δικαιόω,
-ῶ; future
δικαιώσω; 1 aorist
ἐδικαίωσα; passive [present
δικαιοῦμαι]; perfect
δεδικαίωμαι; 1 aorist
ἐδικαιώθην; future
δικαιωθήσομαι; (
δίκαιος);
Sept. for
צִדֵּק and
הִצְדִּיק;
1. properly, (according to the analogy of other verbs ending in
όω, as
τυφλόω,
δουλόω)
to make δίκαιος;
to render righteous or
such as he ought to be; (
Vulg. justifico); but this meaning is extremely rare, if not altogether doubtful;
ἐδικαίωσα τὴν καρδίαν μου stands for
לְבָבִי זִכִּיתִי in
Psalm 72:13 (
Ps. 73:13) (unless
I have shown my heart to be upright be preferred as the rendering of the Greek there).
2. τινά,
to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered (
Ezekiel 16:51f;
τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ,
Jeremiah 3:11, and, probably,
δικαιοῦν δίκαιον,
Isaiah 53:11):
ἡ σοφία ἐδικαιώθη ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς, the wisdom taught and exemplified by John the Baptist, and by Jesus, gained from its disciples
(i. e. from their life, character, and deeds) the benefit of being shown to be righteous,
i. e. true and divine [cf. Buttmann, 322 (277); others interpret, was acknowledged to be righteous on the part of (nearly equivalent to by) her children; cf. Buttmann, 325 (280); see
ἀπό, II. 2 d. bb.],
Luke 7:35;
Matthew 11:19 [here T Tr text WH read
ἔργων,
i. e. by her works]; passive, of Christ:
ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, evinced to be righteous as to his spiritual (divine [(?) cf.
e. g. Ellicott at the passage or Meyer on
Romans 1:4]) nature,
1 Timothy 3:16; of God:
ὅπως δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου,
Romans 3:4 from
Psalm 50:6 (
Psalms 51:6) (
κύριος μόνος δικαιωθήσεται, Sir. 18:2); passive used reflexively,
to show oneself righteous: of men,
Revelation 22:11 Rec.; (
τί δικαιωθῶμεν;
Genesis 44:16).
3. τινά,
to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or
such as he ought to be, (cf.
ὁμοιόω to declare to be like, liken,
i. e. compare;
ὁσιόω, Wis. 6:11;
ἀξιόω, which never means
to make worthy, but
to judge worthy,
to declare worthy,
to treat as worthy; see also
κοινόω, 2 b.);
a. with the negative idea predominant,
to declare guiltless one accused or who may be accused,
acquitted of a charge or
reproach, (
Deuteronomy 25:1; Sir. 13:22 (Sir. 13:21), etc.; an unjust judge is said
δικαιοῦν τὸν ἀσεβῆ in
Exodus 23:7;
Isaiah 5:23):
ἑαυτόν,
Luke 10:29; passive
οὐ δεδικαίωμαι, namely, with God,
1 Corinthians 4:4; pregnantly with
ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν added, to be declared innocent and therefore to be absolved from the charge of sins [cf. Buttmann, 322 (277)],
Acts 13:38 (
Acts 13:39) (so
ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας, Sir. 26:29; simply,
to be absolved, namely, from the payment of a vow, Sir. 18:22 (Sir. 18:21)); hence, figuratively, by a usage not met with elsewhere,
to be freed, ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, from
its dominion, Romans 6:7, where cf. Fritzsche or [(less fully) Meyer].
