צָדַקtsâdaq
be just, righteous
Pronunciation: tsaw-dak' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H6663
Meanings
Qal
1. have a just cause, be in the right (Job 9:15; Job 9:20; Job 13:18)
2. be justified (Job 11:2; Job 9:2; Job 25:4)
3. be just (Psalms 51:6; Psalms 19:10)
4. be just, righteous, in conduct and character (Job 10:15; Job 15:14; Job 22:3)
Niph`al: be put right, be justified, in a right condition (Daniel 8:14)
Pi`el: justify, compare Qal 1, compare Qal 2 (Jeremiah 3:11; Ezekiel 16:51; Job 33:32)
Hiph`il
1. do justice (2 Samuel 15:4; Psalms 82:3)
2. declare righteous, justify (Deuteronomy 25:1; 1 Kings 8:32; 2 Chronicles 6:23)
3. justify, vindicate the cause of, save (Isaiah 50:8; Isaiah 53:11)
4. make righteous, turn to righteousness (Daniel 12:3; Daniel 5:26; Daniel 5:27)
Hithpa`el: justify ourselves, clear ourselves from suspicion (Genesis 44:16)
Same root
- יְהוֹצָדָקYᵉhôwtsâdâq · H3087Jehotsadak, an Israelite
- צָדוֹקTsâdôwq · H6659Tsadok, the name of eight or nine Israelites
- צַדִּיקtsaddîyq · H6662just
- צֶדֶקtsedeq · H6664the right (natural, moral or legal); also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity
- צְדָקָהtsᵉdâqâh · H6666rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity)
Where it appears
Appears 41 times in the Bible.
- Genesis 38:26 Judah recognized them immediately and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” And Judah never slept with Tamar again.
- Genesis 44:16 Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”
- Exodus 23:7 “Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.
- Deuteronomy 25:1 “Suppose two people take a dispute to court, and the judges declare that one is right and the other is wrong.
- 2 Samuel 15:4 I wish I were the judge. Then everyone could bring their cases to me for judgment, and I would give them justice!”
- 1 Kings 8:32 then hear from heaven and judge between your servants—the accuser and the accused. Punish the guilty as they deserve. Acquit the innocent because of their innocence.
See every passage
- Genesis 38:26, 44:16
- Exodus 23:7
- Deuteronomy 25:1
- 2 Samuel 15:4
- 1 Kings 8:32
- 2 Chronicles 6:23
- Job 4:17, 9:2, 9:15, 9:20, 10:15, 11:2, 13:18, 15:14, 22:3, 25:4, 27:5, 32:2, 33:12, 33:32, 34:5, 35:7, 40:8
- Psalms 19:9, 51:4, 82:3, 143:2
- Proverbs 17:15
- Isaiah 5:23, 43:9, 43:26, 45:25, 50:8, 53:11
- Jeremiah 3:11
- Ezekiel 16:51, 16:52
- Daniel 8:14, 12:3
Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).