Deuteronomy 19:15:12Deut.19.15.W12TAB
עַל־פִּ֥י שְׁלֹשָֽׁה־עֵדִ֖ים
alpi sheloshaedeem
“on the testimony of three witnesses”
- Transliteration
- al-PI she-lo-SHA-e-DEEM
- Extended
- ahl-PEE sheh-loh-SHAH-eh-DEEM
- IPA
- /ʔoː/
Meaning by language
- English
- on the testimony of three witnesses
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Tsere | long 'ey' as in they | |
| Dalet | d as in door | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
al-PI she-lo-SHA-e-DEEM
- clause
al-PI she-NEI e-DEEM O al-PI she-lo-SHA-e-DEEM ya-KUM da-VAR
- sentence
LO-ya-KUM ED e-KHAD be-ISH le-KHOL-a-VON u-le-KHOL-khat-TAT be-KHOL-KHET a-sher ye-khe-TA al-PI she-NEI e-DEEM O al-PI she-lo-SHA-e-DEEM ya-KUM da-VAR
Exegesis
The verse follows a protasis–apodosis legal structure introduced by the negative particle lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ and the verb yaqum {יָקוּם | yāqūm} ‘stand’, prohibiting claims based on a single ed echad {עֵד אֶחָד | ʿēd ʾeḥād} ‘one witness’.
The evidentiary standard is set in the construct al-pi šᵉnê ʿēdîm {עַל־פִּי שְׁנֵי־עֵדִים | ʿal-pî šᵉnê ʿēdîm} ‘by the mouth of two witnesses’, where “mouth” functions metaphorically for testimony, paralleled by šᵉlōšāh ʿēdîm {שְׁלֹשָׁה-עֵדִים | šᵉlōšāh ʿēdîm} ‘three witnesses’.
Root and etymology
ʿ-w-dʿayin–waw–dalet
“to witness”
In context — Deuteronomy 19:15
A single witness shall not stand against a person for any iniquity or for any sin, concerning any offense which he may commit; a matter shall be established by the testimony of two witnesses or by the testimony of three witnesses.
About this coordinate
Deuteronomy 19:15:12 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 12 of Deuteronomy 19:15, so the Hebrew word עַל־פִּ֥י שְׁלֹשָֽׁה־עֵדִ֖ים (alpi sheloshaedeem) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Deut.19.15.W12, which extends further down to each syllable (Deut.19.15.W12.S1) and character.