tsadak · be righteous, justify

What it means

tsadak (צָדַק) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “be righteous, justify”.

Be in the right, be righteous; in another form, declare righteous, justify.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To be in the clear before God.
2. To pronounce someone in the clear, defend their cause.
3. To be restored: "the sanctuary will be restored".

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• righteous ×24
• be righteous ×6
• right ×3
• I were righteous ×2
• declaring righteous ×2
• I would do him justice ×1
• do justice ×1
• making ×1
• will be vindicated ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×2
• Exodus×1
• Deuteronomy×1
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×1
• 2 Chronicles×1
• Job×17
• Psalms×4
• Proverbs×1
• Isaiah×6
• Jeremiah×1
• Ezekiel×3
• Daniel×2

• Genesis 38:26

  Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he did not again know her.

• Genesis 44:16

  Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? And how shall we declare ourselves righteous? Elohim has found out the iniquity of your servants. Here we are, slaves to my lord, both we and the one in whose hand the cup was found.”

• Exodus 23:7

  Keep far from a false matter, and do not kill the innocent and the righteous, for I will not declare righteous the wicked.

• Deuteronomy 25:1

  If there is a dispute between men, and they come near to judgment, and they judge them, they shall declare righteous the righteous and declare wicked the wicked.

• 2 Samuel 15:4

  And Absalom would say, “Who would make me judge in the land! Then to me every man who had a dispute or judgment would come, and I would do him justice.”

• 1 Kings 8:32

  then you listen in the heavens, and act, and judge your servants, declaring wicked the wicked, putting his way on his head, and declaring righteous the righteous, giving him according to his righteousness.

• 2 Chronicles 6:23

  then you listen from the heavens, and act, and judge your servants, repaying the wicked by putting his way on his head, and declaring righteous the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

• Job 4:17

  ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than Eloah? Can a man be purer than his Maker?

• Job 9:2

  “Certainly I know that it is so; but how can a mortal be righteous before El?

• Job 9:15

  Though I were righteous, I could not answer; to my judge I would plead.

• Job 9:20

  Though I were righteous, my own mouth would declare me wicked; blameless I am, and he would declare me crooked.

• Job 10:15

  If I am wicked, woe to me; and if I am righteous, I will not lift my head, sated with dishonor and seeing my affliction.

• Job 11:2

  “Shall a multitude of words not be answered? Or shall a man of lips be righteous?

• Job 13:18

  Look, please: I have set in order my case; I know that I will be found righteous.

• Job 15:14

  What is the mortal, that he should be pure, and that one born of woman should be righteous?

• Job 22:3

  Does Shaddai have an interest in your being righteous, or is it gain that you make blameless your ways?

• Job 25:4

  And how can a mortal be righteous before El, and how can one born of woman be pure?

• Job 27:5

  Far be it from me that I declare righteous you; until I expire I will not remove my integrity from me.

• Job 32:2

  Then the anger of Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned; against Job his anger burned because he declared himself righteous more than Elohim.

• Job 33:12

  Look, in this you are not in the right, I answer you, for Eloah is greater than mortal.

• Job 33:32

  If there are words, answer me; speak, for I desire to declare you righteous.

• Job 34:5

  For Job has said, ‘I am in the right, and El has taken away my right.

• Job 35:7

  If you are righteous, what do you give him? Or what from your hand does he receive?

• Job 40:8

  Will you even annul my right? Will you declare me wicked so that you may be in the right?

• Psalms 19:9

  The fear of YHWH is pure, enduring forever; the rules of YHWH are truth; they are righteous altogether.

• Psalms 51:4

  Against you, against you alone, I have sinned, and what is evil in your eyes I have done, so that you may be righteous when you speak, pure when you judge.

• Psalms 82:3

  Judge the poor and the orphan; do justice to the afflicted and the destitute.

• Psalms 143:2

  And do not enter into judgment with your servant, for before you no living one will be righteous.

• Proverbs 17:15

  Whoever declares the wicked righteous and whoever declares the righteous wicked, an abomination to YHWH are both of them.

• Isaiah 5:23

  who declare righteous the wicked for a bribe, and the righteousness of the righteous they take away from him!

• Isaiah 43:9

  Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and make us hear the former things? Let them give their witnesses and be declared righteous; and let them hear and say, “It is truth.”

• Isaiah 43:26

  Remind me; let us enter into judgment together; recount it yourself, so that you may be declared righteous.

• Isaiah 45:25

  In YHWH all the offspring of Israel will be declared righteous and will glory.”

• Isaiah 50:8

  Near is he who declares me righteous; who will contend with me? Let us stand up together; who is my adversary in judgment? Let him come near to me.

• Isaiah 53:11

  From the suffering of his soul he will see, and be satisfied; by his knowledge will declare righteous the righteous one, my servant, the many, and their iniquities he will bear.

• Jeremiah 3:11

  And YHWH said to me, “Apostate Israel has shown herself righteous more than treacherous Judah.

• Ezekiel 16:51

  And Samaria has not sinned half of your sins; you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all your abominations that you have done.

• Ezekiel 16:52

  You also, bear your disgrace, you who arbitrated for your sisters; through your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more righteous than you. So you also, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, in making your sisters appear righteous.

• Daniel 8:14

  And he said to me, “Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be vindicated.”

• Daniel 12:3

  And the insightful will shine like the brightness of the vault, and those who make the many righteous, like the stars forever and ever.

And 1 more times.