H6662 — צַדִּיק (tsaddiyq)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H6662
Original: צַדִּיק
Transliteration: tsaddîyq
Pronunciation: tsad-deek
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: H6663 צָדַק (tsadaq) — to be righteous, to be just
Occurrences: 197 unique verses (210 tokens) in 25 books
First Occurrence: Gen 6:9 — "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H6663 (tsadaq); just — just, lawful, righteous (man).

Denotes a person (or God) who conforms to a standard of right conduct, justice, or covenant faithfulness. Used both as a substantive adjective ("the righteous one/ones") and attributively ("a righteous man").

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
righteous (all forms)	~152	~77%
just (all forms)	~43	~22%
lawful	1	<1%

Primary phrase forms: "the righteous" (47v), "of the righteous" (38v), "righteous" (26v), "The righteous" (14v), "just" (12v), "of the just" (8v), "the just" (8v)

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Proverbs	66	7.2
Habakkuk	3	5.4
Ecclesiastes	7	3.2
Psalms	50	2.0
Zephaniah	1	1.9
Malachi	1	1.8
Amos	2	1.4
Lamentations	2	1.3
Ezekiel	14	1.1
Isaiah	12	0.9
Job	7	0.7
Genesis	8	0.5
Nehemiah	2	0.5
Zechariah	1	0.5
Hosea	1	0.5
Deuteronomy	4	0.4
Ezra	1	0.4
2 Samuel	2	0.3
Daniel	1	0.3
Exodus	3	0.2
2 Chronicles	2	0.2
Jeremiah	3	0.2
1 Kings	2	0.2
2 Kings	1	0.1
1 Samuel	1	0.1

Dominant in wisdom literature: Proverbs (66v, 7.2/100) and Psalms (50v) account for ~59% of all occurrences. Notably dense in Habakkuk (5.4/100) for its size.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Righteous vs. The Wicked (Antithetical Contrast)¶

The dominant usage — tsaddiyq appears in direct antithetical parallelism with רָשָׁע (rasha, H7563) in 81 verses (41% of all occurrences). The righteous and wicked are contrasted in character, speech, fate, and God's response. This pairing drives most of Proverbs.

Pro 10:6 — "Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked."
Pro 10:25 — "As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation."
Pro 28:1 — "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."
Mal 3:18 — "Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not."

2. God as Righteous (Divine Attribute)¶

Applied to YHWH to describe His moral character — especially in covenant contexts, confessions of sin, and responses to judgment. God's righteousness is confessed by those acknowledging their own guilt.

Exo 9:27 — "The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked."
Lam 1:18 — "The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment."
Jer 12:1 — "Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee."
Dan 9:14 — "The LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth."

3. Judicial/Legal Standing (The One in the Right)¶

In legal settings tsaddiyq denotes the party legally innocent or acquitted, as opposed to the guilty/condemned. Also applied to righteous laws and just rulers.

Exo 23:7 — "The innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked."
Deu 25:1 — "Then shall they justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked."
2Sa 23:3 — "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God."
Deu 4:8 — "What nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law."

4. Righteous Conduct / Ethical Character¶

The tsaddiyq is one who acts with integrity, avoids lying, cares for the poor, and lives uprightly. Behavior defines the category — righteousness is expressed in daily ethical life.

Eze 18:5 — "But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right..."
Pro 13:5 — "A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome."
Pro 20:7 — "The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him."
Pro 29:7 — "The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it."

5. Destiny and Future Hope of the Righteous¶

A cluster of uses — especially in Psalms and Proverbs — about what awaits the tsaddiyq: divine protection, inheritance, fruitfulness, and ultimate vindication.

Pro 10:30 — "The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth."
Pro 14:32 — "But the righteous hath hope in his death."
Pro 11:28 — "But the righteous shall flourish as a branch."
Isa 3:10 — "Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."

