Study
Word study

Word study

Greek

To testify

μαρτυρέωStrong’s G3140

martureō

Appears in 73 verses of the New Testament

In short

Martureō is the Greek word usually translated “bear witness”, “testifying” and “testified”. It appears in 73 verses of the New Testament.

“Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.”
1 Timothy 5:10 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “bear witness”, “testifying” and “testified”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • bear witness 8
  • testifying 3
  • testified 3
  • is bearing witness 3
  • bearing witness 3
  • bears witness 3
  • to testify 3
  • i bear witness 3

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • John 31
  • Acts 11
  • Hebrews 7
  • 1 John 7
  • Revelation 4
  • 3 John 3

14 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 73 verses, by book
Matthew 1
23:31
Luke 1
4:22
Romans 2
3:2110:2
1 Corinthians 1
15:15
2 Corinthians 1
8:3
Galatians 1
4:15
Colossians 1
4:13
1 Timothy 2
5:106:13
3 John 3
1:31:61:12
Revelation 4
1:222:1622:1822:20
Greek dictionary

μαρτυρέω martureō · to testify

μαρτυρέω, -ῶ (μάρτυς), [in LXX chiefly for עֵד (עֵד (Gen.31:47-48, al.), also for עוּד hi. (Gen.43:3, La 2:13), עָנָה (Num.35:30) ;] (a) prop., to be a witness, bear witness, testify: absol. (find., al.), Jhn.15:27, Act.26:5; parenthetical (Bl., § 79, 7; MM, xvi), 2Co.8:3; with dative of person(s) (comm. and incomm.; El., § 37, 2), Act.22:5, Heb.10:15; id. before ὅτι, Mat.23:31, Rom.10:2, al.; accusative and inf., Act.10:43; with accusative of thing(s) (cl.), Jhn.3:11, Rev.22:16, 20; with accusative cogn., before περί, Jhn.5:32, 1Jn.5:10; with dative of thing(s), Jhn.5:33, Act.14:3, al.; befo …

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “testify” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

TEST'IFY, verb intransitive

[Latin testificor; testis and facio.]

  1. To make a solemn declaration, verbal or written, to establish some fact; to give testimony for the purpose of communicating to others a knowledge of something not known to them.“Jesus needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man” John 2:25
  2. In judicial proceedings, to make a solemn declaration under oath, for the purpose of establishing or making proof of some act to a court; to give testimony in a cause depending before a tribunal.“One witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die” Numbers 35:30
  3. To declare a charge against one.“O Israel, I will testify against thee” Psalms 50:7
  4. To protest; to declare against.“I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals” Nehemiah 13:15
All definitions and other forms of “testify”

    TEST'IFY, verb transitive

    To affirm or declare solemnly for the purpose of establishing a fact.

    1. “We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen” John 3:11
    2. In law, to affirm or declare under oath before tribunal, for the purpose of proving some fact.
    3. To bear witness to; to support the truth of by testimony.“To testify the gospel of the grace of God” Acts 20:24
    4. To publish and declare freely.“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ” Acts 20:21

    Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

    Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.