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Word

מִשְׁפָּט

mishpâṭ · H4941 · Hebrew · 422 occurrences

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Place

Meanings

  1. case, cause

    A situation where one party has a dispute with another party, and is looking for a legal ruling in which they receive what they consider to be rightfully theirs

    Examples

    Exodus 23:6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute.

    Deuteronomy 10:18 “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the stranger by giving him food and clothing.

    Deuteronomy 16:19 “You shall not distort justice, you shall not show partiality; and you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous.

  2. judgement, trial, lawsuit, verdict, sentence

    Event where a dispute between two parties is settled by a human or divine judge

    Examples

    Exodus 28:15 “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled embroiderer; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen you shall make it.

    Exodus 28:29 “So Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy Place, as a memorial before the LORD continually.

    Exodus 28:30 “And you shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.

  3. judgement

    Literally: judgement; hence: action by which humans or deities carry out a verdict pronounced against an individual or group

    Examples

    Deuteronomy 32:41 If I have sharpened My flashing sword, And My hand has taken hold of justice, I will return vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me.

    Psalm 119:84 How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?

    Isaiah 4:4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,

  4. judgement

    Literally: judgement; hence: an extraordinary act of intervention by a deity, as a direct consequence of a verdict

    Examples

    1 Chronicles 16:12 Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,

    1 Chronicles 16:14 He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth.

    Psalm 48:11 Mount Zion shall be glad, The daughters of Judah shall rejoice Because of Your judgments.

  5. law, rules

    Literally: judgement; hence: a law or ordinance handed down by a ruler or a deity that a particular group of people is expected to obey

    Examples

    Exodus 15:25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.

    Exodus 21:1 “Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:

    Exodus 21:31 “Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

  6. justice, what is just

    Practices that conform to the laws of God

    Examples

    Genesis 18:19 “For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”

    Genesis 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

    Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and just is He.

  7. plan, schema, specification

    Set of detailed instructions regarding a construction that is to be built

    Examples

    Exodus 26:30 “Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown on the mountain.

    1 Kings 6:38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, that is, the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and in accordance with all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

    Ezekiel 42:11 And the way in front of them was like the appearance of the chambers which were on the north; according to their length, so was their width, and all their exits were according to their building plans and openings.

  8. right, what is due, what is deserved

    Things that certain people are entitled to receive

    Examples

    Deuteronomy 18:3 “Now this shall be the priests’ portion from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, either an ox or a sheep: they shall give the priest the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the stomach.

    Deuteronomy 21:17 “On the contrary, he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of everything that he owns, for he was the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn.

  9. custom, practice

    A standard or agreed-upon behavior or practice, as characteristic of a particular individual, group or community

    Examples

    Genesis 40:13 within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand as in your former practice when you were his cupbearer.

    Exodus 21:9 “And if he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.

    Joshua 6:15 Then on the seventh day they got up early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same way seven times; only on that day did they march around the city seven times.

  10. rightful site

    A standard or agreed-upon location for a building

    Examples

    1 Kings 4:28 They also brought barley and straw for the war horses and baggage horses to the place where it was required, each deputy according to his duty.

    Jeremiah 30:18 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob And have compassion on his dwellings; And the city will be rebuilt on its ruins, And the palace will stand on its rightful place.

How it’s used In 9 roles

Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.

the word studied the word it goes with

Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive

182 occurrences in 43 groups

Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles

33 occurrences in 20 groups

What it doesIt is the subject

22 occurrences in 14 groups

What is done to itIt is the object

171 occurrences in 43 groups

Second object ofSecond object

9 occurrences in 4 groups

What it is said to bePredicate

41 occurrences in 26 groups

What is said to be itIt is the predicate

6 occurrences in 4 groups

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

133 occurrences in 7 groups

In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive

24 occurrences in 15 groups

When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.

MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Near synonyms 5 words
פְּלִילָה pᵉlîylâh · H6415 · to judge, to render justice, to give a verdict
Both terms center on judgment, overlapping in judicial or legal sense.
גְּמוּלָה gᵉmûwlâh · H1578 · actions, deeds, retribution
One term ("recompense, reward for deeds") and the other ("judgment, legal verdict, what is due") overlap in the semantic space of what is deserved or rendered as a consequence.
דִּין dîyn · H1779 · judgment, justice, case
Both terms occupy genuine legal or judicial semantic space, centered on the sense "judgment."
מִצְוָה mitsvâh · H4687 · command
Both words belong to Hebrew legal vocabulary and refer to authoritative prescriptive norms (commandment and judgment or ordinance), and can substitute in many contexts.
פִּקּוּד piqqûwd · H6490 · commandments, precepts
Both lexemes refer to genuine legal/regulatory concepts that could overlap in sense: מִשְׁפָּט (mishpâṭ, H4941) (judgment/custom/determination) and פִּקּוּד (piqqûwd, H6490) (commandment/precept/statute) are distinct Hebrew words describing aspects of legal norms.
In the other Testament 3 words
κρίμα kríma · G2917 · to decide a legal question, to act as a judge, making a legal decision
Greek κρίμα focuses specifically on the act of judicial decision or verdict (the judgment rendered), whereas Hebrew מִשְׁפָּט encompasses the broader judicial process including legal customs, ordinances, and procedural rights alongside the judgment itself.
κρίσις krísis · G2920 · making a legal decision, arriving at a verdict, judgment
Greek κρίσις renders Hebrew מִשְׁפָּט in LXX contexts emphasizing judicial decision, judgment, or justice as divine/legal verdict, while מִשְׁפָּט's broader semantic range also encompasses custom, manner, and prescribed ordinance beyond the judgment sphere that κρίσις primarily occupies.
δικαίωμα dikaíōma · G1345 · regulation, requirement, righteous act
Greek δικαίωμα (dikaiōma) denotes a righteous deed, legal ordinance, or judicial verdict with emphasis on the righteousness or equity inherent in the act or statute, whereas Hebrew מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) more broadly encompasses judgment, justice, ordinance, legal case, custom, or due process without necessarily foregrounding the righteousness quality—δικαίωμα thus represents a semantically narrower Greek equivalent focused on the righteous-lawful dimension of the Hebrew term's wider judicial-normative semantic range.
Semantic domains 10 entries
Conflict002003002006
The word's own gloss includes "adversary," naming a legal opponent in a dispute.
Judge002004002006
This extremely common word denotes judgment or justice, as the charge that Abraham's household keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, or the question of whether the Judge of all the earth will deal justly.
Chastise002003002005
The word can denote a judgment executed as punishment, a judicial sentence carried out against wrongdoing.
Extraordinary002001003006
This domain is not directly shown by the sampled citations, though the word's broad range of "fashion, form, manner" can describe something distinctive or notable in a given custom.
Laws002003003016
The word denotes an ordinance or statute, as the ordinances the LORD set before Israel at Sinai, or the statute and regulation given at Marah.
Right002001003013
The word denotes justice in the sense of what is right, as the question whether the Judge of all the earth will deal justly with the righteous and the wicked alike.
Design002004002004
The word's sense of "fashion, form, disposing" can denote a pattern or plan according to which something is arranged or built.
Objects001
The word's sense of "due" or "desert" can denote a portion or thing owed to someone, a concrete due.
Happen002002003003
The word can denote a custom or established practice, as Pharaoh's former practice of restoring his cupbearer to his office.
Space002002001017
This domain is not directly shown by the sampled citations, which describe justice, custom, and ordinance rather than any spatial sense.
Word family 5 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

