H5715 — עֵדוּת (ʻêdûwth)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5715
Original: עֵדוּת
Transliteration: ʻêdûwth
Pronunciation: ay-dooth
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: H5749 עוּד (ʻûwd) — to testify, bear witness (lit. to repeat/reiterate); also cognate with H5707 עֵד (ʻêd, "witness") and H5713 עֵדָה (ʻêdâh, alternate testimony form)
Occurrences: 57 unique verses (66 tokens) in OT
Books: 11 (Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, Psalms, Joshua, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles, Nehemiah, Jeremiah)
First Occurrence: Exo 16:34 — "Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Feminine of H5707; testimony; specifically the covenant document deposited before God — testimony, witness.

(Full form: from root H5749 עוּד — to repeat, protest, bear witness; H5715 is the abstract noun form, referring to the formal testimony itself rather than the person who testifies.)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
(of) the testimony	35	61.4%
(of) testimony	7	12.3%
(of/unto) witness	5	8.8%
thy/his/Thy testimonies	11	19.3%

Predominantly rendered "testimony" in Exodus–Numbers (cultic context) and "testimonies" in Psalms (devotional context).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Exodus	20	1.6
Numbers	11	0.9
Psalms	13	0.5
2 Kings	3	0.4
2 Chronicles	3	0.4
Leviticus	2	0.2
Joshua	1	0.2
Nehemiah	1	0.2
1 Kings	1	0.1
1 Chronicles	1	0.1
Jeremiah	1	0.1

Heavily concentrated in Exodus and Numbers — the Sinai legislation and wilderness tabernacle texts. Psalms usage is entirely in Psalm 19 and the great Torah Psalm 119 (plus Ps 78, 81, 122). Absent from the Prophets (except one verse in Jeremiah).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Tables of Testimony (Stone Tablets as Covenant Document)¶

The stone tablets Moses received on Sinai are called "tables of testimony" — God's written witness to Israel. - Exo 31:18 — "two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, tables of stone, written with the finger of God" - Exo 32:15 — "the two tables of the testimony [were] in his hand: the tables [were] written on both their sides" - Exo 34:29 — "Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand"

2. Ark of the Testimony (Chest Housing the Tablets)¶

The ark is named for its contents — the testimony documents placed inside it. - Exo 25:16 — "thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee" - Exo 25:22 — "I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat... upon the ark of the testimony" - Josh 4:16 — "Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan"

3. Tabernacle/Tent of Testimony (Sanctuary Named for Housed Testimony)¶

The entire dwelling is designated "tabernacle of testimony" — identified by the document it shelters. - Num 1:50 — "thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof" - Num 9:15 — "the cloud covered the tabernacle, [namely], the tent of the testimony" - Num 17:7 — "Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness"

4. Testimony as Royal Covenant Document (Given at Coronation)¶

When a king is crowned, the testimony (the written covenant) is placed in his hand as his governing charter. - 2Ki 11:12 — "he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and [gave him] the testimony; and they made him king" - 2Chr 23:11 — "they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and [gave him] the testimony" - Ps 78:5 — "he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers"

5. God's Testimonies as Precepts (Devotional / Torah Usage)¶

In Psalms the plural "thy testimonies" functions as a synonym for God's commandments and statutes — the full body of revealed instruction. - Ps 19:7 — "the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple" - Ps 119:14 — "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as [much as] in all riches" - Ps 119:111 — "Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they [are] the rejoicing of my heart" - Ps 122:4 — "the tribes go up... unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occ	Typical Pattern
אָרוֹן (ʼârôwn, ark)	H727	16x	"ark of the testimony" — chest named for contents
יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh)	H3068	16x	"the testimony of the LORD" — divine possession of the document
פָּנִים (pânîym, before/face)	H6440	15x	"before the testimony" — location relative to the ark
נָתַן (nâthan, put/give)	H5414	13x	"put the testimony into the ark" — act of deposit
אֹהֶל (ʼôhel, tent)	H168	12x	"tent of the testimony" — tabernacle title
מֹשֶׁה (Môsheh, Moses)	H4872	12x	Moses as agent of receiving and placing the testimony
כַּפֹּרֶת (kappôreth, mercy seat)	H3727	9x	"ark of the testimony… mercy seat thereupon" — the ark's furniture
מוֹעֵד (môwʻêd, appointed time/meeting)	H4150	7x	"tabernacle of the congregation/testimony" — overlapping sanctuary names
מִשְׁכָּן (mishkân, dwelling/tabernacle)	H4908	7x	"tabernacle of testimony" — the dwelling identified by its witness document
פֹּרֶכֶת (pôreketh, veil)	H6532	7x	"veil before the testimony" — the veil separating Holy of Holies

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5749 עוּד (ʻûwd) — root verb: to testify, bear witness, solemnly protest (lit. to repeat/reiterate); 45 occurrences
H5707 עֵד (ʻêd) — masculine noun: a witness, the person who testifies; 69 occurrences
H5713 עֵדָה (ʻêdâh) — alternate feminine noun form: testimony, witness; 26 occurrences (see below)

Synonyms¶

בְּרִית (H1285)
חֹק (H2706)
מִצְוָה (H4687)
מִשְׁפָּט (H4941)
פִּקּוּדִים (H6490)
תֹורָה

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py.

Semantic Domains¶

[002003003016] Laws — Other words: אֲמָנָה (H548), אֲמָנָה (H549), אֱסָר (A633), גְּזֵרָה (A1510), גְּזֵרָה (H1509), דָּת (A1882)
[001002008001014] Scrolls — Other words: אִגְּרָה (A104), אִגֶּרֶת (H107), גִּלָּיֹון (H1549), דָּבָר (H1697), דִּכְרֹון (A1799), דָּכְרָן (A1799)
[002004001009006] Sing — Other words: בַּת (A1325), בַּת (H1323), בַּת (H1324), גִּתִּית (H1665), זָמִיר (H2158), זָמִיר (H2159)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
עֵדָה (ʻêdâh)	H5713	both → "testimonies"	H5713 appears mostly in Deuteronomy and the same Psalms 119 stanzas; H5715 is the dominant form in the Pentateuch cult texts (Exodus/Numbers) and has the stronger association with the physical ark and tabernacle
עֵד (ʻêd)	H5707	both → "witness"	H5707 refers to a person as witness (legal witness, God as witness); H5715 refers to the testimony document/artifact itself
מַרְתֵּסְ (μαρτύριον)	G3142	both → "testimony"	LXX bridge word; G3142 preserves both the cultic (tabernacle/ark) and the general witness sense of H5715 in NT usage

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
μαρτύριον (martyrion)	G3142	53	6.50	Primary equivalent — testimony as evidence/covenant document
σκηνή (skēnē)	G4633	18	4.47	"tent/tabernacle" — the LXX renders the compound "tabernacle of testimony" with σκηνή
κιβωτός (kibōtos)	G2787	15	5.02	"ark" — "ark of the testimony" compounds
καταπέτασμα (katapetasma)	G2665	9	6.88	"veil" — "veil before the testimony" contexts
ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion)	G2435	5	6.66	"mercy seat" — mercy seat above the ark of testimony

The multiple Greek renderings reflect syntactic context: when ʻêdûwth appears as a genitive modifier ("of testimony"), the LXX often renders the head noun (ark, tabernacle, veil) rather than the testimony word itself.