6. The Just Who Lives by Faith (Prophetic)¶

Prophetic usage connects tsaddiyq with faithful trust in YHWH amid injustice and adversity — notably in Habakkuk 2:4, which becomes a key NT quotation.

Hab 2:4 — "But the just shall live by his faith."
Hab 1:4 — "The wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth."
Isa 53:11 — "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many."
Jer 23:5 — "I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
רָשָׁע (rasha)	H7563	81x (41%)	"the righteous and the wicked" — antithetical parallelism
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	41x (21%)	"the LORD [is/blesses/watches over] the righteous"
רַע (ra)	H7451	21x (11%)	"no evil shall happen to the just"
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat)	H4941	19x (10%)	righteousness and justice as paired concepts
טוֹב (tov)	H2896	13x (7%)	"it shall be well with the righteous"
יָשָׁר (yashar)	H3477	13x (7%)	"just and upright" — synonymous pair
צְדָקָה (tsedaqah)	H6666	13x (7%)	adjective with its cognate noun in same verse
דֶּרֶךְ (derek)	H1870	12x (6%)	"the way/path of the just"

Word Family / Cognates¶

H6663 צָדַק (tsadaq) — root verb: to be righteous, to be in the right, to justify
H6664 צֶדֶק (tsedeq) — abstract noun: rightness, equity, the right thing
H6666 צְדָקָה (tsedaqah) — noun: righteousness, justice, acts of fidelity/charity

Synonyms¶

H3477 יָשָׁר (yashar) — "straight, upright"; overlaps with tsaddiyq in wisdom texts for the morally right person.
H5355 נָקִי (naqiy) — "innocent, guiltless"; overlaps in judicial settings where the righteous person is the one cleared of guilt.
H8549 תָּמִים (tamim) — "complete, perfect, upright"; shares the blameless-integrity profile of the righteous man.
H2587 חַנּוּן (channun) — "gracious"; surfaced by search_relationships.py as a neighboring virtue term.
H2896 טוֹב (tov) — "good"; broad moral-good term overlapping with tsaddiyq in ethical valuation.
H7349 רַחוּם (rachum) — "compassionate, merciful"; adjacent virtue term where righteousness is expressed in merciful conduct.

Antonyms¶

H7563 רָשָׁע (rasha) — "wicked"; the standard opposite in Psalms/Proverbs antithesis ("the righteous and the wicked").

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
יָשָׁר (yashar)	H3477	both: "righteous", "upright"	yashar = straight/level (geometric metaphor); tsaddiyq = conforming to a legal/moral standard
צֶדֶק (tsedeq)	H6664	both: "righteous", "just"	tsedeq = the abstract quality or state of rightness; tsaddiyq = the person who embodies it
צָדַק (tsadaq)	H6663	both: "righteous"	tsadaq = the verbal action (to act justly, be justified); tsaddiyq = the adjectival state (being righteous)
שָׁלֵם (shalem)	H8003	both occasionally: "just"	shalem = complete/whole/at peace; tsaddiyq = conforming to moral/legal right

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[002001002016] Just — search_relationships.py places tsaddiyq in the justice / being-in-the-right field.
[002001003014] Right — highlights the "straight/right/correct" side of the word's ethical meaning.
[002003003015] Innocent — reflects the legal-innocence and blameless-standing side of the adjective.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
δίκαιος (díkaios)	G1342	182	6.22	Primary — overwhelmingly dominant rendering
δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosýnē)	G1343	19	3.13	Occasional — abstract noun used for adjectival sense
δικαιόω (dikaióō)	G1344	6	4.62	Rare — verbal form used to render the adjective
εὐθύς (euthýs)	G2117	8	3.99	Rare — "straight/upright" overlap with yashar
ὅσιος (hósios)	G3741	5	3.85	Rare — "devout/holy" aspect of righteousness

The LXX bridges tsaddiyq almost exclusively to G1342 δίκαιος (dikaios), establishing the NT vocabulary for "the righteous" and "the just."