שָׁפַט shâphaṭ · H8199 · to judge, to pronounce judgement, to administer justice · 202×מִשְׁפָּטmishpâṭ · H4941שֶׁפֶט shepheṭ · H8201 · judgement, punishment · 16×שְׁפוֹט shᵉphôwṭ · H8196 · judgement, punishment · 2×שְׁפַט shᵉphaṭ · H8200 · magistrate · 1×
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H4941. mishpat מִשְׁמָּט422 noun masculineGen 40:13 judgment; — absolute מִשְׁמָּט Exo…
H4941. mishpat
מִשְׁמָּט422 noun masculineGen 40:13 judgment; — absolute מִשְׁמָּט Exo 21:31 203t., + לְשְִׁ֯מָּט Eze 44:24 (but read Kt לִשְׁמֹּט with ᵑ6 ᵑ7 ᵐ5 Co and others); construct מִשְׁמַּט Exo 23:6 50t.; suffix מִשְׁמָּטִי Isa 40:27 +; מִשְׁמָּטָם Jer 49:12 +; מִשְׁמָּטָן Num 27:5; plural מִשְׁמָּטִים Jer 4:12 34t.; suffix מִשְׁמָּטֶיךָ Deu 33:10 +, etc.; —
1 judgment:
a. act of deciding a case: ׳מ be-longeth to God Deu 1:17, is from him Pro 16:33; Pro 29:26; הַמּ ׳אֱלֹהֵי Mal 2:17; מ ׳חשֶׁן Exo 28:15 the pouch of judgment, so Exo 28:29; Exo 28:30 (P); worn on heart of Aaron Exo 28:30 (P); ׳מ צֶדֶק Deu 16:18; מ ׳הֵבִין Job 32:9; מ ׳שׁפט 1Ki 3:28; מ ׳עשׂה 1Ki 3:28; (ה)מ ׳דְּבַר Deu 17:9; 2Ch 19:6; מ ׳רוח Isa 28:6; במשׁפט Lev 19:15, Lev 19:35 (H) Deu 1:17; Pro 16:10; Pro 24:23; ׳במ חאורים Num 27:21 (P); למשׁפט Num 35:12; Jos 20:6 (P) Deu 17:8; Jdg 4:5; 2Sa 15:2, 2Sa 15:6; 2Ch 19:8; Isa 34:5; Isa 41:1; Isa 54:17; Isa 59:11; Hab 1:12; Mal 3:5; Psa 9:8; Psa 35:23; Psa 76:10; Psa 122:5; Job 9:19 (Eze 44:24 see above).
b. place, court seat of judgment Deu 25:1; 1Ki 7:7; Isa 28:6; Ecc 3:16.
c. process, procedure, litigation before judges: במ ׳הֵבִיא Job 14:3; Ecc 11:9; Ecc 12:14; במ ׳בא, with עם Isa 3:14; Job 22:4, with את Psa 143:2, with יחדו Job 9:32, במ ׳חלד Job 34:23, compare Eze 34:16; Psa 112:5; plural משׁפטים דבּר, with את litigate with Jer 1:16; Jer 4:12; Jer 12:1; Jer 39:5 = Jer 52:9, singular מִשְׁמָּט in || 2Ki 25:6, by error.
d. case or cause presented for judgment: מ ׳בעל Isa 50:8; מ ׳ערךְ Job 13:18; Job 23:4; מ ׳שׁמע 1Ki 3:11; מ ׳שׁפט Lam 3:59, compare Num 27:5 (P) 2Sa 15:4.
e. sentence, decision of judgment: משׁפטךָ כן 1Ki 20:40 thus is thy sentence; ומ ׳עת Ecc 8:5-6, time and sentence; מ ׳על Deu 17:11 according to the sentence; ׳מ מָוֶת Deu 19:6; Deu 21:22; Jer 26:11, Jer 26:16; ׳מ דמים Eze 7:23, compare Hab 1:4 (twice in verse); Psa 7:7; Psa 17:2; Eze 23:45; plural only Ezekiel 16:68 נאפות משׁפטֵי; Hos 6:5 read singular בָאוֺד מִשְׁמָּטִי for אוֺר מִשְׁמָּטֶיךָ after ᵑ7 ᵑ6 ᵐ5 Ew Hi Che and most modern
f. execution of judgment, in General, מ ׳עשׂה, with בֵּין Jer 7:5; Eze 18:8, compare Deu 32:41; Zep 3:8; with בְּ against Psa 119:84; Psa 149:9; ב omitted Psa 9:17; Eze 39:21, ׳מ אל בא Jer 48:21, מ ׳ברוח Isa 4:4, ׳מ מואב Jer 48:47, compare Isa 53:8; Jer 51:9; Hos 5:1, Hos 5:11; Hos 10:4; Job 36:17; plural Isa 26:8-9, Eze 5:8; Zep 3:15; Psa 10:5; in favour of, משׁפטִי עשׂה Mic 7:9; Psa 9:5; ׳מ לעשׁוקים Psa 146:7; מ ׳דין והציל Jer 21:12, compare Zec 7:9; Zec 8:16; plural Psa 48:12 = Psa 97:8Psalm 6; Psalm 5; 7= 1Ch 16:12, 1Ch 16:14.
g. time of judgment, במ יקומו ׳לִא Psa 1:5 (late; probably judgment of the resurrection).
2 attribute of the שֹׁפֵט, justice, right, rectitude:
a. of God, מ ׳אלהי Isa 30:18; מ יַעֲשֶׂה לֹא כָּלהָֿאָרֶץ ׳הֲשֹׁפֵט Gen 18:25 (J), compare Job 40:8; Deu 32:4; Psa 111:7; he loves it Psa 33:5; Psa 37:28; Psa 99:4; ומ ׳צדק Hos 2:21; Psa 89:15 = Psa 97:2; will not pervert it Job 8:3; Job 34:12, compare Job 37:23; כמשׁפטךָ Psa 119:149 (|| חסדךָ); רָבָּה תְּהוֺם מִשְׁמָּֽטְךָ Psa 36:7 (read singular).
