← H6662 H6664 →

צָדַק

𐤑𐤃𐤒

tsâdaq

H6663 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To be just, righteous, or in the right; to be in a state or condition of conformity to an ethical or legal standard. Can also mean to declare or recognize as right, to justify, to demonstrate innocence, or to acquit in a legal setting. Semantic range covers being in the right, being proven right (morally, ethically, or legally), acting in accordance with justice, or being deemed right by a judge or by society.

Semantic Range

to be right; to be justified; to be acquitted (in a dispute or legal sense); to act justly; to declare righteous; to make appear righteous; to prove innocence; to be or become just; to demonstrate conformity to ethics or law

Root / Etymology

The root צ-ד-ק (ts-d-q) conveys concepts of being right, just, or correct. צָדַק is a qal verb meaning 'to be just' or 'to be in the right.' The hifil stem (causative) expresses 'to declare righteous, to justify.' Related nouns (צֶדֶק, righteousness; צַדִּיק, righteous person) derive from the same root, all bearing the sense of uprightness or correctness. No certain cognate root in other Semitic languages, but parallels with Ugaritic and Akkadian suggest a Northwest Semitic origin denoting conformity with a standard.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In its earliest biblical usage, צָדַק expresses being right or just, either in conduct (ethical) or in a situation (legal/forensic). In legal settings, it most often refers to being vindicated or pronounced innocent by an authority (e.g., judge, God). As biblical texts progress into later periods, the verb takes on theological overtones, but always remains anchored in the concept of outwardly recognizable justice or rightness, not abstract or internal 'righteousness.' The causative forms (especially hifil) focus on the act of declaring or treating as righteous rather than causing the person to become virtuous in a modern sense. Caution should be exercised when translating, as modern English 'justify' or 'righteousness' often carries individualistic or theological connotations absent in the primary Israelite usage, which is anchored in public or communal standards of justice, especially in legal disputes. Contrast with עָוָה (to be perverse) and רָשַׁע (to be wicked), which represent the opposite end of the moral/legal spectrum. Later English renderings such as 'justification' or 'to justify' import later doctrinal meanings that do not always align with the original usage. During the monarchic and exilic periods, the verb increasingly appears in situations involving God's judgment or vindication, both of individuals and of Israel as a collective. In post-exilic and Second Temple literature, related forms continue to focus on public standards of virtue, justice, and rightness.

Translation Consistency

primary "justify" 10 occurrences

Tsadaq frequently carries the legal/ declarative sense (to declare, acquit, vindicate) as well as the state of being shown right; English “justify” naturally covers both active (declare/acquit) and passive/stative (be justified, shown right) uses. It is a common, natural verb in Biblical and legal contexts and allows consistent, idiomatic inflection across all forms; more literal options like “be righteous” are two-word phrases or adjectival and would break the single-word consistency requirement.

Alternatives (31 occurrences):
"right" (12x) "justified" (8x) "who justifies" (2x) "vindicate" (1x) "justifiers of" (1x) "declare right" (1x) "rightness" (1x) "declared right" (1x) "righteousness" (1x) "declare righteous" (1x) "just" (1x) "righteous" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) right (in a moral or forensic sense); cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just(-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be turn to) righteous(-ness).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

צדק (Yahweh Tsidqenu) — to be just, to be righteous, to act rightly

Root צדק to be right, to be just, to be righteous, to conform to a standard
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3072 יְהֹוָה צִדְקֵנוּ
H3087 יְהוֹצָדָק and Yahweh-has-made-righteous
H3136 יוֹצָדָק Yah Is Righteous
H6659 צָדוֹק to Righteous-one
H6662 צַדִּיק the just one

Word Forms

28 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H6663-27 יִצְדָּ֑ק yitsedaq HVqi3ms be justified he will be in the right he will be in the right 6
H6663-09 תִּצְדָּֽק titsedaq HVqi2ms you-are-justified you will be just you will be justified 4
H6663-01 אַצְדִּ֖יק atsediq HVhi1cs I will justify I will declare right I will justify 2
H6663-03 אֶ֭צְדָּק etsedaq HVqi1cs I justify myself I will be in the right I shall be justified 2
H6663-11 צָדַ֣קְתָּ tsadaqeta HVqp2ms you are right you were in the right you were in the right 2
H6663-12 צָ֭דַקְתִּי tsadaqeti HVqp1cs I am righteous I was in the right I was in the right 2
H6663-18 וּ/לְ/הַצְדִּ֣יק ulehatsediq HC/R/Vhc and-to-justify and to justify and to justify 2
H6663-02 בְּ/צַדֶּקְתֵּ֖/ךְ betsadeqetekhe HR/Vpc/Sp2fs in your righteousness in your justifying in your righteousness 1
H6663-04 הַצְדִּֽיקוּ hatsediqu HVhv2mp justify Declare righteous! declare righteous 1
H6663-05 מַצְדִּ֣יק matsediq HVhrmsa justifying the one who justifies the one who justifies 1

