martyr, record, witness

“Martyr” From Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

“Witness” From Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(see). Under the Mosaic law at least two witnesses were required to establish a capital charge (Num. 35:3030Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. (Numbers 35:30); Deut. 17:6-76At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. 7The 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 17:6‑7)). False swearing forbidden (Ex. 20:1616Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (Exodus 20:16); Lev. 6:1-71And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbor in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbor; 3Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: 4Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, 5Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. 6And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: 7And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein. (Leviticus 6:1‑7)).

“Martyr” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

The Greek word is, μάρτυς, and is very frequently translated “witness”; a martyr is one who meets with death because of the witness he bears. Stephen was a martyr (Acts 22:2020And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. (Acts 22:20)); also Antipas (Rev. 2:1313I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. (Revelation 2:13)). The “two witnesses” in Revelation 11 will also be martyrs, and Babylon the Great is charged with being drunken “with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Rev. 17:66And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (Revelation 17:6)). The history of the church records the faithfulness of many of these. There can be no doubt that many of the Old Testament saints also died as martyrs. Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah (1 Kings 18:1313Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? (1 Kings 18:13)). The Lord charged the Pharisees with being the children of them which killed the prophets (Matt. 23:3131Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. (Matthew 23:31)); and in the “cloud of witnesses” spoken of in Hebrews 11, were some of whom it is said “others were tortured [literally broken on the wheel], not accepting deliverance,” as many martyrs since then might have saved their lives by denying their faith. Christ Himself was the faithful and true witness (Rev. 1:55And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5); Rev. 3:1414And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; (Revelation 3:14)); and He said to His persecutors, “Ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you....ye seek to kill Me, a man that hath told you the truth” (John 8:37,4037I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. (John 8:37)
40But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. (John 8:40)). Thus the Lord Jesus was the true Martyr, though His death comprehended much more than dying as a martyr; namely, atonement.

“Witness” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

The testimony or evidence adduced or given in confirmation of an assertion, and so often used judicially. The term also sometimes speaks simply of an expression of mind or feeling. Until God intervenes in power to establish His own purpose in regard to this world, He maintains a testimony to that which He will assuredly accomplish.
The words μαρτυρέω, μαρτυρια, and, μαρτύριον are translated both “testimony” and “witness.” The idea runs all through the scriptures in respect both to God Himself and to His people. Paul declared before the heathen at Lystra that God “had not left himself without witness” as to His existence and His goodness, in giving rain and fruitful seasons, filling their “hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:1717Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. (Acts 14:17)). The invisible things of God are testified of, “being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, or divinity” (Rom. 1:19-2019Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Romans 1:19‑20)).
God having for fifteen hundred years manifested His patience towards the guilty antediluvian world, He, after warning the people by the preaching of Noah, bore witness to His righteousness and His power by the deluge, and at the same time manifested, His grace in saving Noah and his family in the ark.
The witness which God vouchsafed of Himself to Abraham was that He was “THE ALMIGHTY GOD”; to Moses it was “I AM THAT I AM”; and to Israel, “JEHOVAH.” The ark was often called the “Ark of the testimony,” and the tabernacle was the “Tent of witness,” the witness of good things to come. To Nebuchadnezzar God was witnessed to as the “GOD OF HEAVEN.” To the Christian He is “GOD AND FATHER.”
Israel were of old God’s witnesses, and will also be in the future.
Peter and John were witnesses of the truth before the council, so that they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:1313Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)). Stephen also was a true witness, and his testimony led to his becoming a martyr (μάρτυς). In Hebrews 11 is given a “great cloud” of witnesses to the principle of faith in Old Testament saints, some of whom were also martyrs. God will to the last have a testimony on earth as seen in His “two witnesses” of Revelation 11.
The Church, in the absence of the Lord Jesus, is the vessel of the testimony of Christ, hence Christians should be in their whole life and deportment true witnesses to the rejected Christ. The testimony of the church is characterized by—separation from the world; devotedness to the interests of the Lord Jesus on earth; faithfulness to the truth; unblamable moral conduct; and indeed, as the pillar and ground of the truth, by everything that becometh godliness.

Strong’s Dictionary of Greek Words:

Number:
3144 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)
Greek:
μάρτυς
Transliteration:
martus
Phonic:
mar’-toos
Meaning:
of uncertain affinity; a witness (literally (judicially) or figuratively (genitive case)); by analogy, a "martyr"
KJV Usage:
martyr, record, witness