Righteousness

Righteousness (Hebrew צדק, tsdq;, צְדָקָה, tsedaqah;, צַדִּיק, tsaddiq; Greek δικαιοσύνη, dikaiosynē, δίκαιος, dikaios). The quality, state, and characteristic of being in the right.

The English word “righteousness” refers to the quality of being righteous or in the right and is cognate to “just,” “justness,” and “justice.” In biblical usage, “righteousness” possesses ethical, forensic, salvific, and socioreligious connotations, depending on the context. Generally speaking, in relation to God, “righteousness” can refer to a divine attribute or to a divine activity, while in relation to human subjects, “righteousness” primarily denotes a legal and social status or a moral state.

Righteousness in the Jewish World

Understanding righteousness in its Jewish context requires the examination of key words in the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, and early Judaism.

Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew words tsdq, tsedaqah, and tsdyq are ordinarily translated as “righteous” or “just,” as they pertain to doing right or being just. Scholars debate whether the underlying root concept means adherence to a norm, or right relationship. On the former, we read in Jer 4:2 about an oracle where Israel is urged to confess “in truth, in justice, and in righteousness” that Yahweh…