SG Heritage Dictionary

Matter [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is thrown our of discharged in a tumor, boil or abscess; pus; purulent substance collected in an abscess, the effect of suppuration more or less perfect; as digested matter; sanious matter

2. Body; substance extended; that which is visible or tangible; as earth, wood, stone, air, vapor, water.

3. In a more general and philosophic sense, the substance of which all bodies are composed; the substratum of sensible qualities, though the parts composing the substratum may not be visible or tangible.

4. Matter is usually divided by philosophical writers into four kinds or classes; solid, liquid; aeriform, and imponderable. Solid substances are those whose parts firmly cohere and resist impression, as wood or stone; liquids have free motion among their parts, and easily yield to impression, as water and wine. Aeriform substances are elastic fluids, called vapors and gases, as air and oxygen gas. The imponderable substances are destitute of weight, as light, caloric, electricity, and magnetism.

5. Subject; thing treated; that about which we write or speak; that which employs thought or excites emotion; as, this is matter of praise, of gratitude, or of astonishment.

6. Son of God, Savior of men, thy name

7. Shall be the copious matter of my song.

8. The very thing supposed or intended.

9. He grants the deluge to have come so very near the matter that few escaped.

10. Affair; business; event; thing; course of things. Matters have succeeded well thus far; observe how matters stand; thus the matter rests at present; thus the matter ended.

11. To help the matter the alchimists call in many vanities from astrology.

12. Some young female seems to have carried matters so far, that she is ripe for asking advice.

13. Cause of any event, as of any disturbance, of a disease, or of a difficulty. When a moving machine stops suddenly, we ask, what is the matter? When a person is ill, we ask, what is the matter? When a tumult or quarrel takes place, we ask, what is the matter?

14. Subject of complaint; suit; demand.

15. If the matter should be tried by duel between two champions--

16. Every great matter they shall bring to thee, but every small matter they shall judge-- Exodus 18:16 .

17. Import; consequence; importance; moment.

18. A prophet some, and some a poet cry,

19. No matter which, so neither of them lie.

20. Space of time; a portion of distance.

21. I have thoughts to tarry a small matter

22. Away he goes, a matter of seven miles--

23. [In these last senses, the use of matter is now vulgar.]

24. Upon the matter considering the whole; taking all things into view. This phrase is now obsolete; but in lieu of it, we sometimes use, upon the whole matter

25. Waller, with Sir William Balfour, exceeded in horse, but were, upon the whole matter equal in foot.

26. Matter of record, that which is recorded, or which may be proved by record.

Matter [Verb intransitive] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. To be of importance; to import; used with it, this, that, or what. This matters not; that matters not; chiefly used in negative phrases; as, what matters it?

2. It matters not how they are called, so we know who they are.

3. To maturate; to form pus; to collect, as matter in an abscess.

4. Each slight sore mattereth. [Little used.]

5. [We now use maturate.]

Matter [Verb transitive] Webster's Dictionary 1828

To regard. [Not used.]

Matter [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. That of which anything is composed; constituent substance; material; the material or substantial part of anything; the constituent elements of conception; that into which a notion may be analyzed; the essence; the pith; the embodiment.

2. That of which the sensible universe and all existent bodies are composed; anything which has extension, occupies space, or is perceptible by the senses; body; substance.

3. That with regard to, or about which, anything takes place or is done; the thing aimed at, treated of, or treated; subject of action, discussion, consideration, feeling, complaint, legal action, or the like; theme.

4. That which one has to treat, or with which one has to do; concern; affair; business.

5. Affair worthy of account; thing of consequence; importance; significance; moment; -- chiefly in the phrases what matter ? no matter, and the like.

6. Inducing cause or occasion, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing; difficulty; trouble.

7. Amount; quantity; portion; space; -- often indefinite.

8. Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is thrown out or discharged in a tumor, boil, or abscess; pus; purulent substance.

9. That which is permanent, or is supposed to be given, and in or upon which changes are effected by psychological or physical processes and relations; -- opposed to form.

