Lexical Summary
uwd: To bear witness, to testify, to admonish, to call to witness
Original Word:עוּד
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:`uwd
Pronunciation:ood
Phonetic Spelling:(ood)
KJV: admonish, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, call (take) to record, relieve, rob, solemnly, stand upright, testify, give warning, (bear, call to, give, take to) witness
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to duplicate or repeat
2. (by implication) to protest, testify (as by reiteration)
3. (intensively) to encompass, restore (as a sort of reduplication)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
admonish, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, call take to record, relieve, rob,
A primitive root; to duplicate or repeat; by implication, to protest, testify (as by reiteration); intensively, to encompass, restore (as a sort of reduplication) -- admonish, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, call (take) to record, relieve, rob, solemnly, stand upright, testify, give warning, (bear, call to, give, take to) witness.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] probably (Arabic
,
return, do again IV.
restore, also
say again, iterate,
habit; Ethiopic
turn about, surround,
circuit, circle; Syriac Pa`el
accustom, Ethpe`el, Aph`el
be accustomed,
usage, ceremong,
festival (Brock), whence Arabic
id., as loan-word, Frä
276; Palmyrene
usage Lzb
337 Cook
90; Late Hebrew , and especially = Biblical Hebrew, also
festival, ; compare probably Assyrian Shaph`el
uš-id, he
he solemnly affirmed Dl
HWB 32); — only intensive :
surround (compare Ethiopic),Perfect3masculine singular suffixPsalm 119:61 (comparePsalm 18:6).
,restore, relieve (compare Arabic IV.),Imperfect3masculine singular , with accusative of personPsalm 146:9 ("" , opposed to ),Psalm 147:6 (opposed to ).
be restored, Imperfect1pluralPsalm 20:9 ( + , opposed to ; .
[] (Gerber42f.) ; —
Imperfect1singular suffixLamentations 2:13 Kt; <
Qr Bu.
Perfect3masculine singular2 Kings 17:15;Malachi 2:14;Genesis 43:3; 2masculine singularNehemiah 9:34;Exodus 19:23; 1singularDeuteronomy 4:26;Jeremiah 42:19; 3masculine pluralNehemiah 9:26, etc.;Imperfect2 Kings 17:13;Zechariah 3:6; 3feminine singular suffixJob 29:11 15t. Imperfect;Infinitive absoluteGenesis 43:3 4t.;ImperativeExodus 19:21 2t. ImperativeParticipleDeuteronomy 32:46. —
testify, bear witness, with suffix against one1 Kings 21:10,13; in favour ofJob 29:11;Lamentations 2:13 (Qr); withMalachi 2:14.
cause to testify, take as witness, with accusative of personIsaiah 8:2;Jeremiah 32:10,25,44;call as witness, invoke, with accusative +againstDeuteronomy 4:26;Deuteronomy 30:19;Deuteronomy 31:28.
protest, affirm solemnly, warn: subject men, absoluteJeremiah 6:10;Nehemiah 13:15; with personGenesis 43:3 (twice in verse) (J)Exodus 19:21 (E)1 Samuel 8:9 (twice in verse);1 Kings 2:42; 2Chronicles 24:19;Nehemiah 9:26;Nehemiah 13:21;Jeremiah 42:19;Amos 3:13;exhort solemnly, admonish, charge, subject, with person,Exodus 19:23 (J)Deuteronomy 8:19;2 Kings 17:13;Nehemiah 9:29,30;Jeremiah 11:7 (3 t. in verse);Zechariah 3:6;Psalm 50:7;Psalm 81:9;enjoin solemnly, with person + accusative of thing2 Kings 17:15;Nehemiah 9:34,Deuteronomy 32:46.
Perfect3masculine singular consecutiveExodus 21:29 (E) impersonaland protest be entered, with person
Topical Lexicon
Central Idea: Bearing Witness and Repeated AdmonitionStrong’s עוּד is consistently employed for the solemn act of testifying, warning, or causing another to bear witness. Whether spoken by the Lord, by His servants, or by leaders of Israel, the verb frames moments when hearers are placed under covenant accountability. Its distributions cluster at key historical junctures, underscoring Scripture’s unified theme that revelation brings responsibility.
