known to have treated this verse and Deuteronomy 17:6 as the foundation of its law of evidence, requiring two or more witnesses in criminal cases.
• New Testament citations: In Matthew 18:16, at the stage of admonishing a brother who has sinned, Jesus directs that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." Paul applies the principle in 2 Corinthians 13:1 ahead of his third visit, and in 1 Timothy 5:19 as the standard for receiving an accusation against an elder. Hebrews 10:28 also refers to the same principle.
• As a basis for church discipline: Many denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist churches, cite this verse together with Matthew 18 as a biblical basis for procedures of church discipline. The body that renders judgment differs according to a denomination's polity—a session, a congregation, and so on—but there is little disagreement about the principle itself.

Questions of Application

• How to understand the number: Application varies depending on whether "two or three witnesses" is taken as a literal requirement of two or three eyewitnesses or as a principle that testimony must be mutually corroborated. Some interpreters hold that the witnesses in Matthew 18:16 are not so much eyewitnesses of the sin as observers of the process of admonition.
• Cases with few eyewitnesses: In cases such as sexual abuse in the church, where there are rarely any eyewitnesses, critics argue that invoking this verse or 1 Timothy 5:19 to require two or more eyewitnesses causes victims' allegations to be suppressed. Others emphasize that the principle serves to protect leaders from false accusations. Still others suggest that physical evidence, records, and the statements of multiple victims can also count as mutually corroborating evidence.

In the Korean Church

Along with Matthew 18, the verse is frequently cited as a supporting text in church trials, accusations of pastoral misconduct, and the handling of church disputes.

Related Passages

• Deuteronomy 17:6
• Numbers 35:30
• Matthew 18:16
• 2 Corinthians 13:1
• 1 Timothy 5:19