The greek words: martys, martyria and martyreo meaning witness, testify and martyr

Witness
The Greek words are:

Martyreo (the verb, usually translated as 'to bear witness' or 'to testify')
Martyria (noun , i.e. the record)
Martys (noun, i.e. the person bearing witness)

Martys appears 34 times in the N.T. It is always translated as 'witness' in the NAS. However, in the KJV it is translated 'martyr' in the three instances where the witnessing for Christ led to persecution and death such as:

And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. Acts 22:20

Witnessing to the truth is a major theme in John's gospel, his three epistles and his book of Revelation. In fact, John's writings account for exactly one-half of all the NT occurrences of "martyr.." as shown below:

	John	1,2, & 3 John	Rev	Total John	Total NT
Martyreo	31	10	3	44	79
Martyria	14	4	8	26	37
Martys	0	0	5	5	34
Total	45	14	16	75	150

The major teachings of John in connection with 'Witness' are:

1) Jesus was sent by His Father to witness God's truth:

"Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me." John 8:17-18 [Jesus is the truth of God to which both He and the Father testify]

Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God..." Rev 3:14

2) The witness of Jesus was the capstone and fulfillment of the prophets that went before Him, most prominently at that time, John the Baptist:

There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. John 1:6-8

In addition to John the Baptist, every Old Testament prophet was a witness to the truth of the coming Messiah:

Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 1John 2: 7-8

3) The darkness of the world is unreceptive and hostile to the witness of God's truth which is like a light in a dark place:

"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." John 3:19-20

"I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father...But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:38-40

4) Believers are to carry on the Lord's work of being a witness to God's truth with the Holy Spirit as Helper:

"When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning." John 15:26-27

"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." 1John 1:1-3

5) The hostility to the truth that met the Lord will also be encountered by his faithful witnesses:

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master', If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also." John". 15:18-20

Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God. Rev. 20:4

Other N.T. applications of 'witness'

6) Believers witnessing to other believers as an encouragement to walk in God's ways of blessing:

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed 1Peter 5:1 [Peter' sets himself up as an example for fellow elders to understand what might be in store for those with the proper attitude and motivation of serving the Lord]

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Heb. 12:1 [Believers are exhorted to consider the example of those mentioned in the previous chapter as witnesses to how God's favor and power is among those who live by faith]

7) When combined with the Greek pronoun 'sym" , symmartyreo, the meaning conveys an inner witness given by God to the believer:

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!". The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. Rom. 8:15-16

I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit.

June 2010