his merit was gloriously attested

μαρτυρέω impf. ἐμαρτύρουν; fut. μαρτυρήσω; 1 aor. ἐμαρτύρησα; pf. μεμαρτύρηκα. Pass.: impf. ἐμαρτυρούμην; 1 aor. ἐμαρτυρήθην Hb 11:2, 4, 39; pf. μεμαρτύρημαι (s. four next entries; Semonides, Hdt.+)

① to confirm or attest someth. on the basis of personal knowledge or belief, bear witness, be a witness.

ⓐ to offer testimony

α. act. ὑμεῖς μαρτυρεῖτε you are witnesses J 15:27. ἐὰν θέλωσιν μαρτυρεῖν if they are willing to appear as witnesses Ac 26:5.—J 12:17; 1J 5:6f. Parenthetically, emphasizing the correctness of a statement, μαρτυρῶ I can testify (POxy 105, 13 Σαραπίων μαρτυρῶ=‘I, S., am witness’; PLond III, 1164 [f], 35 al. p. 162.—B-D-F §465, 2; Rob. 434) 2 Cor 8:3. περί τινος bear witness, testify concerning someone or someth. (PGrenf II, 73, 16 ὅταν ἔλθῃ σὺν θεῷ, μαρτυρήσει σοι περὶ ὧν αὐτὴν πεποιήκασιν; Jos., C. Ap. 1, 217, Vi. 259) J 1:7f, 15 (in the very likely case that μαρτυρεῖ refers to the past, cp. Caecil. Calact., Fgm. 75 p. 58, 2ff, where examples are given of the interchange of tenses: Demosth. 59, 34 τοὺς ὁρῶντας for τ. ἑωρακότας; Eur., Androm. Fgm. 145 Nauck² ὁρῶ ἀντὶ τοῦ εἶδον; Thu. 2, 35, 1 ἐπαινοῦσι ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπῄνεσαν); 2:25; 5:31, 32a, 36f, 39; 7:7; 8:13f, 18ab; 10:25; 15:26; 21:24; 1J 5:9. μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ testify to the wrong J 18:23 (μ.=furnish proof X., Symp. 8, 12). Also ἐπί τινι Hb 11:4b (on ἐπί w. dat. in this pass. s. Gen 4:4). W. dat. of thing (Jos., Ant. 12, 135; Ath. 16, 3 τῷ λόγω. Πλάτων) μ. τῇ ἀληθείᾳ bear witness to the truth J 5:33; 18:37. μ. σου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ testify to the truth of your (way of life) 3J 3; σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ vs. 6. W. dat. of pers. about whom testimony is given (Appian, Bell. Civ. 3, 73 §298; Just., D. 122, 2.—It is dat. of advantage or disadv.) Ac 10:43; 22:5; GJs 15:2; w. ptc. foll. (μ. Ἰακὼβ λέγων Did., Gen. 221, 2) θεὸς ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτοῖς δοὺς κτλ. God testified for them by giving Ac 15:8 (though αὐτοῖς can also be taken w. δούς); w. ὅτι foll. bear someone witness that J 3:28; Ro 10:2; Gal 4:15; Col 4:13. μ. ἑαυτῷ, ὅτι bear witness to oneself that Mt 23:31. The dat. can also designate the pers. who is informed or instructed by the testimony: bear witness to someone Hb 10:15; Rv 22:18.—μ. ὅτι testify that (Aelian, VH 9, 11; Did., Gen. 156, 28) J 1:34; 4:44; 12:17 v.l.; 1J 4:14. ὅτι introducing direct discourse J 4:39. μ. κατὰ τ. θεοῦ ὅτι bear witness against God by declaring that 1 Cor 15:15 (PPetr II, 21 [d], 12 [III B.C.] καθʼ οὗ μαρτυρῶ). ἐμαρτύρησεν καὶ εἶπεν w. direct discourse foll. J 13:21. μ. λέγων w. direct disc. foll. J 1:32. Of God μοι μαρτυρεῖ λέγων (Ps 89:4 follows) he testifies (of it) to me by saying 15:4. For 1 Ti 6:13 s. c below.

β. pass., be witnessed, have witness borne ὑπό τινος by someone (Philo, Leg. All. 3, 46 σοφία μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ θεοῦ; Just., D. 63, 5 Χριστὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ ταῦτα ποιήσαντος μαρτυρούμενος. Of Jesus: ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν πολλαχοῦ μεμαρτ. Orig., C. Cels. 2, 9, 30) Ro 3:21 (the witness of the law and prophets points to God’s righteousness). Foll. by ὅτι and a quot. in direct discourse Hb 7:17. μαρτυρούμενος ὅτι ζῇ one of whom it is testified that he lives vs. 8.