10. Written manuscript, or anything to be set in type; copy; also, type set up and ready to be used, or which has been used, in printing.

Matter [Verb intransitive] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. To be of importance; to import; to signify.

2. To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate.

Matter [Verb transitive] Webster's Dictionary 1913

To regard as important; to take account of; to care for.

Matter Encyclopedia Britannica

MATTER, Properties of. If we knew thoroughly the nature of any piece of matter, the deduction of its properties would be a question of mere reasoning, just as (for instance) the definition of a circle really involves all the properties which mathematical methods have deduced from it. But, as we do not even know what matter is, in the abstract, the converse operation is (at least for the present) the natural and necessary one. We must endeavour from the experimentally ascertained properties of matter to discover what it is. The reader will find the limits of our present knowledge in the article Atom. The properties of matter may be arranged in several classes, thus :—

1. Properties of matter in itself; such as Inertia, Hardness, Brittleness, Elasticity (7.v.), Density, Compressibility, Viscosity, <fcc. These depend upon its ultimate structure and upon the law and intensity of the so-called molecular forces. See Atom, Constitution of Bodies, Attraction.

2. Relative properties of different kinds of matter, chemical, catalytic, <fcc. See Capillary Action, Chemistry, Diffusion, &c.

3. Properties relative to different forms of energy :— Conductivity (Thermal and Electric), Specific Gravity, Specific and Latent Heat, Transparency, Colour, Specific Inductive Capacity, Radiating and Absorbing Power, Magnetic Retentiveness, &c., Thermo-electric Position, Refractive Index, Reflective Power, Double Refraction, Rotatory Polarization, &c. These will be found mainly under the heads Electricity, Heat, Light, Magnetism, <tc.

9th ed. Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 15, p. 633
[228 words — estimated reading time: 2 minutes]

Matter-of-fact [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

Adhering to facts; not turning aside from absolute realities; not fanciful or imaginative; commonplace; dry.

Mattered [Imperfect tense and past participle] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Matter

Mattering [Present participle and verbal noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Matter

Matterless [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Void of matter.

Matterless [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. Not being, or having, matter; as, matterless spirits.

2. Unimportant; immaterial.

Mattery [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Purulent; generating pus; as a mattery cough.

Mattery [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. Generating or containing pus; purulent.

2. Full of substance or matter; important.

Substantiality Roget’s Thesaurus §3

N. substantiality, hypostasis, person, being, thing, object, article, item, something, a being, an existence, creature, body, substance, flesh and blood, stuff, substratum, matter, corporeity, element, essential nature, groundwork, materiality, substantialness, vital part, [Totality of existences], world, plenum

Adj. substantive, substantial, hypostatic, personal, bodily, tangible, corporeal

Adv. substantially, bodily, essentially

Eventuality Roget’s Thesaurus §151

N. eventuality, event, occurrence, incident, affair, matter, thing, episode, happening, proceeding, contingency, juncture, experience, fact, matter of fact, naked fact, bare facts, just the facts, phenomenon, advent, business, concern, transaction, dealing, proceeding, circumstance, particular, casualty, accident, adventure, passage, crisis, pass, emergency, contingency, consequence, opportunity (occasion) 143, the world, life, things, doings, affairs in general, things in general, affairs in general, the times, state of affairs, order of the day, course of things, tide of things, stream of things, current of things, run of things, march of things, course of events, ups and downs of life, vicissitudes of life, chapter of accidents, situation

V. happen, occur, take place, take effect, come, become of, come off, comeabout, come round, come into existence, come forth, come to pass, come on, pass, present itself, fall, fall out, turn out, run, be on foot, fall in, befall, betide, bechance, prove, eventuate, draw on, turn up, crop up, spring up, pop up, arise, show up, show its face, appear, come forth, cast up, supervene, survene, issue, arrive, ensue, arise, start, hold, take its course, pass off, meet with, experience, enjoy, encounter, undergo, suffer, pass through, go through, be subjected to, be exposed to, fall to the lot of, be one's chance, be one's fortune, be one's lot, find, endure