Occurrences in Scripture

41 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H6663-13 Genesis 38:26 צָֽדְקָ֣ה tsadeqah HVqp3fs she is more righteous she was in the right she was in the right
H6663-08 Genesis 44:16 נִּצְטַדָּ֑ק nitsetadaq HVti1cp shall we clear ourselves we will justify ourselves we will justify ourselves
H6663-01 Exodus 23:7 אַצְדִּ֖יק atsediq HVhi1cs I will justify I will declare right I will justify
H6663-22 Deuteronomy 25:1 וְ/הִצְדִּ֨יקוּ֙ vehitsediqu HC/Vhq3cp and they shall justify and they declared right and they justify
H6663-21 2 Samuel 15:4 וְ/הִצְדַּקְתִּֽי/ו vehitsedaqetiv HC/Vhp1cs/Sp3ms and I would do him justice and I justified him and I would vindicate him
H6663-18 1 Kings 8:32 וּ/לְ/הַצְדִּ֣יק ulehatsediq HC/R/Vhc and-to-justify and to justify and to justify
H6663-06 Isaiah 5:23 מַצְדִּיקֵ֥י matsediqey HVhrmpc who justify justifiers of justifiers of
H6663-25 Isaiah 43:9 וְ/יִצְדָּ֔קוּ veyitsedaqu HC/Vqi3mp that they may be justified and they will be right and they will be justified
H6663-09 Isaiah 43:26 תִּצְדָּֽק titsedaq HVqi2ms you may be justified you will be just you may be justified
H6663-28 Isaiah 45:25 יִצְדְּק֥וּ yitsedequ HVqi3mp they-will-be-justified they will be in the right they will be in the right
H6663-07 Isaiah 50:8 מַצְדִּיקִ֔/י matsediqi HVhrmsc/Sp1cs who vindicates me the one declaring me right the one who justifies me
H6663-26 Isaiah 53:11 יַצְדִּ֥יק yatsediq HVhi3ms he will justify he will declare right he will declare right
H6663-17 Jeremiah 3:11 צִדְּקָ֥ה tsideqah HVpp3fs more righteous her rightness her rightness
H6663-20 Ezekiel 16:51 וַ/תְּצַדְּקִי֙ vatetsadeqi HC/Vpw2fs and-you-have-justified and you declared right and you declared right
H6663-10 Ezekiel 16:52 תִּצְדַּ֣קְנָה titsedaqenah HVqi3fp they are justified they (f.) will be in the right they are justified
H6663-02 Ezekiel 16:52 בְּ/צַדֶּקְתֵּ֖/ךְ betsadeqetekhe HR/Vpc/Sp2fs in your righteousness in your justifying in your righteousness
H6663-16 Psalms 19:10 צָֽדְק֥וּ tsadequ HVqp3cp righteous they were in the right they were in the right
H6663-09 Psalms 51:6 תִּצְדַּ֥ק titsedaq HVqi2ms you-are-justified you will be just you will be justified
H6663-04 Psalms 82:3 הַצְדִּֽיקוּ hatsediqu HVhv2mp justify Declare righteous! declare righteous
H6663-27 Psalms 143:2 יִצְדַּ֖ק yitsedaq HVqi3ms is righteous he will be in the right will be justified
H6663-05 Proverbs 17:15 מַצְדִּ֣יק matsediq HVhrmsa justifying the one who justifies the one who justifies
H6663-27 Job 4:17 יִצְדָּ֑ק yitsedaq HVqi3ms be righteous he will be in the right he will be in the right
H6663-27 Job 9:2 יִּצְדַּ֖ק yitsedaq HVqi3ms can he be just he will be in the right can be just
H6663-12 Job 9:15 צָ֭דַקְתִּי tsadaqeti HVqp1cs I were righteous I was in the right I was in the right
H6663-03 Job 9:20 אֶ֭צְדָּק etsedaq HVqi1cs I justify myself I will be in the right I will justify
H6663-24 Job 10:15 וְ֭/צָדַקְתִּי vetsadaqeti HC/Vqq1cs and if I am righteous and I was right and I was right
H6663-27 Job 11:2 יִצְדָּֽק yitsedaq HVqi3ms be justified he will be in the right he will be in the right
H6663-03 Job 13:18 אֶצְדָּֽק etsedaq HVqi1cs I shall be justified I will be in the right I shall be justified
H6663-27 Job 15:14 יִ֝צְדַּ֗ק yitsedaq HVqi3ms he should be righteous he will be in the right he will be in the right
H6663-09 Job 22:3 תִצְדָּ֑ק titsedaq HVqi2ms you are righteous you will be just you are righteous
H6663-27 Job 25:4 יִּצְדַּ֣ק yitsedaq HVqi3ms can he be justified he will be in the right he will be in the right
H6663-01 Job 27:5 אַצְדִּ֪יק atsediq HVhi1cs I should justify I will declare right I will justify
H6663-15 Job 32:2 צַדְּק֥/וֹ tsadeqo HVpc/Sp3ms he justified to justify him to justify himself
H6663-11 Job 33:12 צָדַ֣קְתָּ tsadaqeta HVqp2ms you are right you were in the right you were in the right
H6663-14 Job 33:32 צַדְּקֶֽ/ךָּ tsadeqekha HVpc/Sp2ms to justify you to declare you right to justify you
H6663-12 Job 34:5 צָדַ֑קְתִּי tsadaqeti HVqp1cs I am righteous I was in the right I was in the right
H6663-11 Job 35:7 צָ֭דַקְתָּ tsadaqeta HVqp2ms you are righteous you were in the right you were in the right
H6663-09 Job 40:8 תִּצְדָּֽק titsedaq HVqi2ms you may be righteous you will be just you will be justified
H6663-23 Daniel 8:14 וְ/נִצְדַּ֖ק venitsedaq HC/VNq3ms shall be restored and he will be justified and it will be justified
H6663-19 Daniel 12:3 וּ/מַצְדִּיקֵי֙ umatsediqey HC/Vhrmpc and those who turn and justifiers of and those who justify
H6663-18 2 Chronicles 6:23 וּ/לְ/הַצְדִּ֣יק ulehatsediq HC/R/Vhc and-to-justify and to justify and to justify
← H6662 Hebrew Lexicon H6664 →