Covenant Foundations in the Torah
In Deuteronomy the term appears at turning-point addresses that seal Israel’s relationship with the Lord before entry into Canaan. Moses twice “calls heaven and earth to witness” (Deuteronomy 4:26; 30:19), invoking the permanence of creation as courtroom observers to the nation’s obedience or rebellion. The same formula re-emerges when Moses gathers tribal elders at the close of his ministry: “Assemble before me… so that I may… call heaven and earth to witness against them” (Deuteronomy 31:28). Immediately afterward, Moses charges the people to “take to heart all the words I testify among you this day” (Deuteronomy 32:46). Thus the Torah employs עוּד to knit law, oath, and consequence into a single covenant fabric.
Conquest and Settlement: Shechem’s Public Testimony
At the covenant-renewal ceremony inJoshua 24, the verb transitions from divine speech to human response. Joshua challenges the tribes: “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD to serve Him” (Joshua 24:22). The people’s reply, “We are witnesses,” shows עוּד functioning as self-incrimination should apostasy follow. The stone set up beneath the terebinth “has heard all the words the LORD spoke” (Joshua 24:27), extending the concept of witness from heaven and earth to a physical monument within the land.
Early Monarchy: Judicial Integrity and Prophetic Confrontation
Samuel models righteous leadership by surrendering his reputation to public scrutiny: “The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day” (1 Samuel 12:5). David later employs the verb in a legal sense when he confronts the Amalekite who claimed to kill Saul: “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth testified against you” (2 Samuel 1:16). These scenes display עוּד as a safeguard of justice; the spoken word binds the speaker before God and community.
Poetic and Wisdom Literature: Personal and Corporate Admonition
Psalm 50:7 places the Lord in the witness stand: “Hear, O My people, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.”Psalm 81:8 echoes the same covenant plea. Job employs the verb in lament—“Your witnesses renew themselves against me” (Job 10:17)—portraying suffering as an ever-mounting indictment that only divine vindication can answer. Together, Psalms and Job reveal that עוּד can express both righteous rebuke and the anguished sense of being wrongfully accused.
Pre-Exilic Prophets: Persistent Warnings
When idolatry hardens Israel and Judah, עוּד articulates the Lord’s longsuffering persistence. “Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah” (2 Kings 17:13). Jeremiah echoes, “I solemnly warned your fathers…and warned them again and again” (Jeremiah 11:7). The verb’s iterative force (“again and again”) shows that prophetic ministry is not a single pronouncement but a sustained call to repentance.
Post-Exilic Community: Renewed Accountability
After exile, Nehemiah recounts Israel’s history: “You warned them to turn back to Your law, but they became arrogant” (Nehemiah 9:29). The restored remnant recognizes that previous generations fell under repeated testimony; their survival depends on heeding it. Thus עוּד bridges pre- and post-exilic eras, affirming the continuity of divine claims on His people.
Theological Themes
1. Covenant Accountability: Testimony establishes legal grounds for blessings or curses, highlighting God’s justice.
2. Cosmic Witness: Heaven, earth, stones, and even enemies can serve as impartial observers, demonstrating that no act escapes the Creator’s notice.
3. Prophetic Responsibility: Those entrusted with God’s word must “warn” (Jeremiah 11:7), modeling faithful proclamation irrespective of audience response.
4. Personal Testimony: Human speech can either vindicate (1 Samuel 12:5) or condemn (2 Samuel 1:16), reflecting Jesus’ later teaching that “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).
Ministry Implications
• Preaching and Teaching: The verb encourages pastors to deliver the whole counsel of God, not merely informative lectures but covenantal warnings that aim for transformation.
• Discipleship: Believers are called to mutual admonition—“admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16)—a New Testament echo of עוּד’s corporate dimension.
• Evangelism: God’s servants “testify to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24). The Old Testament pattern validates bearing witness as both privilege and solemn duty.
• Ethical Speech: Because words can stand as witnesses before God, integrity in vows, testimony, and everyday conversation is non-negotiable.