Adj. happening, going on, doing, current, in the wind, in the air, afloat, on foot, afoot, on the tapis, at issue, in question, incidental, eventful, stirring, bustling, full of incident, memorable, momentous, signal

Adv. eventually, in the event of, in case, just in case, in the course of things, as things, times go, as the world goes, wags, as the tree falls, cat jumps, as it may turn out, happen

Phr. that's the way the ball bounces, that's the way the cookie crumbles, you never know what may turn up, you never know what the future will bring, the plot thickens, "breasts the blows of circumstance", "so runs round of life from hour to hour" "sprinkled along the waste of years", future events

MATERIALITY Roget’s Thesaurus §316

N. materiality, materialness, corporeity, corporality, substantiality, substantialness, flesh and blood, plenum, physical condition, matter, body, substance, brute matter, stuff, element, principle, parenchyma, material, substratum, hyle, corpus, pabulum, frame, object, article, thing, something, still life, stocks and stones, materials, physics, somatology, somatics, natural philosophy, experimental philosophy, physicism, physical science, philosophie positive, materialism, materialist, physicist, somatism, somatist

Adj. material, bodily, corporeal, corporal, physical, somatic, somatoscopic, sensible, tangible, ponderable, palpable, substantial, objective, impersonal, nonsubjective, neuter, unspiritual, materialistic

Subject of thought, νοήματα Topic. N Roget’s Thesaurus §454

N. subject of—, material for thought, food for the mind, mental pabulum, subject, subject matter, matter, theme, νοήματα, topic, what it is about, thesis, text, business, affair, matter in hand, argument, motion, resolution, head, chapter, case, point, proposition, theorem, field of inquiry, moot point, problem

V. float in the mind, pass in the mind

Adj. thought of, uppermost in the mind, in petto

Adv. under consideration, in question, in the mind, on foot, on the carpet, on the docket, on the tapis, relative to

Meaning Roget’s Thesaurus §516

N. meaning, signification, significance, sense, expression, import, purport, force, drift, tenor, spirit, bearing, coloring, scope, substance, gist, essence, marrow, spirit, matter, subject, subject matter, argument, text, sum and substance, general meaning, broad meaning, substantial meaning, colloquial meaning, literal meaning, plain meaning, simple meaning, natural meaning, unstrained meaning, true meaning, honest meaning, prima facie meaning, letter of the law, literally, after acceptation, synonym, implication, allusion, suggestion, figure of speech, acceptation

V. mean, signify, express, import, purport, convey, imply, breathe, indicate, bespeak, bear a sense, tell of, speak of, touch on, point to, allude to, drive at, involve, declare, understand by

Adj. meaning, expressive, suggestive, allusive, significant, significative, significatory, pithy, full of meaning, pregnant with meaning, declaratory, intelligible, literal, synonymous, tantamount, implied, explicit

Adv. to that effect, that is to say

Printing Roget’s Thesaurus §591

N. printing, block printing, type- printing, plate printing, the press, composition, print, letterpress, text, context, note, page, column, typography, stereotype, electrotype, aprotype, type, black letter, font, fount, pi, pie, capitals, brevier, bourgeois, pica &c. boldface, capitals, caps, catchword, composing-frame, composing room, composing rule, composing stand, composing stick, italics, justification, linotype, live matter, logotype, lower case, upper case, make-up, matrix, matter, monotype, point system: 4-1/2, 5, 5-1/2, 6, 7, 8 point, etc, press room, press work, reglet, roman, running head, running title, scale, serif, shank, sheet work, shoulder, signature, slug, underlay, folio, copy, impression, pull, proof, revise, author's proof, galley proof, press proof, press revise, printer, compositor, reader, printer's devil copyholder

V. print, compose, put to press, go to press, pass through the press, see through the press, publish, bring out, appear in print, rush into print, distribute, makeup, mortise, offset, overrun, rout

