Ellen G. White and Her Critics

The Word “Testimony” in the Bible

As we look at the word “testimony” as used in the Sacred Scriptures, and examine the words in the original language which have been translated “testimony,” “witness,” “to bear testimony or witness,” in the Authorized Version, we shall find that they have several meanings. Mention might be made of the following: EGWC 548.2

1. The ten-commandment law. (Exodus 31:18; Revelation 15:5.) It is applied this way in both the Old and the New Testament. In the Scriptures we read of the tables of the testimony, the ark of the testimony, the tabernacle of the testimony, the veil of the testimony—the “testimony” itself being the law of God as written on the two tables of stone. EGWC 548.3

2. The law of Moses other than the ten-commandment law. This thought is emphasized in 2 Kings 23:3 and also Nehemiah 9:34 and other scriptures. There we read of “his commandments and his testimonies.” EGWC 548.4

3. The legal witness for or against another. (Deuteronomy 19:16, 18.) The witness borne in court is called the testimony, and the person who bears such witness is said to testify. Furthermore, we read, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” 2 Corinthians 13:1. EGWC 548.5

4. The testimony borne concerning another. In this sense it is used frequently in both Testaments. One might think of such texts as John 5:39, where we read that the Scriptures “testify of me,” or John 15:27, where Jesus speaks of the disciples and says they “also shall bear witness.” EGWC 548.6

5. The testimony borne by the individual himself. It is used with this meaning quite frequently. One might meditate on John 5:31, where definite reference is made to the witness borne by Christ Himself, both by word and by life. EGWC 548.7

6. The messages of the prophets. In the Old Testament days the messages conveyed by God’s servants, the prophets, to His people Israel were called testimonies. In bearing such testimonies the prophets are said to have “testified against them.” (2 Kings 17:15; Nehemiah 9:26.) EGWC 548.8

This is referred to also in New Testament days. The apostle Peter, referring to the work of the prophets before the advent of the Saviour, mentions concerning the witness of the Spirit borne through the prophets when it “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:11. This is in full accord with the declaration of the same apostle when preaching before Cornelius and his household, when he declared that “to him give all the prophets witness.” Acts 10:43. EGWC 549.1

A still further reference is found in the Apocalypse in the passage already referred to, where the apostle John, using the expression “testimony of Jesus,” clearly and definitely defines this to be “the spirit of prophecy.” EGWC 549.2

Hence, in the foregoing classification giving references to the varied meanings of this word, it will be observed that in both the Old and the New Testament one of the meanings makes definite reference to the specific messages that come through God’s servants, the prophets, to His people. EGWC 549.3