TR: chôq → dikaíōma (Statute / Righteous Ordinance)

The Chain

Hebrew OT              LXX (Greek OT)            Greek NT
─────────────────      ──────────────────────     ─────────────────────
חֹק (chôq)         →   δικαίωμα (dikaíōma)    →   δικαίωμα (dikaíōma)
H2706, 123x in OT       52x as translation          10x in NT
"enacted statute"        of chôq (PMI: 25.04)        "ordinance / righteous act"

OT Usage (Hebrew)

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary KJV
H2706	חֹק (chôq)	123	statute(s) 76%, decree 6.5%, ordinance 4%
H2708	חֻקָּה (chuqqâh)	104	same range as chôq (feminine form)
H2710	חָקַק (châqaq)	19	to engrave, to enact (root verb)

Key OT passages: - Deut 4:1 — "hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them" - Exo 12:24 — "ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever" - Psa 148:6 — "he hath made a decree which shall not pass" (cosmic fixed law) - Prov 8:29 — "When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment"

[Canonical study: H2706-choq.md]

LXX Bridge

Hebrew	Greek Translation	Co-occ	Notes
chôq (H2706)	δικαίωμα (G1345)	52x	Primary; PMI score 25.04
chôq (H2706)	φυλάσσω (G5442)	34x	Verb "to keep" — appears in "keep the statutes" constructions
chôq (H2706)	κρίμα (G2917)	23x	Used when chôq overlaps with judicial decree
chôq (H2706)	ἐντολή (G1785)	22x	Commandment — merges chôq with mitsvâh context
chôq (H2706)	νόμος (G3551)	17x	Law — used when chôq means the body of law

Also translates: chuqqâh (H2708) 35x, mishpâṭ (H4941) 63x, mitsvâh (H4687) 27x

Semantic shift in LXX translation: The translators chose δικαίωμα — literally "a righteous deed" or "that which has been decreed as right" — rather than νόμος (law) or ἐντολή (commandment). This choice emphasizes the equitable/just character of the enactment, not merely its legal force. The word carried built-in moral weight: a chôq rendered as δικαίωμα was not just a rule but a just ruling.

NT Usage (Greek)

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary KJV
G1345	δικαίωμα (dikaíōma)	10	ordinances, righteousness, judgment, justification

Key NT passages: - Luke 1:6 — "walking in all the commandments and ordinances (dikaíōmata) of the Lord blameless" — direct continuity with OT statute language - Rom 8:4 — "that the righteousness (dikaíōma) of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" — the "righteous requirement" of the law - Heb 9:1 — "the first covenant had also ordinances (dikaíōmata) of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary" - Heb 9:10 — "carnal ordinances (dikaíōmata), imposed on them until the time of reformation" - Rom 5:18 — "by the righteousness (dikaíōma) of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification" — here dikaíōma = the single righteous act of Christ

[Canonical study: G1345-dikaioma.md]

NT Semantic Development

NT Context	Translation	Meaning Shift
Luke 1:6; Heb 9:1,10	ordinances	Direct OT continuity — cultic/legal statutes
Rom 8:4; Rom 2:26	righteousness of the law	The aggregate righteous requirement the law demands
Rom 1:32	judgment of God	Divine decree/verdict
Rom 5:16,18	justification / righteousness	A single righteous act; the verdict of acquittal
Rev 19:8	righteousness of saints	Righteous deeds (plural)

Continuity and Shifts

What stays the same: - The core idea of a formally enacted righteous standard — whether divine statute in OT law or the "righteous requirement" of the law in Paul - The cultic/ritual dimension: Heb 9 uses dikaíōmata to describe the OT ceremonial ordinances, in direct continuity with LXX usage

What shifts: - In Paul (Rom 5:16,18), dikaíōma undergoes a singular-use shift: from "standing statute" to "one righteous act" (Christ's obedience), and to "the verdict of justification" — exploiting the root dikaio- family's forensic range - The cosmic decree sense (Psa 148:6; Prov 8:29) does not carry into NT usage of this word - The allotment/portion sense (Gen 47:22; Prov 30:8) similarly does not carry forward

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Generated from: gather_trace_data.py H2706, search_strongs.py --lexicon/--lookup/--lxx-map/--verses Last updated: 2026-04-01