b. of man: מ שֹׁמְרֵי ׳אַשְׁרֵי Psa 106:8 (|| צדקה); the tongue of the wise speaketh ׳מ Psa 37:30; so of thoughts ׳מ Pro 12:5; put on ׳מ as robe Job 29:14, chosen Job 34:4; מ ׳עשׂה: God requires that man should do it Mic 6:8; Isa 1:17; Isa 56:1, compare Isa 61:8; it is the joy of the righteous Pro 21:15; rulers should know it Mic 3:1, compare Pro 29:4; wicked ruler מ ׳שׂוֺנֵא Job 34:17; abhors it Mic 3:9, compare Pro 19:28; Pro 21:7; Pro 28:5.
3 ordinance promulgated by שֹׁפֵט: 1Sa 8:9, 1Sa 8:11; 1Sa 10:25 (law of king); Levitical ordinances Lev 5:10; Lev 9:16 Lev 9:13t. P, 1Ch 15:13; 1Ch 24:19; 2Ch 4:7, 2Ch 4:20; 2Ch 8:14; 2Ch 35:13; Neh 8:18; ומ ׳חק Exo 15:25; Jos 24:25 (E) 1Sa 30:25, compare Psa 81:5; מ ׳חקת Num 27:11; Num 35:29 (P); divine law in General ׳מ יהוה Jer 8:7; אלהים ׳מ Isa 58:2; Jer 5:4-5, (|| דֶּרֶךְ), compare Psa 25:9; || תורה Isa 42:4; Isa 51:4; Ezr 7:10; compare Zep 2:3; Psa 119:43; Psa 119:160; plural of particular ordinances Deu 33:10, Deu 33:21 (poem), Isa 58:2; Eze 44:24; Psa 19:10; Psa 119:7 Psa 119:16t., Psa 147:20.
4 decision of the שֹׁפֵט in a case of law (see BrHexateuch 252 sq.): singular of particular decision of a case Exo 21:31 (E); plural of series of decisions Exo 21:1; Exo 24:3 (JE) Deu 7:12 (D2); in covt. code and D, collection of pentads in conditional or temporal compare, with כּי or אם in D, and subject in combination, ומשׁפטים חקים Deu 4:1. 5. 8. 14. 45 +; in code of H and after, in combination ומשׁפטים חקות, Lev 18:4-5, Lev 18:26; Lev 19:37 +; (the specific type of these laws in H is כִּי אִישׁ, over against כי נפשׁ or כי אדם in code of P, see BrHexateuch 254 f.); other combinations, redactional and later, Lev 26:46; Num 36:13; Deu 30:16; 2Ki 17:37; 2Ch 33:8; Neh 9:13; Psa 18:23; Psa 89:31; Psa 147:19.
5 one's (legal) right, privilege, due: ׳מ הַכּהֲנִים Deu 18:3 due of the priests, ׳מ הַבְּכֹרָה Deu 21:17; הַגְּאֻלָּה ׳מ Jer 32:7 right of redemption; ׳מ הַיְרֻשָּׁה Jer 32:8; מ ׳הִטָּה Exo 23:6 (E) wrest right, so Deu 16:19; Deu 23:6; Deu 24:17; Deu 27:19; 1Sa 8:3; Lam 3:35, compare Pro 18:5; ׳מ יְתוֺם Deu 10:18; ׳מ אביון Exo 23:6 (E) Jer 5:28; Psa 140:13; עניים׳מ Isa 10:2; Job 36:6; מ ׳הסיר Job 27:2; Job 34:5, compare Isa 40:27; Isa 49:4.
6. a. proper, fitting, measure 1Ki 5:8; fitness Isa 28:26; Isa 40:14 (of fitness in the order of nature; compare Di).
b. custom, manner: ׳מ הכהנים 1Sa 2:13 custom of the priests (rightful due, according to Th We Dr and most); מִשְׁמָּטוֺ 1Sa 27:11 his (David's) custom; הגוים ׳מ 2Ki 17:33 manner of the nations, compare 2Ki 17:26-27, (Rssem. 1, 24, 2nd ed. 23); ׳כמ after the manner, custom, fashion (of) Gen 40:13; Exo 21:9 (E) Jdg 18:7; 1Ki 18:28; 2Ki 11:14; 2Ki 17:34; 1Ch 6:17; Eze 42:11; Psa 119:132.
c. משׁפט מה Jdg 13:12 what manner of a boy, compare 2Ki 1:7.
d. plan . . . of the tabernacle Exo 26:30 (P); temple 1Ki 6:38; palace Jer 30:18.

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

Topical studies with this word 10 entries
Objects2 occurrencesExtraordinary7 occurrencesRight132 occurrencesSpace2 occurrencesHappen19 occurrencesChastise15 occurrencesConflict34 occurrencesLaws134 occurrencesDesign3 occurrencesJudge70 occurrences

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Sources

eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.