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Hebrew

To judge

שָׁפַטStrong’s H8199

shaphat (sha-phat)

Appears in 182 verses of the Old Testament

In short

Shaphat is the Hebrew word usually translated “judged”, “judges” and “judge”. It appears in 182 verses of the Old Testament.

“And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.”
Daniel 9:12 KJV
Meaning
  1. To judge, govern, vindicate, punish(Qal) · (Niphal) · (Poel) judge, opponent-at-law (participle)
How it's translated
  • and he judged 14
  • judges 12
  • judge 9
  • to judge 7
  • the judge 7
  • he will judge 6
  • i will judge 6
  • will you judge 6

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Psalms 30
  • Ezekiel 25
  • Judges 17
  • Isaiah 15
  • 1 Samuel 14
  • Deuteronomy 9

31 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 182 verses, by book
Leviticus 1
19:15
Numbers 2
25:535:24
Joshua 3
8:3323:224:1
Ruth 1
1:1
2 Kings 2
15:523:22
Ezra 1
10:14
Ecclesiastes 1
3:17
Lamentations 1
3:59
Daniel 1
9:12
Hosea 2
7:713:10
Joel 2
3:23:12
Amos 1
2:3
Obadiah 1
1:21
Zephaniah 1
3:3
Zechariah 2
7:98:16
Hebrew dictionary

שָׁפַט shaphat · to judge

1) to judge, govern, vindicate, punish 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to act as law-giver or judge or governor (of God, man) 1a1a) to rule, govern, judge 1a2) to decide controversy (of God, man) 1a3) to execute judgment 1a3a) discriminating (of man) 1a3b) vindicating 1a3c) condemning and punishing 1a3d) at theophanic advent for final judgment 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to enter into controversy, plead, have controversy together 1b2) to be judged 1c) (Poel) judge, opponent-at-law (participle)

From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “judge” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

JUDGE, noun

[Latin judex, supposed to be compounded of jus, law or right, and dico, to pronounce.]

  1. A civil officer who is invested with authority to hear and determine causes, civil or criminal, between parties, according to his commission; as the judges of the king's bench, or of the common pleas; judges of the supreme court, of district courts, or of a county court.
  2. The Supreme Being.“Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” Genesis 18:25
  3. One who presides in a court of judicature.
  4. One who has skill to decide on the merits of a question, or on the value of any thing; one who can discern truth and propriety.
All definitions and other forms of “judge”
  1. In the history of Israel, a chief magistrate, with civil and military powers.
  2. A juryman or juror.

JUDGE, verb intransitive

[Latin judico.]

  1. To compare facts or ideas, and perceive their agreement or disagreement, and thus to distinguish truth from falsehood.“JUDGE not according to the appearance” John 7:24
  2. To form an opinion; to bring to issue the reasoning or deliberations of the mind.
  3. To hear and determine, as in causes on trial; to pass sentence.“The Lord judge between thee and me” Genesis 16:5
  4. To discern; to distinguish; to consider accurately for the purpose of forming an opinion or conclusion.“JUDGE in yourselves; is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?” 1 Corinthians 11:13

JUDGE, verb transitive

To hear and determine a case; to examine and decide.

  1. To try; to examine and pass sentence on.“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked” Ecclesiastes 3:17
  2. Rightly to understand and discern.“He that is spiritual, judgeth all things” 1 Corinthians 2:15
  3. To censure rashly; to pass severe sentence.“JUDGE not, that ye be not judged” Matthew 7:1
  4. To esteem; to think; to reckon.“If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord--” Acts 16:15
  5. To rule or govern.“The Lord shall judge his people” Hebrews 10:30
  6. To doom to punishment; to punish.“I will judge thee according to thy ways” Ezekiel 7:8

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.