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δικαίωσις

dikaíōsis

G1347 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Action or process of making righteous, declaring righteous, or acquitting; the process or result of being set in a right relationship in terms of justice, law, or custom. In specific contexts, denotes a legal pronouncement of acquittal, vindication, or restoration to a right status. May also refer to the condition or state resulting from such an act.

Semantic Range

act of making righteous, acquittal, vindication, legal pronouncement of innocence, restoration to right standing, justification as a process or result

Root / Etymology

From δικαιόω (to justify, to declare righteous), itself derived from δίκαιος (just, righteous) and ultimately from δίκη (justice, right).

Historical & Contextual Notes

δικαίωσις appears rarely in classical Greek, where it indicates the act of justifying, punishment, or assertion of rights, but is more commonly found in Hellenistic Jewish and early Christian texts. In post-classical usage and in the Septuagint (rarely), it can refer to the action of making just or vindicating, sometimes as a judicial declaration. In the Pauline epistles, especially Romans, δικαίωσις is a key term denoting both the act of being declared righteous and the resultant state; this legal or forensic nuance reflects contemporary Hellenistic and Jewish juridical language. English translations often render the term as 'justification,' but this English word may not fully convey the action/process aspect present in the Greek. The concept is distinct from δικαιοσύνη (righteousness), which refers more broadly to the quality or state of being righteous, and from δικαιοκρισία (just judgment). While the root overlaps with classical Greek understandings of legal acquittal, the New Testament nuance often emphasizes divine action, influenced by LXX idiom and Second Temple Jewish usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from δικαιόω; aquittal (for Christ's sake):--justification.

Root Family

δικαίωσις (dikaiōsis) — justification, acquittal, making righteous, declaring righteous, vindication

Root δικαι- to justify, to make righteous, to declare righteous

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1347-01 δικαίωσιν dikaiosin N ACC F SG justification acquittal acquittal 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1347-01 Romans 4:25 δικαίωσιν dikaiosin N ACC F SG justification acquittal acquittal
G1347-01 Romans 5:18 δικαίωσιν dikaiosin N ACC F SG justification acquittal acquittal
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