...A little more on this one. I was surprised not to find any mention of this interpretation in the reference books I have to hand, because I had been led to understand it was almost certain. But here is some of the evidence as I see it:
The same confusion underlies the translation of ("DW.T as "testimony", also used with )OHEL for the Tabernacle, and especially in Psalms 19 and 119. This word is also derived from Y(D and refers to something appointed by God, rather than to a witness or testimony.
HH: Is this something new? BDB lists eduth, (DWT, under the root (WD, "bear witness."
Well, it is newer than BDB (1906), which is wrong here.
It is generally recognised, even by BDB, that there are two senses of (DH `eda, one "testimony" and the other "congregation". It makes much more sense to relate `edut (plural: `edwot) to the latter than to the former. But I don't have time to justify this just now.
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