# H6664 - tzedeq **Strong's:** [H6664](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h6664/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** tseh'-dek **Part of speech:** masculine noun **OT occurrences:** ~119 (with cognate *tzedakah* H6666 ~158 more) **Greek equivalent (LXX):** *dikaiosynē* (G1343, see [G1343 - dikaiosyne](/codex/g1343-dikaiosyne/)) ## Semantic range 1. **Righteousness, justice**, moral / legal rightness 2. **Right standing / vindication**, being declared / shown right 3. **Honesty / truthfulness** in some contexts 4. **What is right / proper / fitting** The cognate noun *tzedakah* (H6666) is the feminine form, semantically nearly synonymous; together they form the *tzedeq* / *tzedakah* couplet that dominates OT righteousness vocabulary. ## Theological force ### *Tzedeq* of God YHWH is supremely *tzaddik* (righteous): - **[Deuteronomy 32:4](/codex/deuteronomy-32-4/)**, "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are *mishpat*; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He" - **[Psalm 7:11](/codex/psalms-7-11/)**, "God is a righteous (*tzaddik*) judge" - **[Psalm 11:7](/codex/psalms-11-7/)**, "the LORD is *tzaddik*; He loves *tzedaqot*" - **[Psalm 36:6](/codex/psalms-36-6/)**, "Your *tzedeq* is like the mountains of God" - **[Psalm 119:137](/codex/psalms-119-137/)**, "righteous (*tzaddik*) are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments" - **[Daniel 9:7](/codex/daniel-9-7/), [14](/codex/daniel-9-14/)**, "righteousness belongs to You, O Lord" - **[Zephaniah 3:5](/codex/zephaniah-3-5/)**, "the LORD is *tzaddik* in her midst" God's *tzedeq* is His perfect moral character, the standard against which all other righteousness is measured. ### *Tzedeq* and *mishpat* (justice) The pair *tzedeq u-mishpat*, "righteousness and justice", is the most-paired OT divine attribute combination. Together they describe God's perfect moral governance: - [Genesis 18:19](/codex/genesis-18-19/), Abraham commanded to teach his household *tzedaqah u-mishpat* - [Psalm 33:5](/codex/psalms-33-5/), "He loves *tzedaqah* and *mishpat*" - [Psalm 89:14](/codex/psalms-89-14/), "*tzedeq* and *mishpat* are the foundation of Your throne" - [Psalm 97:2](/codex/psalms-97-2/), "*tzedeq* and *mishpat* are the foundation of His throne" - [Isaiah 1:21](/codex/isaiah-1-21/), [26-27](/codex/isaiah-1-26-27/); 5:7, 16; 28:17; 32:16-17; 33:5, Isaiah's repeated pairing - [Jeremiah 22:3](/codex/jeremiah-22-3/), [15](/codex/jeremiah-22-15/); 23:5, Jeremiah's similar use - [Amos 5:7](/codex/amos-5-7/), [24](/codex/amos-5-24/); 6:12, prophetic call The pair grounds the Christian conviction that *justice and righteousness* are not separate from God's character but are *expressions of* His character. ### *Tzedeq* as right relationship In Hebrew thought, *tzedeq* is **fundamentally relational**, being-in-right-relationship. This contrasts with later Greek-philosophical or modern-Western tendencies to treat righteousness as abstract conformity to law: - *Tzedeq* between persons (covenant-faithfulness) - *Tzedeq* in legal disputes (right verdict) - *Tzedeq* in trade (just weights and measures, [Lev 19:36](/codex/leviticus-19-36/); [Deut 25:15](/codex/deuteronomy-25-15/)) - *Tzedeq* in courts ([Deut 16:18-20](/codex/deuteronomy-16-18-20/)) ### *Tzedeq* and Messiah The Messiah is **The Righteous One**: - **[Jeremiah 23:5-6](/codex/jeremiah-23-5-6/)**, "I will raise up for David a *tzemach tzaddik* (righteous Branch); a King will reign and act wisely and do *mishpat u-tzedaqah* in the land… this is His name by which He will be called: *YHWH Tzidqenu*", "the LORD our righteousness" - **[Jeremiah 33:15-16](/codex/jeremiah-33-15-16/)**, parallel - **[Isaiah 11:5](/codex/isaiah-11-5/)**, Messianic king with *tzedeq* girding His loins - **[Isaiah 53:11](/codex/isaiah-53-11/)**, *tzaddik avdi*, "My righteous Servant" - **[Zechariah 9:9](/codex/zechariah-9-9/)**, "your King is coming to you; He is *tzaddik* and endowed with salvation" - **[Malachi 4:2](/codex/malachi-4-2/)**, "the sun of *tzedaqah* will rise with healing" The Christological force: the Messiah is *tzaddik*, both perfectly righteous and the One who brings *tzedaqah* / *yeshu'ah* (salvation). ### Imputed *tzedeq*, the soteriological pivot **[Genesis 15:6](/codex/genesis-15-6/)**, *v'ya'min