רִבִּי יוּדָה בֶּן פָּזִי סְלַק לְעִילִיתָא דְבֵי מִדְרָשָׁא וְרָאָה שְׁנֵי בְנֵי אָדָם נִזְקָקִין זֶה לָזֶה. אָֽמְרוּ לֵיהּ. רִבִּי. הַב דַּעְתָּךְ דְּאַתְּ חַד וַאֲנָן תְּרֵי.
Rebbi Jehudah ben Pazi went to the upper floor of the House of Study and saw two men coupling with each other. They said to him, Rebbi! Realize that you are one and we are two!
זָקַק (b. h.; cmp. זכך a. דקק)
- [to make thin, fine, clear,]
- to distil, smelt, v. Pi.
- צָרַף) to rivet, forge; to chain, to join; to bind, obligate.—Part. pass. זָקוּק, f. זְקוּקָה; pl. זְקוּקִים, זְקוּקִין, f. זְקוּקוֹת, with ל chained to, connected with, dependent on. Men. 27ᵃ העושין פירות יהיו ז׳ וכ׳ the fruit-bearing species of the festive wreath shall be combined with those which bear no fruits. Y. Ber. VI, 10ᵃ bot. כשהיו כולן ז׳ וכ׳ when they were, all of them, dependent on one loaf (for saying grace). Pesik. R. s. 43 כנגד שלש … זקוקות להן (not זקוקין) corresponding to the three laws for which, our Rabbis taught, women are made responsible (Sabb. II, 6). Y. Ab. Zar. II, 41ᵃ top ז׳ למלכות in constant intercourse with the government.—Num. R. s. 9 לשנים היא זקוקה she is responsible to two (her husband and the Lord).—Shebu. VI, 3. נכסים … זוֹקְקִין וכ׳ movable chattel binds the immovable with reference to the obligation of making oath, i.e. the two claims preferred in one suit are considered as one lawsuit, and the oath must refer to both; Y. Keth. XII, 36ᵃ bot. [read:] לזוֹקְקָן לשבועה to combine the two (as one lawsuit) with regard to the oath. Yeb. II, 5 זוֹקֵק את וכ׳ he holds his brother’s wife tied to the leviratical marriage, i.e. she cannot marry otherwise until released from him; a. fr. V. זִיקָה.
- (Nif.)נִזְקָקִ
- (cmp. זָוַג Nithpa.)
- to join, meet; to be engaged in. Gen. R. s. 20 מעולם לא נ׳ וכ׳ the Lord never engaged in communication with woman. Gen. R. s. 42; Pesik. R. s. 5; a. e. נ׳ המלך וכ׳ the king was attached to, took an interest in the affairs of the country. Sabb. 12ᵇ אין מ"ה נִזְקָקִין לו the angels do not attend to his prayers.—[
- (in a hostile sense) to attack. Gen. R. l. c. באו ברברים לִיוָּקֵק לו (Pesik. R. l. c.; Ruth R. introd., a. e. להִזְדַּוֵּוג) Barbarians came to attack him.]
- to live with; to be coupled. Ruth R. to IV, 3 ע"מ שלא אֶזָּקֵק לה with the condition that I will not live with her. Gen. R. s. 20 איני נִזְקֶקֶת וכ׳ I shall never again live with &c.—Pesik. R. s. 15; Pesik. Haḥod., p. 43ᵇ שיהא אדם נִזְקָק לביתו in order that man be attached to his house (love his wife); Yalk. Ps. 738; a. e.
(Jastrow, p.410)
They said to him, Rabbi! Keep in mine not to reveal [what you saw], since you are one witness and they will not believe you, and we are two, and could witness against you and they would kill you. Therefore, be silent.
Here the Korban HaEdah explains the motivation of the couple's statement, which makes sense in the broader context of the sugya. This is a chaotic-lawful threat! If Rabbi Jehudah ben Pazi threatened to expose them, they, being two witnesses, could testify against him in court. The sugya deals with potential abuses and limitations of the two witnesses rule in relation to capital crimes.