Adj. printed, in type, typographical, solid in galleys

Business Roget’s Thesaurus §625

N. business, occupation, employment, pursuit, what one is doing, what one is about, affair, concern, matter, case, matter in hand, irons in the fire, thing to do, agendum, task, work, job, chore, errand, commission, mission, charge, care, duty, part, role, cue, province, function, lookout, department, capacity, sphere, orb, field, line, walk, walk of life, beat, round, routine, race, career, office, place, post, chargeship, incumbency, living, situation, berth, employ, service, engagement, undertaking, vocation, calling, profession, cloth, faculty, industry, art, industrial arts, craft, mystery, handicraft, trade, exercise, work, avocation, press of business

V. pass one's time in, employ one's time in, spend one's time in, employ oneself in, employ oneself upon, occupy oneself with, concern oneself with, make it one's business, undertake, enter a profession, betake oneself to, turn one's hand to, have to do with, office, place, post, chargeship, incumbency, living, situation, berth, employ, service, engagement, undertaking, drive a trade, carry on a trade, do a trade, transact a trade, carry on business, do business, transact business, keep a shop, ply one's task, ply one's trade, labor in one's vocation, pursue the even tenor of one's way, attend to business, attend to one's work, officiate, serve, act, act one's part, play one's part, do duty, serve the office of, discharge the office of, perform the office of, perform the duties of, perform the functions of, hold an office, fill an office, fill a place, fill a situation, hold a portfolio, hold a place, hold a situation, be about, be doing, be engaged in, be employed in, be occupied with, be at work on, have one's hands in, have in hand, have on one's hands, have on one's shoulders, bear the burden, have one's hands full, be in the hands of, be on the stocks, be on the anvil, pass through one's hands

Adj. businesslike, phr, workaday, "a business with an income at its heels", professional, amoto quaeramus seria ludo, official, par negotiis neque supra, functional, busy, on hand, in hand, in one's hands, afoot, on foot, on the anvil, going on, acting

Adv. in the course of business, all in one's day's work, professionally &c

Importance Roget’s Thesaurus §642

N. importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, "the be all and the end all", cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, "it"

V. be important, be somebody, be something, import, signify, matter, boot, be an object, carry weight, make a figure, be in the ascendant, come to the front, lead the way, take the lead, play first fiddle, throw all else into the shade, lie at the root of, deserve notice, merit notice, be worthy of notice, be worthy of regard, be worthy of consideration, attach importance to, ascribe importance to, give importance to, value, care for, set store upon, set store by, mark, mark with a white stone, underline, write in italics, put in italics, print in italics, print in capitals, print in large letters, put in large type, put in letters, of gold, accentuate, emphasize, lay stress on, make a fuss about, make a fuss over, make a stir about, make a piece of work about, make much ado about, make much ado of, make much of

Adj. important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital &c. importance, in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti

Adv. materially, in the main, above all, κατ’ ἐξοχήν, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all

Phr. expende hannibalem, [Lat] [Juvenal]

Uncleanness Roget’s Thesaurus §653

N. uncleanness, impurity, immundity, immundicity, impurity, defilement, contamination, defoedation|, soilure, soiliness|, abomination, leaven, taint, tainture|, fetor, decay, putrescence, putrefaction, corruption, mold, must, mildew, dry rot, mucor, rubigo|, slovenry, slovenliness &c

V. be unclean, become unclean, rot, putrefy, ferment, fester, rankle, reek, stink, mold, molder, go bad, render unclean, dirt, dirty, daub, blot, blur, smudge, smutch, soil, smoke, tarnish, slaver, spot, smear, smirch, begrease, dabble, drabble, draggle, daggle, spatter, slubber, besmear &c, bemire, beslime, begrime, befoul, splash, stain, distain, maculate, sully, pollute, defile, debase, contaminate, taint, leaven, corrupt, cover with dust, drabble in the mud, roil, wallow in the mire, slobber, slabber

