G1342 — δίκαιος (díkaios)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1342
Original: δίκαιος
Transliteration: díkaios
Pronunciation: dik-ah'-yos
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: δίκη (G1349) — right, justice, penalty
Occurrences: 76 unique verses (81 tokens) across 20 NT books
First Occurrence: Mat 1:19 — "Then Joseph her husband, being a just [man]..."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G1349 (dikē); equitable (in character or act); by implication, innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively):—just, meet, right(-eous).

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - 088.002 — Just, Righteous - 066 — Proper, Fitting - 034 — Association / Covenant

Other words in 088.002: ἀδικέω (G91), ἀδικία (G93), ἄδικος (G94), δικαιοσύνη (G1343), δικαιόω (G1344), δικαίωμα (G1345), δικαίως (G1346), ἔνδικος (G1738)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [088] Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior - [066] Proper, Improper - [034] Association

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
righteous / the righteous / O righteous	30	39.5%
just / the just / a just	27	35.5%
right / is right	5	6.6%
meet	2	2.6%
other variants	12	15.8%

Primary renderings: righteous (39.5%) and just (35.5%) account for 75% of all uses.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Peter	3	4.9
1 John	5	4.8
2 Thessalonians	2	4.3
1 Peter	3	2.9
Titus	1	2.2
James	2	1.9
Romans	7	1.6
Matthew	16	1.5
2 Timothy	1	1.2
Revelation	5	1.2
Colossians	1	1.1
Luke	11	1.0
Hebrews	3	1.0
1 Timothy	1	0.9
Galatians	1	0.7
Acts	6	0.6
Ephesians	1	0.6
Mark	2	0.3
John	3	0.3
Philippians	2	—

Heaviest density in the General Epistles (1-2 Peter, 1 John, James). Matthew dominates by raw count (16x). Notably absent from Acts' narrative passages but concentrated in the speech material.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Righteous Character of God and Christ¶

God and Christ are described as dikaios — their nature is the standard of all righteousness. - John 17:25 — "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee" - 1 John 1:9 — "he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" - Rev 16:5 — "Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast" - Rev 19:2 — "true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore"

2. Christ as "The Just One" (Messianic Title)¶

A specific titular use — Jesus identified by name as the Just One, contrasted with a murderer or sinners. - Acts 3:14 — "ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer" - Acts 7:52 — "they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One" - Acts 22:14 — "that thou shouldest...see that Just One" - 1 Pet 3:18 — "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust"

3. The Righteous Person — Godly Character and Conduct¶

Applied to individuals recognized as righteous before God, often paired with devotion and obedience. - Mat 1:19 — Joseph "being a just [man]" - Luke 1:6 — Zacharias and Elizabeth "both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments" - Luke 2:25 — Simeon "the same man was just and devout" - Mark 6:20 — Herod knew John "was a just man and an holy"

4. Righteous vs. Sinners — The Division of Humanity¶

Dikaios used contrastively against sinners (hamartōlós), the wicked, or the unjust. - Mat 9:13 — "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" - Mat 13:49 — "the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just" - Rom 3:10 — "There is none righteous, no, not one" - Luke 15:7 — "ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance"

5. "The Just Shall Live by Faith" — OT Quotation (Hab 2:4)¶

A repeated NT quotation from Habakkuk; the strongest direct chain from Hebrew tsaddiq through LXX dikaios into NT theology. - Rom 1:17 — "as it is written, The just shall live by faith" - Gal 3:11 — "the just shall live by faith" - Heb 10:38 — "the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back..."

6. Just / Right Actions and Judgments¶

Dikaios applied to actions, decisions, or ordinances that conform to what is right. - John 5:30 — "my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will" - John 7:24 — "judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" - Col 4:1 — "Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal" - 2 Thess 1:6 — "it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theós)	G2316	16x (21%)	"righteous God," "just with God," God's righteous acts
κύριος (kýrios)	G2962	10x (13%)	"the Lord is righteous," prayers to righteous Lord
πατήρ (patḗr)	G3962	8x (11%)	"O righteous Father" / "children of your Father"
ἅγιος (hágios)	G40	7x (9%)	"holy and just" — paired moral qualities
ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlós)	G268	7x (9%)	righteous contrasted with sinner
κρίνω (krínō)	G2919	6x (8%)	"judge righteous judgment"
δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosýnē)	G1343	5x (7%)	dikaios + dikaiosynē — person and quality paired
κρίσις (krísis)	G2920	5x (7%)	"righteous judgment" — noun form of judging
πίστις (pístis)	G4102	5x (7%)	"the just shall live by faith" (Hab 2:4 quotation)
ἀγαθός (agathós)	G18	4x (5%)	"just and good" — ethical virtue pairing

Word Family (δικ- stem)¶

G1349 δίκη (dikē) — root noun: right, justice, penalty (4x NT)
G1343 δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosýnē) — righteousness (the abstract quality, 92x)
G1344 δικαιόω (dikaióō) — to justify, declare righteous (40x)
G1345 δικαίωμα (dikaíōma) — righteous decree or act (10x)
G1346 δικαίως (dikaíōs) — righteously, justly (5x adverb)
G1347 δικαίωσις (dikaíōsis) — justification, acquittal (2x)
G1341 δικαιοκρισία (dikaiokrisía) — righteous judgment (1x)

Synonyms¶

G18 ἀγαθός (agathos) — good; close ethical neighbor emphasizing goodness more than judicial rightness
G2570 καλός (kalos) — good, noble; overlaps where righteousness is visibly commendable
G121 ἀθῷος (athōos) — innocent, guiltless; near-synonym on the forensic side
G3717 ὀρθός (orthos) — straight, right; stresses rectitude and uprightness

Antonyms¶

G94 ἄδικος (adikos) — unjust, unrighteous (alpha-privative counterpart; clearest lexical opposite)
G268 ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos) — sinner (common contrast class: "the righteous" versus "sinners")
G765 ἀσεβής (asebēs) — ungodly (moral opposite in judgment and justification contexts)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἔνδικος (éndikos)	G1738	"just" (2x)	Emphasizes legal warrant — "within right/law"; dikaios is broader moral character
ἄξιος (áxios)	G514	"meet" (4x)	Worthiness or proportional fitness; dikaios emphasizes ethical rectitude
ἀγαθός (agathós)	G18	"good" (often paired)	Goodness as benefit-producing; dikaios as conformity to right standard

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
צַדִּיק (tsaddîyq)	H6662	182	32.40 — primary
צָדַק (tsâdaq)	H6663	22	17.16
צֶדֶק (tsedeq)	H6664	23	12.96
יָשָׁר (yâshâr)	H3477	21	11.88
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpâṭ)	H4941	41	11.47

The LXX translates Hebrew צַדִּיק (tsaddiq, H6662) with δίκαιος 182 times — a dominant, high-PMI bridge. Dikaios also appears opposite רָשָׁע (râshâʻ, "wicked") 83 times in the LXX, mirroring the OT's righteous/wicked antithetic pairing.