I called heaven to witness for my innocence.

[Tae-Bbong-E]

Is this idiomatic sentence? and is it grammatically possible?
Actually one of my native friends told me this.

I called heaven to witness for my innocence.


However, I googled it, there are only results like theses.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you.
I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make.
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf...hUKEwip8Yu6n_LuAhUUAZ0JHWe6DZUQ4dUDCA0&uact=5

 

[tedmc]

The sentence is not grammatical and does not make sense.
How do you "call heaven"? I don't think heaven can witness anything.
Maybe you mean someone wants to swear by heaven for his innocence.

 

[Tarheel]

Is this sentence idiomatic? And is it grammatically possible?

I'm not sure what that means.

Actually one of my native friends said this to me.

I called heaven to witness for my innocence.


However, I googled it, there are only results like these.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you.
I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make.
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf...hUKEwip8Yu6n_LuAhUUAZ0JHWe6DZUQ4dUDCA0&uact=5

 

[Phaedrus]

Is this idiomatic sentence? and is it grammatically possible?
Actually one of my native friends told me this.

I called heaven to witness for my innocence.

I'd find this more natural:

With heaven as my witness, I professed my innocence.

Perhaps the speaker said:

"As heaven is my witness, I am innocent."

 

[emsr2d2]

The best I can do to make the original grammatical would be "I called on heaven to bear witness to my innocence". I suppose it's a variation on "I swear to god that I'm innocent". Bear in mind that no native speaker in the 21st century would utter the first sentence.

 

[Tdol]

Samuel Beckett said that God was the worst witness possible to call on, given his silence.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . I called heaven to witness for my innocence. . . .

My gosh! Where did you find it? ALWAYS tell us the source of sentences you're asking about. It saves a lot of confusion.

We do use the common fixed phrase "as God is my witness." That's the only natural, conversational expression that comes close.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I'd find this more natural:

With heaven as my witness, I professed my innocence.

Perhaps the speaker said:

"As heaven is my witness, I am innocent."

They're natural in a Jane Austin novel, anyway. I doubt anyone in this century would use them.

 

[jutfrank]

I don't really understand what this question is trying to ask. Are you really saying one of your friends said it? Why? What was the context?

The passage from Deuteronomy (KJV), from which your sentence is apparently 'inspired' is this:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it

 

[emsr2d2]

Jane Austen

emsr2d2