Bible Dictionary · W
Witness
More than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deut 17:6; Deut 19:15). They were the first to execute the sentence on the condemned (Deut 13:9; Deut 17:7; 1 Kgs 21:13; Matt 27:1; Acts 7:57, Acts 7:58). False witnesses were liable to punishment (Deut 19:16–21). It was also an offence to refuse to bear witness (Lev 5:1).
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), by Matthew George Easton.