G1349 — δίκη (dikē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1349
Original: δίκη
Transliteration: dikē
Pronunciation: dee'-kay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: Probable primitive root; the foundational word of the entire δικ- family
Occurrences: 4 in NT (4 unique verses, 3 books)
First Occurrence: Acts 25:15 — "desiring [to have] judgment (dikē) against him"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Right (as self-evident), i.e. justice (the principle, a decision, or its execution): judgment, punished, vengeance.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 38.001: Punish — penal infliction, retributive consequence
Other words: βασανίζω (G928), ἐκδικέω (G1556), ἐκδίκησις (G1557), κολάζω (G2849), κόλασις (G2851), κρίσις (G2920), μαστιγόω (G3146)
Domain 56: Courts and Legal Procedures — justice as a forensic concept
Domain 12.001: Supernatural Beings — personified Justice (Acts 28:4)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
judgment	1	25%
yet vengeance	1	25%
shall be punished	1	25%
the vengeance	1	25%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1
Acts	2	0.2
Jude	1	—

Only 4 occurrences across 3 books. The word is rare in the NT despite being the etymological root of the entire δικ- family. Its rarity suggests the NT authors preferred the derived forms (dikaiosynē, dikaios, krisis) over the root noun itself.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Judicial Verdict / Condemnation¶

Acts 25:15 — "the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring [to have] judgment (dikē) against him" — a legal sentence sought from a court
2 Thess 1:9 — "Who shall be punished (dikē) with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" — divine judicial penalty

2. Retributive Justice / Vengeance¶

Acts 28:4 — "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance (dikē) suffereth not to live" — personified Justice that ensures wrongdoers receive due penalty
Jude 1:7 — "Sodom and Gomorrha... are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance (dikē) of eternal fire" — divine retribution as exemplary consequence

Usage Pattern¶

Two categories emerge: (1) forensic/judicial proceedings (Acts 25:15, 2 Thess 1:9) and (2) retributive justice as a cosmic principle (Acts 28:4, Jude 1:7). In Acts 28:4, dikē appears as a personified force (the barbarians treat Justice as a divine agent). In Jude 1:7 and 2 Thess 1:9, it describes the penalty itself rather than the principle.

Morphological Forms¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
Acts 28:4	Δίκη	Nominative Sg F — subject (personified Justice)
2 Thess 1:9	δίκην	Accusative Sg F — object of τίνω (pay a penalty)
Jude 1:7	δίκην	Accusative Sg F — object of ὑπέχω (undergo/suffer)

Acts 25:15 uses the accusative in the phrase κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ δίκην (judgment against him).

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
αἰώνιος (aiōnios)	G166	2x (50%)	"everlasting destruction" (2 Thess 1:9), "eternal fire" (Jude 1:7) — dikē paired with permanence

With only 4 verses, collocations are limited. The 50% co-occurrence with αἰώνιος is striking — half the uses of dikē involve eternal consequences.

Word Family / Cognates (δικ- root)¶

G1342 δίκαιος (dikaios) — adjective: righteous, just (81x) — G1342-dikaios
G1343 δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē) — noun: righteousness (92x) — G1343-dikaiosyne
G1344 δικαιόω (dikaioō) — verb: to justify, declare righteous (40x) — G1344-dikaioo
G1345 δικαίωμα (dikaiōma) — noun: ordinance, righteous act (10x) — G1345-dikaioma
G1346 δικαίως (dikaiōs) — adverb: righteously, justly (5x)
G1347 δικαίωσις (dikaiōsis) — noun: justification, acquittal (2x) — G1347-dikaiosis
G1341 δικαιοκρισία (dikaiokrisia) — noun: righteous judgment (1x)
G1556 ἐκδικέω (ekdikeō) — verb: to avenge, vindicate (4x) — ἐκ + δίκη compound
G1557 ἐκδίκησις (ekdikēsis) — noun: vengeance, vindication (9x) — ἐκ + δίκη compound
G1558 ἔκδικος (ekdikos) — adjective: avenger (2x) — ἐκ + δίκη compound

Negative Cognates (ἀ-privative + δικ-)¶

G91 ἀδικέω (adikeō) — verb: to do wrong, act unjustly (28x) — G91-adikeo
G93 ἀδικία (adikia) — noun: unrighteousness, injustice (25x)
G94 ἄδικος (adikos) — adjective: unjust, unrighteous (12x)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
κρίσις (krisis)	G2920	"judgment"	krisis = the judicial process or decision; dikē = the inherent right/justice or the penalty itself
ἐκδίκησις (ekdikēsis)	G1557	"vengeance"	ekdikēsis = the act of avenging/vindicating (a compound of ek + dikē); dikē = the justice principle being enforced
κόλασις (kolasis)	G2851	"punishment"	kolasis = corrective punishment or torment; dikē = judicial penalty as an expression of justice
τιμωρία (timōria)	G5098	"punishment"	timōria = retributive punishment emphasizing honor-satisfaction; dikē = penalty as execution of justice

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 38.001 — Punish)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation
G928	βασανίζω	4	tormented
G1371	διχοτομέω	3	cut asunder
G1556	ἐκδικέω	4	avenge
G1557	ἐκδίκησις	5	vengeance
G2009	ἐπιτιμία	1	punishment
G2210	ζημιόω	4	lose, suffer loss
G2849	κολάζω	2	punish
G2851	κόλασις	2	punishment, torment
G2920	κρίσις	38	judgment
G3146	μαστιγόω	3	scourge

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrence	PMI Score	Notes
רִיב (riyb)	H7379	6x	7.11	Contest, lawsuit — strongest statistical alignment
רִיב (riyb)	H7378	6x	7.08	Root verb: to contend, plead a case
נָקָם (naqam)	H5359	4x	8.38	Revenge, vengeance — highest PMI
נָקַם (naqam)	H5358	4x	7.43	Root verb: to avenge, take vengeance
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat)	H4941	5x	4.08	Verdict, judgment, justice — broad forensic term

The LXX translators used dikē primarily for רִיב (legal dispute/contention) and נָקָם (vengeance), confirming both the forensic and retributive dimensions of the word.