צָדַק
tsâdaq · H6663 · Hebrew · 41 occurrences
Meanings
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to be righteous, to prove to be righteous, to be just, to be in the right, to be innocent
State or process by which humans and deities are found to conform to an accepted code of behavior
ExamplesGenesis 38:26 And Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
Isaiah 43:9 All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses so that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
Isaiah 43:26 “Meet Me in court, let’s argue our case together; State your cause, so that you may be proved right.
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to clear oneself, to justify oneself
Action by which humans make an effort to ensure that they are found to conform to an accepted code of behavior
ExamplesGenesis 44:16 So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What words can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found.”
Job 32:2 But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned against Job; his anger burned because he justified himself before God.
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to clear, to justify, to lead to righteousness
Causative action by which humans make efforts to ensure that other humans are found to conform to an accepted code of behavior, either in an absolute sense or relative to someone else
ExamplesJob 33:32 “Then if you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you.
Isaiah 53:11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, For He will bear their wrongdoings.
Ezekiel 16:51 “Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. So you have made your sisters appear innocent by all your abominations which you have committed.
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to acquit, to declare innocent, to vindicate
Causative action by which humans or deities declare (other) humans to conform to an accepted code of behavior
ExamplesExodus 23:7 “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.
2 Samuel 15:4 Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that someone would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has a lawsuit or claim could come to me, and I would give him justice!”
1 Kings 8:32 then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and acquitting the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
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to be restored
Causative action by which humans do what is needed to ensure that an object is be restored to an original and rightful state
ExamplesDaniel 8:14 And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.”
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to be right, to be just
State in which an event is found to conform to an accepted standard
ExamplesPsalm 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
38 occurrences in 18 groups
- Not stated: I 7
- Not stated: you (one person) 7
- Not stated: they 5
- אֱנוֹשׁhuman being 3
- Not stated (infinitive) 3
- Other words · 13 groups that occur once or twice (13) 13
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
12 occurrences in 9 groups
- צַדִּיקrighteous, just, right 3
- Other words · 8 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
14 occurrences in 14 groups
- Other words · 14 groups that occur once or twice (16) 16
With adverbsAdverbs
4 occurrences in 2 groups
- לֹאnot 3
- יַחַדtogether 1
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- רַבmany, great 1
- רָשָׁעwicked 1
- נִיme 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- חָפֵץto like, to be pleased, to desire 1
- יָדַעto know 1
What it is said to bePredicate
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- חֵפֶץdesire, pleasure 1
- קָרוֹבnear 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- עַלon, upon, over, against 1
- בin/on/with 1
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 1 word
- נָקָה nâqâh · H5352 · to be emptied, to be cleaned out, to be removed
- Both words concern clearing or innocence in a judicial sense, overlapping in the sense of being cleared or removed from guilt.
In the other Testament 2 words
- δίκαιος díkaios · G1342 · righteous, just, being in a right relation with
- Greek δίκαιος (díkaios, G1342) serves as the standard adjectival equivalent for Hebrew צָדַק (tsâdaq, H6663), capturing the righteousness/justice semantic core across both testaments with direct translational correspondence in LXX alignment data.
- δικαιόω dikaióō · G1344 · to put right with, to cause to be in a right relationship with, to show to be right
- Greek δικαιόω specifically denotes the act of rendering, showing, or regarding someone as just/righteous (forensic/declarative emphasis), while Hebrew צָדַק encompasses both the state of being righteous and the actions of justifying or vindicating; the Greek term captures the causative/declarative aspect of the Hebrew verb's semantic range.
Semantic domains 3 entries
- Innocent002003003015
- צָדַק means to be declared innocent or righteous, as of the righteous innocent the judges must declare innocent while pronouncing the wicked guilty in Deuteronomy 25:1, and the righteous the LORD refuses to acquit the guilty alongside in Exodus 23:7.
- Good002001001031
- This domain's connection to צָדַק is not directly illustrated among the sampled citations, which show the word's sense of a legal or moral declaration of righteousness rather than general goodness.
