TR: tsadaq → dikaioo (Righteousness/Justification)

The Chain

Hebrew OT          LXX (Greek OT)         Greek NT
───────────        ───────────────         ────────
צָדַק (tsadaq)  →  δικαιόω (dikaioo)   →  δικαιόω (dikaioo)
H6663, 41x         21x as translation      40x in NT
"be righteous"     of tsadaq               "justify"

OT Usage (Hebrew)

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
H6663	צָדַק (tsadaq)	41	be righteous, be vindicated, justify
H6662	צַדִּיק (tsaddiyq)	206	just, righteous (adjective)
H6664	צֶדֶק (tsedeq)	119	righteousness, justice (noun-m)
H6666	צְדָקָה (tsedaqah)	157	righteousness (noun-f)

Key OT passages: - Psalm 143:2 — "in thy sight shall no man living be justified (tsadaq)" - Isaiah 53:11 — "by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify (tsadaq) many" - Psalm 51:4 — "that thou mightest be justified (tsadaq) when thou speakest"

H6663-tsadaq.md — canonical word study

LXX Bridge

Hebrew	Greek Translation	Count	Notes
tsadaq (H6663)	δικαιόω (G1344)	21x	Primary verbal equivalent
tsadaq (H6663)	δίκαιος (G1342)	22x	Adjective form when describing state
tsaddiyq (H6662)	δίκαιος (G1342)	primary	Standard adjective mapping
tsedaqah (H6666)	δικαιοσύνη (G1343)	primary	Standard noun mapping

Semantic shift in translation: The Hebrew tsadaq covers a broader range including "be in the right" (relational/covenantal), "be vindicated" (passive), and "prove right by comparison" (Piel). The Greek δικαιόω narrows primarily to forensic declaration — "to declare/render righteous." The LXX translation choice shapes how NT authors use the concept, foregrounding the judicial dimension that Paul develops extensively.

NT Usage (Greek)

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
G1344	δικαιόω (dikaioo)	40	justify, declare righteous
G1343	δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosyne)	92	righteousness
G1342	δίκαιος (dikaios)	81	righteous, just
G1345	δικαίωμα (dikaioma)	10	ordinance, righteous act
G1347	δικαίωσις (dikaiosis)	2	justification

Key NT passages: - Romans 3:20 — "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified (dikaioo) in his sight" (echoing Ps 143:2) - Romans 3:24 — "Being justified (dikaioo) freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" - Galatians 2:16 — "a man is not justified (dikaioo) by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ"

WG-righteousness.md — Greek δικ- word family

Direct OT→NT Quotations

NT Verse	Quotes OT	Shared Word	Significance
Romans 3:4	Psalm 51:4 (LXX 50:6)	tsadaq → dikaioo	"that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings" — Paul quotes David's acknowledgment that God is righteous in judgment
Romans 3:20	Psalm 143:2	tsadaq → dikaioo	"no flesh be justified in his sight" — Paul adapts the Psalmist's declaration to establish universal need for grace

Continuity and Shifts

What stays the same across testaments: - The forensic/judicial dimension: both tsadaq (Hiphil) and dikaioo describe a declaration of righteous standing, not merely a moral description - The contrast with condemnation: tsadaq vs. rasha' (OT) parallels dikaioo vs. katakrino (NT) - The impossibility of human self-justification before God (Job 4:17, 9:2 → Rom 3:20, Gal 2:16)

What shifts: - OT tsadaq is distributed across 5 stems with distinct meanings (Qal = be righteous, Hiphil = declare righteous, Piel = prove right, Niphal = be vindicated); NT dikaioo carries primarily the Hiphil sense of forensic declaration - The OT Niphal (Dan 8:14 — vindication of the sanctuary) has no direct NT parallel via dikaioo; the concept of cosmic vindication takes different vocabulary in the NT - Paul's usage extends the Hiphil concept: justification shifts from a judge's verdict on the already-righteous (Deut 25:1) to God's gracious declaration over the ungodly (Rom 4:5) - The OT Piel sense (prove right by comparison, Jer 3:11, Ezek 16:51) largely drops out of NT usage

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