G3142 — μαρτύριον (martyrion)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3142
Original: μαρτύριον
Transliteration: martyrion
Pronunciation: mar-too'-ree-on
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: Derivative of G3144 (μάρτυς, martys — witness)
Occurrences: 20 in NT
First Occurrence: Matt 8:4 — "shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Neuter of a presumed derivative of G3144 (μάρτυς); something evidential, i.e. (genitive case) evidence given or (specifically) the Decalogue (in the sacred Tabernacle): — to be testified, testimony, witness.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - Domain: 33.020 — Communication: Witness, Testify - Subdomain: Witness, Testify - Other words in subdomain: ἀμάρτυρος (G267), ἐπιμαρτυρέω (G1957), καταμαρτυρέω (G2649), μαρτυρέω (G3140), μαρτυρία (G3141), μάρτυς (G3144), συμμαρτυρέω (G4828), συνεπιμαρτυρέω (G4901), ψευδομαρτυρέω (G5576)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [033] Communication

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
a testimony	9	45%
testimony	5	25%
a witness	2	10%
of witness	1	5%
the testimony	1	5%
to be testified	1	5%
witness	1	5%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1
2 Timothy	1	1.2
James	1	0.9
1 Timothy	1	0.9
1 Corinthians	2	0.5
Mark	3	0.4
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Matthew	3	0.3
Luke	3	0.3
Hebrews	1	0.3
Acts	2	0.2
Revelation	1	0.2

Concentrated in the Synoptic Gospels (9 of 20 occurrences), all three evangelists using it in parallel passages. Pauline epistles account for 6 occurrences. No occurrence in John, Petrine epistles, or most of the NT epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Priestly Confirmation after Healing¶

The healed person is sent to the priest with a gift "for a testimony to them" — the ritual act serves as public, official evidence of the healing. - Matt 8:4 — "shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them" - Mark 1:44 — "offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them" - Luke 5:14 — "offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them"

2. Public Witness Before Rulers and Nations¶

Being brought before governors and kings "for a testimony against them" or "to the Gentiles" — the persecution itself becomes a public declaration. - Matt 10:18 — "ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles" - Mark 13:9 — "in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them" - Luke 21:13 — "it shall turn to you for a testimony"

3. Missionary Declaration (Gospel Preached / Dust Shaken)¶

The gospel is the testimony proclaimed to all nations; shaking dust off the feet is a visible testimony against those who reject the message. - Matt 24:14 — "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations" - Mark 6:11 — "shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them" - Luke 9:5 — "shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them"

4. Apostolic Gospel Testimony¶

The content of apostolic proclamation — the resurrection, Christ himself, or the apostle's conduct — described as a concrete testimony. - Acts 4:33 — "with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" - 1 Cor 1:6 — "the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you" - 2 Cor 1:12 — "the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity...we have had our conversation" - 2 Thess 1:10 — "to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed)" - 2 Tim 1:8 — "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord"

5. Tabernacle of Testimony (OT Sanctuary Echo)¶

The wilderness tabernacle is called the "tabernacle of witness/testimony" — echoing the LXX rendering of the Hebrew "tent of meeting" where the ark of the testimony was kept. - Acts 7:44 — "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses" - Heb 3:5 — "Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after" - Rev 15:5 — "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened"

6. Concrete Material Witness¶

Physical objects or legal acts that stand as objective evidence — either testifying against someone or establishing legal fact. - James 5:3 — "the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh" - 1 Tim 2:6 — "Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
Μωσεύς (Moses)	G3475	5x (25%)	"as Moses commanded...for a testimony" / "tabernacle of testimony...as Moses was told"
ἱερεύς (priest)	G2409	3x (15%)	"shew thyself to the priest...for a testimony"
δεικνύω (show)	G1166	3x (15%)	"shew thyself to the priest...for a testimony"
προσφέρω (offer)	G4374	3x (15%)	"offer for thy cleansing...for a testimony"
προστάσσω (command)	G4367	3x (15%)	"those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony"
θεός (God)	G2316	3x (15%)	"testimony of God" / "testimony before God"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3140 μαρτυρέω (martyreō) — the verb: to testify, bear witness
G3141 μαρτυρία (martyria) — the act/content of testimony; witness as statement
G3144 μάρτυς (martys) — the person: a witness; later, a martyr
G5576 ψευδομαρτυρέω (pseudomartureō) — to bear false witness
G5577 ψευδομαρτυρία (pseudomartyria) — false testimony

Synonyms¶

G1242 διαθήκη (diathḗkē) — covenant, testament, arrangement
G2917 κρίμα (kríma) — judgment, decision
G1345 δικαίωμα (dikaíōma) — ordinance, righteous requirement
G3551 νόμος (nómos) — law
G1785 ἐντολή (entolḗ) — commandment
G4634 σκηνοπηγία — listed by search_relationships.py; no lexicon entry was resolved in the current DB

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G3142.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
μαρτυρία (martyria)	G3141	testimony, witness	G3141 = the act/content of testifying (the statement); G3142 = the objective evidence, the proof-thing itself
μάρτυς (martys)	G3144	witness	G3144 = the person who witnesses; G3142 = the concrete testimony/evidence they produce
עֵדוּת (eduwth)	H5715	testimony	OT counterpart; H5715 is the most direct Hebrew equivalent (especially for the ark/tabernacle "of the testimony")
עֵד (ed)	H5707	witness	H5707 = the witness-person (OT parallel to G3144); G3142 is the evidence/testimony-thing

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
עֵדוּת (eduwth)	H5715	53	6.50	Primary OT counterpart; "testimony" of the law/sanctuary
עֵדָה (edah)	H5713	24	6.52	Feminine variant; "testimony" (ark of testimony)
מוֹעֵד (moed)	H4150	138	5.97	"Tent of meeting"; LXX conflates with "tabernacle of testimony"
אֹהֶל (ohel)	H168	143	5.48	"Tent"; contextual collocate in "tent of testimony" phrase

The two strongest semantic links are H5715 (eduwth) and H5713 (edah), both meaning "testimony/witness" — the words used for the "ark of the testimony" (אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת) and "tabernacle of the testimony." The high co-occurrence with H4150 (moed) and H168 (ohel) reflects the LXX translation of אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד ("tent of meeting") as σκηνὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου ("tabernacle of testimony").