Adj. dirty, squalor, filthy, dowdy, grimy, drab, unclean, slut, impure, malkin, soiled, slattern, not to be handled with kid gloves, sloven, dusty, slammerkin|, snuffy, slammock, smutty, slummock, sooty, scrub, smoky, draggle-tail, thick, mudlark, turbid, dust- man, dreggy, sweep, slimy, beast, mussy, dirt, slovenly, filth, untidy, soil, messy, slop, uncleanly, dust, unkempt, cobweb, sluttish, flue, dowdy, smoke, draggle-tailed, soot, uncombed, smudge, unscoured, smut, unswept, grit, unwiped, grime, unwashed, raff, unstrained, sossle, unpurified, sozzle, squalid, sordes, lutose, dregs, slammocky, grounds, slummocky, lees, sozzly, argol, nasty, sediment, coarse, settlement heeltap, foul, dross, offensive, drossiness, abominable, mother|, beastly, precipitate, reeky, scoriae, reechy, ashes, fetid, cinders, decayed, recrement, moldy, slag, musty, scum, mildewed, froth, rusty, hogwash, moth-eaten, ditchwater, mucid, dishwater, rancid, bilgewater, weak, rinsings, bad, cheeseparings, gone bad, sweepings, etercoral, offscourings, lentiginous, outscourings, touched, off scum, fusty, caput mortuum, effete, residuum, reasty, sprue, rotten, fecula, corrupt, clinker, tainted, draff, high, scurf, flyblown, scurfiness, maggoty, exuviae, putrid, morphea, putrefactive, fur, putrescent, furfur, putrefied, dandruff, saprogenic, tartar, saprogenous, riffraff, purulent, vermin, carious, louse, peccant, flea, fecal, bug, feculent, chinch, stercoraceous, mud, excrementitious, mire, scurfy, quagmire, scurvy, alluvium, impetiginous, silt, gory, sludge, bloody, slime, rotting, slush, rotten as a pear, slosh, rotten as cheese, sposh, crapulous, spawn, gross, offal, fimetarious, gurry, fimicolous, lientery, garbage, carrion, excreta, slough, peccant humor, pus, matter, suppuration, lienteria, faeces, feces, excrement, ordure, dung, crap, shit, sewage, sewerage, muck, coprolite, guano, manure, compost, dunghill, colluvies, mixen, midden, bog, laystall, sink, privy, jakes, toilet, john, head, cess, cesspool, sump, sough, cloaca, latrines, drain, sewer, common sewer, cloacina, dust hole, sty, pigsty, lair, den, augean stable, sink of corruption, slum, rookery

Phr. "they that touch pitch will be defiled"

King James Bible KJV Bible

Berean Standard Bible BSB Bible

140 KJV and 86 BSB verses contain “matter” — showing the first 20. Show all 195 verses (searchable)

Genesis 21:11

And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael.

Genesis 24:9

And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

Genesis 24:50

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.

Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.

Genesis 30:15

And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes.

But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

Genesis 41:32

And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly.

Exodus 2:15

Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.

Exodus 18:16

When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

“Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me to judge between one man and another, and I make known to them the statutes and laws of God.”

Exodus 18:22

And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you.

Exodus 18:26

And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.

Exodus 23:7

Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.

Exodus 24:14

And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.

And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute can go to them.”

Leviticus 4:13

And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;

Now if the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly so that they violate any of the LORD’s commandments and incur guilt by doing what is forbidden,

Leviticus 5:4

Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.

Or if someone swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do anything good or evil—in whatever matter a man may rashly pronounce an oath—even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty in the matter.

Numbers 15:12

According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number.

This is how you must prepare each one, no matter how many.

Numbers 16:49

Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of Korah.

Numbers 25:18

For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor’s sake.

For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor.”

Numbers 31:16

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 3:26

But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.

But the LORD was angry with me on account of you, and He would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the LORD said to me. “Do not speak to Me again about this matter.

Deuteronomy 17:8

If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;

If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.

Deuteronomy 19:15

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.