μαρτύρομαι
martýromai
G3143 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To call upon oneself as witness, to invoke or affirm by testimony—especially in solemn or emphatic declaration or appeal. In broader contexts, to testify solemnly, to assert something with strong personal involvement, or to appeal earnestly as if under oath. Semantic range includes: to declare on one's own authority or with personal certainty, to assert emphatically, to bear witness to, or to solemnly entreat.
Semantic Range
to solemnly call as witness, to declare emphatically, to affirm or protest earnestly, to invoke as testimony, to entreat earnestly, to testify with personal involvement
Root / Etymology
From the noun μάρτυς (martys, 'witness') and the verbal stem μαρτυρ- (martyr-), plus the middle voice ending, indicating the subject's involvement in the act of witnessing or appeal. The root is connected to testimonies and witnesses in both legal and broader rhetorical contexts of Greek usage.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical and Hellenistic Greek, μαρτύρομαι (middle voice) conveys a sense of personal involvement or appeal in the act of witnessing. Unlike the simple verb μαρτυρέω ('to bear witness' or 'give testimony'), μαρτύρομαι emphasizes the subject's personal stake—either calling on oneself or external powers as witness, or solemnly testifying with an appeal. In the Septuagint and New Testament, the verb commonly introduces strong assurances (e.g., 'I call God as witness') or emphatic exhortations, often reinforcing the truthfulness or urgency of a statement. English translations such as 'testify,' 'solemnly affirm,' or 'call to witness' only partially reflect this personal or rhetorical force; the nuance of invoking divine or personal witness may be muted or lost. The verb is often found with objects introducing what is attested (fact, claim, assurance) and can have legal, rhetorical, or personal application. In the New Testament, the term appears primarily in contexts of emphatic affirmation, sometimes with a sense approaching solemn oath or appeal to higher authority.
Translation Consistency
μαρτύρομαι primarily carries the sense of bearing witness or making a solemn, emphatic declaration. "Testify" naturally and directly captures both the witness/testimony aspect and the force of a solemn assertion or appeal, and it is the most typical and idiomatic English rendering across New Testament contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
middle voice from μάρτυς; to be adduced as a witness, i.e. (figuratively) to obtest (in affirmation or exhortation):--take to record, testify.
Root Family
μαρτύρομαι (martyromai) — bear witness, testify, call as witness, solemnly affirm
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3143-01 |
μαρτύρομαι | marturomai | V PRS MID IND 1P SG |
I testify | I solemnly testify | I solemnly testify | 3 |
G3143-02 |
μαρτυρόμενοι | marturomenoi | V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL |
charging | solemnly testifying for themselves | testifying | 1 |
G3143-03 |
μαρτυρόμενος | marturomenos | V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG |
testifying | solemnly affirming as witness | testifying | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3143-01 |
Acts 20:26 | μαρτύρομαι | marturomai | V PRS MID IND 1P SG |
I testify | I solemnly testify | I solemnly testify |
G3143-03 |
Acts 26:22 | μαρτυρόμενος | marturomenos | V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG |
testifying | solemnly affirming as witness | testifying |
G3143-01 |
Galatians 5:3 | μαρτύρομαι | marturomai | V PRS MID IND 1P SG |
I testify | I solemnly testify | I solemnly testify |
G3143-01 |
Ephesians 4:17 | μαρτύρομαι | marturomai | V PRS MID IND 1P SG |
testify | I solemnly testify | I solemnly testify |
G3143-02 |
1 Thessalonians 2:12 | μαρτυρόμενοι | marturomenoi | V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL |
charging | solemnly testifying for themselves | testifying |