TR: tsedeq → dikaiosyne (Righteousness)¶

The Chain¶

Hebrew OT                  LXX (Greek OT)                  Greek NT
──────────────             ──────────────────               ──────────
צֶדֶק (tsedeq)         →  δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosyne)      →  δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosyne)
H6664, 112x in OT          81x as translation of tsedeq     85x in NT
"righteousness, right"     PMI score: 26.71                 "righteousness"

OT Usage (Hebrew)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
H6664	צֶדֶק (tsedeq)	112	righteousness, justice, right (abstract standard)
H6666	צְדָקָה (tsedaqah)	157	righteousness, righteous act, beneficence
H6663	צָדַק (tsadaq)	41	to be righteous, justify, vindicate
H6662	צַדִּיק (tsaddiq)	206	righteous, just (adj.)

Key OT passages (tsedeq): - Ps 89:14 — "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face." - Isa 45:8 — "Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together." - Dan 9:24 — "Seventy weeks are determined… to bring in everlasting righteousness."

→ H6664-tsedeq.md

LXX Bridge¶

Hebrew	Greek Translation	Count	Notes
tsedeq (H6664)	δικαιοσύνη (G1343)	81x	Primary noun-to-noun equivalence
tsedaqah (H6666)	δικαιοσύνη (G1343)	129x	Even stronger; same Greek word
mishpat (H4941)	δικαιοσύνη (G1343)	66x	"Justice" also rendered as dikaiosyne
emeth (H571)	δικαιοσύνη (G1343)	23x	"Truth" occasionally rendered as dikaiosyne

Semantic continuity: The LXX translators chose dikaiosyne as the primary rendering for both tsedeq and tsedaqah. This is a stable noun-to-noun mapping with minimal semantic drift — the Greek preserves both the abstract standard (tsedeq) and the concrete acts (tsedaqah) under a single term. The dual coverage of tsedeq and tsedaqah by one Greek word means the NT use of dikaiosyne has inherited both the normative (what is right) and the active (right-doing) aspects of the Hebrew concept.

NT Usage (Greek)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
G1343	δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosyne)	85	righteousness, justness
G1342	δίκαιος (dikaios)	79	righteous, just (adj.)
G1344	δικαιόω (dikaioo)	40	justify, declare righteous
G1345	δικαίωμα (dikaioma)	10	righteous requirement, ordinance

Key NT passages (dikaiosyne): - Rom 1:17 — "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." - Matt 5:6 — "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." - 1 Cor 1:30 — "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."

→ G1343-dikaiosyne.md

Direct OT→NT Quotations¶

NT Verse	Quotes OT	Shared Concept	Significance
Rom 1:17	Hab 2:4	tsaddiq → dikaios	"The just shall live by faith" — roots justification in OT righteousness
Matt 21:32	—	tsedeq → dikaiosyne	"John came in the way of righteousness" — OT ethical norm applied to John
2 Pet 2:5	—	tsaddiq/tsedeq → dikaios	Noah called "a preacher of righteousness"

Continuity and Shifts¶

What stays the same across testaments: - The association of dikaiosyne/tsedeq with God's character ("habitation of his throne," Ps 89:14 → "the righteousness of God," Rom 1:17) - The pairing with judgment/krima (mishpat–tsedeq → krisis–dikaiosyne) - The eschatological dimension: OT pouring-down of righteousness (Isa 45:8) → NT kingdom righteousness (Matt 6:33) - Righteousness as both God's attribute and the standard for human conduct

What shifts: - In the OT, tsedeq primarily describes the normative standard (what is right) in legal, social, and cosmic contexts. NT dikaiosyne gains a forensic justification dimension (especially in Paul) — a righteousness imputed or credited to the believer (Rom 4:3–6), building on but extending the OT usage. - The tsedaqah/charity sense (almsgiving, concrete beneficence) common in post-biblical Hebrew does not dominate NT dikaiosyne, which skews more toward the Pauline forensic/ethical sense.