To justify
צָדֵקStrong’s H6663tsadaq (tsa-daq)
Appears in 40 verses of the Old Testament
In short
Tsadaq is the Hebrew word usually translated “am righteous”, “righteous” and “may be justified”. It appears in 40 verses of the Old Testament.
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
Meaning
- To be just, be righteous(Qal) · (Niphal) to be put or made right, be justified · (Piel) justify, make to appear righteous, make someone righteous · (Hiphil) · (Hithpael) to justify oneself
How it's translated
- i am righteous 3
- will he be righteous 2
- you may be justified 2
- they are righteous 2
- she is righteous 1
- will we justify ourselves 1
- i will declare righteous 1
- and they will declare righteous 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Job 17
- Isaiah 6
- Psalms 4
- Genesis 2
- Ezekiel 2
- Daniel 2
13 books in all.
Related words
Explore in Scripture
- Daniel 12:3In contextAnd they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
- Genesis 38:26And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
- Genesis 44:16And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.
- Exodus 23:7Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
- Deuteronomy 25:1If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
- 2 Samuel 15:4Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!
All 40 verses, by book
Hebrew dictionary
צָדֵק tsadaq · to justify
1) to be just, be righteous 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to have a just cause, be in the right 1a2) to be justified 1a3) to be just (of God) 1a4) to be just, be righteous (in conduct and character) 1b) (Niphal) to be put or made right, be justified 1c) (Piel) justify, make to appear righteous, make someone righteous 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to do or bring justice (in administering law) 1d2) to declare righteous, justify 1d3) to justify, vindicate the cause of, save 1d4) to make righteous, turn to righteousness 1e) (Hithpael) to justify oneself
From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “justify” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
JUST'IFY, verb transitive
[Latin justus, just, and facio, to make.]
- To prove or show to be just, or conformable to law, right, justice, propriety or duty; to defend or maintain; to vindicate as right.
- In theology, to pardon and clear form guilt; to absolve or acquit from guilt and merited punishment, and to accept as righteous on account of the merits of the Savior, or by the application of Christ's atonement to the offender.
- To cause another to appear comparatively righteous, or less guilty than one's self.
- To judge rightly of.“Wisdom is justified by her children” Matthew 11:19
All definitions and other forms of “justify”
- To accept as just and treat with favor.
JUST'IFY, verb intransitive
In printing, to agree; to suit; to conform exactly; to form an even surface or true line with something else. Types of different sizes will not justify with each other.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Hebrew, not from any one translation.