- Right002001003013
- The word also means to be or prove righteous, as of Tamar being more righteous than Judah in Genesis 38:26, and Judah's brothers asking how they can justify themselves before Joseph in Genesis 44:16.
Word family 5 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H6663. tsadeq or tsadoq [צָדֹק צָדֵק,] verb denominative be just, righteous; — Qal…
or tsadoq [צָדֹק צָדֵק,] verb denominative be just, righteous; —
Qal Perfect3feminine singular צָֽדְקָה Isaiah 38:26; Isa 38:2masculine singular צָדַקְתָּ Job 33:12; Job 35:7; etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יִצְדַּק Job 9:2 +; יִצְדָּ֑ק Job 4:17; Job 11:2-3;feminine plural תִּצְדַּקְנָה Eze 16:52 (ᵐ5 Co תְּצַדְּקִין, not Berthol Toy Krae), etc; —
1 have a just cause, be in the right, Job 9:15, Job 9:20; Job 13:18; Job 34:5; in complaint Job 33:12; with מִן person Gen 38:26 (J; of Tamar).
2 be justified, in one's plea Job 11:2; with עִם (man with God) Job 9:2; Job 25:4; ׳בי Isa 45:25; by witnesses Isa 43:9; by acquittal Psa 143:2; Isa 43:26; by condemnation of opponent Job 40:8.
3 be just: of God, in his government, in charging with sin Psa 51:6; of ׳מִשְׁמְּטֵייֿ Psa 19:10.
4 be just, righteous, in conduct and character: of men Job 10:15; Job 15:14; Job 22:3; Job 35:7, with מִן compare, Job 4:17 (more than God; Dr at God's hand, מִן 2d), Eze 16:52 (< ᵐ5 Co Pi`el).
Niph`al Perfect3masculine singular קֹדֶשׁ וְנִצְדַּק consecutive Dan 8:14 the holy place shall be put right, in a right condition (MartiKau Buhl SS; Bev Dr MartiComm. be justified, its cause vindicated).
Pi`el Perfect3feminine singular צִדְּקָה Jer 3:11; Imperfect2feminine singular תְּצַדְּקִי Eze 16:51; Infinitive construct suffix צַדְּקֶ֑ךָּ Job 33:32; צַדֶּקְתֵּךְ (Ges§ 52p) Eze 16:52; צַדְּקוֺ Job 32:2; — justify: מֵאֱלֹהִים נַפְשׁוֺ צַדְּקוֺ עַל Job 32:2 because he justified himself rather than God (compare Qal 1); make to appear righteous Jer 3:11; Eze 16:51-52, (all with מִן compare); צַדְּקֶ֑ךָּ חָפַצְתִּי Job 33:32 I desire to justify thee (in thy plea, compare Qal 2).
Hiph`il Perfect1singular suffix הִצְדַּקְתִּיו 2Sa 15:4; 2Sa 15:3masculine plural הִצְדִּיקוּ Deu 25:1; Imperfect3masculine singular יַצְדִּיק Isa 53:11; Isa 53:1singular אַצְדִּיק Exo 23:7; Job 27:5; Infinitive construct הַצְדִּיק 1Ki 8:32 2Ch 6:23; Imperative masculine plural הַצְדִּיקוּ Psa 82:3; Participle מַצְדִּיק Pro 17:15, etc.; —
1 do justice, in administering law 2Sa 15:4; Psa 82:3.
2 declare righteous, justify, with accusative (ה)צַדִּיק Deu 25:1; 1Ki 8:32 2Ch 6:23; רָשָׁע Exo 23:7 (E) Isa 5:23; Pro 17:15; Justify accusers, by recognizing charge as just Job 27:5.
3 justify, vindicate the cause of, save, with accusative, Isa 50:8 (of God), with לְ of object Isa 53:11 (of servant of ׳י).
4 make righteous, turn to righteousness, Dan 12:3, compare Aboth Dan 5:26-27, Bev.
Hithpa`el Imperfect1plural נִצְטַדָּ֑ק Gen 44:16 (J) how shall we justify ourselves, clear ourselves from suspicion?
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 entries
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
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