ba-YHWH va-yachsh'veha lo tzedaqah*, "Abraham believed God, and He credited it to him as *tzedaqah*." This is the foundational text for the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith. Paul cites it in [Romans 4](/codex/romans-4/) and [Galatians 3](/codex/galatians-3/), *tzedaqah* is *credited* / *imputed* through faith. See [G3049 - logizomai](/codex/g3049-logizomai/), [G1343 - dikaiosyne](/codex/g1343-dikaiosyne/), [G1344 - dikaioo](/codex/g1344-dikaioo/). ### *Tzedeq* as a divine gift Beyond [Genesis 15:6](/codex/genesis-15-6/), the prophets present *tzedaqah* as God's gift to His people: - **[Isaiah 45:8](/codex/isaiah-45-8/)**, "drip down, O heavens, and let the clouds pour down *tzedeq*" - **[Isaiah 51:5-6](/codex/isaiah-51-5-6/), [8](/codex/isaiah-51-8/)**, "*tzidqi* draws near, *yeshu'ati* has gone forth" - **[Isaiah 54:14](/codex/isaiah-54-14/), [17](/codex/isaiah-54-17/)**, "*tzedaqah* is from Me" - **[Isaiah 61:10-11](/codex/isaiah-61-10-11/); 62:1-2**, *tzedaqah* and salvation from God In these prophetic texts, *tzedaqah* is parallel with *yeshu'ah* (salvation), *tzedaqah* is God's saving-righteousness, His covenant-faithfulness manifested in deliverance. This grounds the Pauline *dikaiosynē theou*, the righteousness *of* God, given *to* His people as gift. ## Notable verses - **[Genesis 15:6](/codex/genesis-15-6/)**, Abraham's faith credited as *tzedaqah* - **[Genesis 18:19](/codex/genesis-18-19/), [23-32](/codex/genesis-18-23-32/)**, Abraham's intercession; *tzedeq* contested - **[Deuteronomy 16:18-20](/codex/deuteronomy-16-18-20/)**, *tzedeq tzedeq tirdof*, "righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue" - **[Deuteronomy 25:15](/codex/deuteronomy-25-15/)**, just weights - **[Psalm 9:8](/codex/psalms-9-8/)**, God will judge in *tzedeq* - **[Psalm 19:9](/codex/psalms-19-9/)**, *mishpetei YHWH emet, tzadqu yachdav*, God's judgments are true and righteous together - **[Psalm 22:31](/codex/psalms-22-31/)**, they will declare His *tzidqato* - **[Psalm 23:3](/codex/psalms-23-3/)**, "paths of *tzedeq*" - **[Psalm 71:15-19](/codex/psalms-71-15-19/)**, God's *tzidqekha* declared - **[Psalm 89:14](/codex/psalms-89-14/); 97:2**, foundation of God's throne - **[Psalm 119:137-144](/codex/psalms-119-137-144/)**, God's righteous statutes - **[Proverbs 8:8](/codex/proverbs-8-8/)**, Wisdom speaks in *tzedeq* - **[Isaiah 1:21](/codex/isaiah-1-21/), [27](/codex/isaiah-1-27/); 5:23; 11:4-5; 32:1, 16-17; 41:2, 10; 42:6, 21; 45:8, 13, 19, 21-25; 46:13; 51:1, 5-8; 53:11; 54:14, 17; 56:1; 58:2, 8; 59:9, 14, 16-17; 61:3, 10-11; 62:1-2; 63:1; 64:6**, extensive Isaianic *tzedaqah* - **[Jeremiah 22:13](/codex/jeremiah-22-13/), [15](/codex/jeremiah-22-15/); 23:5-6; 33:15-16**, Davidic-Messianic *tzedeq* - **[Daniel 9:7](/codex/daniel-9-7/), [14](/codex/daniel-9-14/), [24](/codex/daniel-9-24/)**, *tzedaqah* in penitential prayer - **[Hosea 10:12](/codex/hosea-10-12/)**, "sow with a view to *tzedaqah*; reap in *hesed*" - **[Amos 5:7](/codex/amos-5-7/), [24](/codex/amos-5-24/); 6:12**, *tzedeq* and *mishpat* in prophetic call - **[Micah 6:8](/codex/micah-6-8/)**, "to do *mishpat*, love *hesed*, walk humbly" - **[Habakkuk 2:4](/codex/habakkuk-2-4/)**, *tzaddik be'emunato yichyeh*, "the righteous shall live by his faith" (Reformation rallying-cry) ## Patristic / scholarly note The OT *tzedeq* tradition shapes the Pauline-Reformation doctrine of justification. See [G1343 - dikaiosyne](/codex/g1343-dikaiosyne/) for fuller treatment of the Reformation engagement. Modern OT theology: - Walter Brueggemann (*Theology of the Old Testament*, 1997) - Bruce Waltke (*An Old Testament Theology*, 2007) - John Goldingay (*Old Testament Theology*, 3 vols., 2003-09) - Mark Seifrid (*Christ, Our Righteousness*, 2000), Reformed *tzedeq* / *dikaiosynē* exposition ## See also - H6663 - tzadaq, verb to be righteous - *H6666 - tzedakah*, feminine cognate - [H4941 - mishpat](/codex/h4941-mishpat/), judgment / justice (paired) - [G1343 - dikaiosyne](/codex/g1343-dikaiosyne/), Greek equivalent - [G1344 - dikaioo](/codex/g1344-dikaioo/), to justify - [G1342 - dikaios](/codex/g1342-dikaios/), righteous (adj) - [Isaiah 53](/codex/isaiah-53/), *tzaddik* Servant - [Romans 5.8](/codex/romans-5-8/), Pauline application ## Notes _Lexical workspace for tzedeq._