Christological Fulfillment and Forward Look
The Lord Jesus embodies the faithful and true Witness (Revelation 3:14). His life, death, and resurrection complete the pattern that עוּד sketches: perfect testimony both about God to humanity and about humanity before God. Post-Pentecost believers receive power to be His witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), carrying forward the ancient rhythm of gracious warning and covenant affirmation.
Summary
Wherever עוּד appears, Scripture binds revelation to responsibility. From Sinai to the Restoration, God raises witnesses, repeats admonitions, and records testimony so that every generation may choose life. The church today stands in that same line, charged to warn, to testify, and to trust that the Judge of all the earth will do right.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲעִידֵ֞ךְ אעידך הֵעִ֖יד הֵעִ֥ידוּ הֵעִ֨יד הֵעִד֩ הַעִדֹ֜תִי הַעִדֹ֤תִי הַעִידֹ֖תָ הַעִידֹ֥תִי הַעִידֹ֨תִי הַעִידֹתִי֩ הַעֵדֹ֤תָה הָעֵ֣ד הָעֵ֤ד הָעֵ֨ד העד העדתה העדתי העיד העידו העידת העידתי וְאָעִ֙ידָה֙ וְאָעִ֣ידָה וְהָעִ֖ידוּ וְהָעֵ֖ד וְהָעֵ֣ד וְהוּעַ֤ד וִיעִדֻ֣הוּ וַיְעִדֻהוּ֩ וַיָּ֙עַד֙ וַיָּ֣עַד וַיָּעִ֥ידוּ וַנִּתְעוֹדָֽד׃ וַתְּעִידֵֽנִי׃ וַתָּ֨עַד וָאָעִ֕יד וָאָעִ֣ידָה וָאָעִ֤ד וָאָעֵ֖ד ואעד ואעיד ואעידה והועד והעד והעידו ויעד ויעדהו ויעידו ונתעודד׃ ותעד ותעידני׃ יְעוֹדֵ֑ד יעודד מְעוֹדֵ֣ד מֵעִ֥יד מעודד מעיד עִוְּדֻ֑נִי עודני תָּעִיד֙ תעיד ‘iw·wə·ḏu·nî ‘iwwəḏunî ’ă‘îḏêḵ ’ă·‘î·ḏêḵ aiDech hā‘êḏ ha‘êḏōṯāh ha‘îḏōṯā ha‘iḏōṯî ha‘îḏōṯî ha·‘ê·ḏō·ṯāh hā·‘êḏ ha·‘î·ḏō·ṯā ha·‘i·ḏō·ṯî ha·‘î·ḏō·ṯî haEd haeDotah haiDota haidoTi hê‘iḏ hê‘îḏ hê‘îḏū hê·‘î·ḏū hê·‘iḏ hê·‘îḏ heId heIdu ivveDuni mê‘îḏ mə‘ōwḏêḏ mê·‘îḏ mə·‘ō·w·ḏêḏ meId meoDed tā‘îḏ tā·‘îḏ taId vaaEd vaaId vaaIdah vaiYaad vaiyaIdu vannitoDad vatTaad vatteiDeni vayiduHu veaIdah vehaEd vehaIdu vehuAd viiDuhu wā’ā‘êḏ wā’ā‘iḏ wā’ā‘îḏ wā’ā‘îḏāh wā·’ā·‘êḏ wā·’ā·‘î·ḏāh wā·’ā·‘iḏ wā·’ā·‘îḏ wan·niṯ·‘ō·w·ḏāḏ wanniṯ‘ōwḏāḏ wat·tā·‘aḏ wat·tə·‘î·ḏê·nî wattā‘aḏ wattə‘îḏênî way‘iḏuhū way·‘i·ḏu·hū way·yā·‘aḏ way·yā·‘î·ḏū wayyā‘aḏ wayyā‘îḏū wə’ā‘îḏāh wə·’ā·‘î·ḏāh wə·hā·‘êḏ wə·hā·‘î·ḏū wə·hū·‘aḏ wəhā‘êḏ wəhā‘îḏū wəhū‘aḏ wî‘iḏuhū wî·‘i·ḏu·hū yə‘ōwḏêḏ yə·‘ō·w·ḏêḏ yeoDed
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