If putting quotations around “witness” suddenly turns objects into witnesses I suppose that theory could stand, but I doubt it. The syntactical reading:

18 And he is saying, What is the Pledge that I am giving to-yourself? And she is saying, Your seal, and your thread, and your staff which is in your hand. And he is giving to-herself, and is coming in toward her, and she is conceiving to-himself.

RBT (Real Bible translation)

It was a thread and a staff and seal. The seal might bear “witness” but the staff and thread probably not.

The staff is from the word matteh and also means tribe (a.k.a “branch”) The other word shebet means rod and is also used for “tribe”. The purpose for the thread and seal isn’t known but worth examining closely.

If putting quotations around “witness” suddenly turns objects into witnesses I suppose that theory could stand, but I doubt it. The syntactical reading:

18 And he is saying, "What is the Pledge that I am giving to-yourself?" And she is saying, "Your seal, and your thread, and your staff which is in your hand." And he is giving to-herself, and is coming in toward her, and she is conceiving to-himself.

RBT (Real Bible translation)

It was a thread and a staff and seal. The seal might bear “witness” but the staff and thread probably not.

The staff is from the word matteh and also means tribe (a.k.a “branch”) The other word shebet means rod and is also used for “tribe”. The purpose for the thread and seal isn’t known but worth examining closely.