ⓑ to confirm bear witness to, declare, confirm, act. (Eunap., Vi. Soph. p. 76 ὁ θεὸς ἐμαρτύρησε; Iren. 2, 22, 5 [Harv I 331, 1]) τὶ someth. (Demosth. 57, 4 ἀκοήν; Aeschin. 1, 46 τἀληθῆ). ὸ̔ ἑωράκαμεν μαρτυροῦμεν J 3:11; cp. vs. 32. τὸν λόγον τ. θεοῦ Rv 1:2. ταῦτα 22:20. τινί τὶ someth. to or for someone (Dionys. Hal. 3, 67, 1; Jos., Ant. 6, 355) vs. 16. ὑμῖν τ. ζωήν 1J 1:2. The acc. is to be supplied fr. the context J 19:35; Ac 23:11. W. ptc. ἀκούσαντες μαρτυρήσωσιν they must admit that they have heard PtK 3 p. 15, 23.—μαρτυρίαν μ. bear witness, confirm, attest (Ps.-Pla., Eryx. 399b; Epict. 4, 8, 32) περί τινος concerning someone J 5:32b; 1J 5:10 (POxy 3313, 25f μαρτυρήσει σοι Σαραπᾶς περὶ τῶν ῥόδων S. will confirm to you about the roses).

ⓒ to support one’s testimony with total selfgiving, eccl. usage w. regard to martyrdom bear witness, testify, be a witness (unto death), be martyred, act. (TestAbr B 11 p. 115, 16 [Stone p. 787] Ἄβελ ὁ ἐν πρώτοις μαρτυρήσας; Mel., HE 4, 26, 3; τοῖς μαρτυρούσι τῷ χριστιανισμῷ μέχρι θανάτου Orig., C. Cels. 1, 8, 2): of Paul μαρτυρήσας ἐπὶ τῶν ἡγουμένων … εἰς τὸν ἅγιον τόπον ἐπορεύθη 1 Cl 5:7; cp. vs. 4; MPol 1:1; 19:1; 21f (Iren. 3, 3, 4 [Harv. II 12, 8]); EpilMosq 4. Prob. 1 Ti 6:13 also belongs here: Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τ. καλὴν ὁμολογίαν Christ Jesus, who made the good confession before Pontius Pilate (s. GBaldensperger, RHPR 2, 1922, 1–25; 95–117); otherwise the passage may be classed under a above.

② to affirm in a supportive manner, testify favorably, speak well (of), approve

ⓐ act. (Dio Chrys. 23 [40], 19; SIG 374, 37 [III B.C.]; POxy 930, 16) w. dat. of the pers. (Appian, Samn. 11, §2 τοῖς ὑπάτοις, Liby. 105 §495, Bell. Civ. 4, 92 §387; Aelian, VH 1, 30; Jos., Ant. 12, 134) or of the thing approved Lk 4:22 (OFearghus, ZNW 75, ’84, 60–72 [pap and ins]; JNolland, JBL 98, ’79, 219–29); J 3:26. Of God toward David Ac 13:22. μὴ ἑαυτῷ μαρτυρείτω he must not testify (favorably) concerning himself 1 Cl 38:2. W. dat. to be supplied 3J 12b. μαρτυρίᾳ, ᾗ ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτῷ ὁ δεσπότης Hs 5, 2, 6. Of the flesh ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα … μαρτυρήσῃ αὐτῇ Hs 5, 7, 1.—ὁ κύριος ὁ μαρτυρῶν ἐπὶ (which a v.l. omits; μ. ἐπί τινι as Jos., Ant. 3, 189) τῷ λόγῳ τ. χάριτος αὐτοῦ the Lord, who attested the word of his grace Ac 14:3. With συνευδοκέω Lk 11:48 v.l.

ⓑ pass., be well spoken of, be approved (Ep. 12 of Apollonius of Tyana: Philostrat. I 348, 26; Just., D. 29, 1. Exx. fr. ins in Dssm., NB 93 [BS 265], LO 69, 2 [LAE 84, 5]) ἀνὴρ μαρτυρούμενος or μεμαρτυρημένος a man of good reputation Ac 6:3; IPhld 11:1. Of OT worthies people of attested merit 1 Cl 17:1; 19:1. Of David 18:1. Of Abraham μεγάλως ἐμαρτυρήθη his merit was gloriously attested 17:2 (cp. Just., D. 11, 5 ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει μαρτυηθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ). Of the apostles 47:4. Of Paul IEph 12:2. Of church leaders 1 Cl 44:3.—Foll. by nom. and inf. Hb 11:4a; cp. vs. 5. διά τινος be praised for someth. 11:4a, 39. ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς μαρτυρούμενος well attested in good deeds 1 Ti 5:10; cp. Hb 11:2. ὑπό τινος be well spoken of by someone (M. Ant. 7, 62; SIG 799, 28; Jos., Ant. 3, 59; Just., D. 29, 3; 92, 4; New Docs 7, 233, no. 10, 10 of a benefactor) Ac 10:22; 16:2; 22:12; IPhld 5:2.—Impersonally μαρτυρεῖταί τινι ὑπό τινος a good testimony is given by someone to someone (Dionys. Hal., Thu. 8 μαρτυρεῖται τῷ ἀνδρὶ τάχα μὲν ὐπὸ πάντων φιλοσόφων; BGU 1141, 15 [14 B.C.] ὡς καὶ μαρτυρηθήσεταί σοι ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων) Δημητρίῳ μεμαρτύρηται ὑπὸ πάντων καὶ ὑπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone and from the truth itself 3J 12a.—Dg 12:6.—OMichel, Bibl. Bekennen u. Bezeugen, Ὁμολογεῖν und μαρτυρεῖν im bibl. Sprachgebr.: Evang. Theologie 2, ’35, 231–45; EBurnier, La notion de témoignage dans le NT ’39.—DELG s.v. μάρτυς. M-M. EDNT. TRE XXII 196–212. TW.