b. with the positive idea predominant,
to judge, declare, pronounce, righteous and therefore acceptable, (God is said
δικαιοῦν δίκαιον,
1 Kings 8:32):
ἑαυτόν,
Luke 16:15;
ἐδικαίωσαν τὸν θεόν, declared God to be righteous,
i. e. by receiving the baptism declared that it had been prescribed by God rightly,
Luke 7:29; passive by God,
Romans 2:13;
ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, got his reputation for righteousness (namely, with his countrymen [but see Meyer (edited by Weiss) at the passage]) by works,
Romans 4:2;
ἐκ τῶν λόγων, by thy words, in contrast with
καταδικάζεσθαι, namely, by God,
Matthew 12:37. Especially is it so used, in the technical phraseology of Paul, respecting God who judges and declares such men as put faith in Christ to be righteous and acceptable to him, and accordingly fit to receive the pardon of their sins and eternal life (see
δικαιοσύνη, 1 c.): thus absolutely,
δικαιοῦν τινα,
Romans 3:26;
Romans 4:5;
Romans 8:30,
33 (namely,
ἡμᾶς, opposed to
ἐγκαλεῖν); with the addition of
ἐκ (
in consequence of)
πίστεως,
Romans 3:30;
Galatians 3:8; of
διὰ τῆς πίστεως,
Romans 3:30; men are said
δικαιοῦσθαι,
δικαιωθῆναι,
τῇ χάριτι τοῦ θεοῦ,
Titus 3:7;
δωρεὰν τῇ χάρ.
τ.
θεοῦ,
Romans 3:24 πίστει,
Romans 3:28;
ἐκ πίστεως, by means of faith,
Romans 5:1;
Galatians 2:16;
Galatians 3:24;
ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ (as the meritorious cause of their acceptance, as the old theologians say,
faith being the apprehending or subjective cause),
Romans 5:9;
ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, by confessing the name of the Lord (which implies faith in him,
Romans 10:10, cf.
2 Corinthians 4:13), and by the Spirit of God (which has awakened faith in the soul),
1 Corinthians 6:11;
ἐν Χριστῷ through Christ,
Galatians 2:17;
Acts 13:39; it is vehemently denied by Paul, that a man
δικαιοῦται ἐξ ἔργων νόμου,
Galatians 2:16 — with the addition
ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ,
i. e. of God,
Romans 3:20, cf.
Romans 3:28;
Romans 4:2, (see
δικαιοσύνη, 1 c. under the end); — a statement which is affirmed by James in
James 2:21,
24f (though he says simply
ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοῦται, significantly omitting
νόμου); to the same purport Paul denies that a man
δικαιοῦται ἐν νόμῳ, in obeying the law, or by keeping it,
Galatians 5:4; with the addition,
παρὰ τῷ θεῷ, in the sight of God,
Galatians 3:11.
Luke 18:14 teaches that a man
δικαιοῦται by deep sorrow for his sins, which so humbles him that he hopes for salvation only from divine grace.
The Pauline conceptions of
δίκαιος,
δικαιοσύνη,
δικαιόω, are elucidated especially by
Winzer, De vocabulis
δίκαιος, etc., in Ep. ad Rom., Lipsius 1831;
Usteri, Paulin. Lehrbegriff, p. 86f edition 4 etc.;
Neander, Gesch. der Pfianzung as above with ii., p. 567ff et passim, edition 3 [Robinson's translation of edition 4, pp. 382ff, 417ff];
Baur, Paulus, p. 572ff [(Zeller's) edition 2, vol. ii 145-183; English translation, vol. ii, p. 134ff];
Rauwenhoff, Disquisitio etc., Lugd. Bat. 1852;
Lipsius, Die paulin. Rechtfertigungslehre, Lpz. 1853;
Schmid, Biblical Theologie des
N. T., p. 562ff edition 2 [p. 558ff edition 4; English translation, p. 495f];
Ernesti, Vom Ursprung der Sϋnde as above with i., p. 152ff;
Messner, Lehre der Apostel, p. 256ff [summary by S. R. Asbury in Bib. Sacr. for 1870, p. 140f];
Jul. Kõstlin in the Jahrbb. fϋr deutsche Theol. 1856 fasc. 1, p. 85ff;
Wieseler, Commentar ϋ. d. Br. an d. Galater, pp. 176ff [see in Schaff's Lange's Rom., p. 122f];
Kahnis, Lutherische Dogmatik, Bd. i., p. 592ff;
Philippi, Dogmatik, v. 1, p. 208ff;
Weiss, Biblical Theol. des
N. T. § 65;
Ritschl, Die christl. Lehre v. d. Versõhnung u. Rechtf. ii. 318ff;
Pfleiderer, Paulinismus, p. 172ff [English translation, vol. i., p. 171ff; but especially Dr.
James Morison, Critical Exposition of the Third Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, pp. 163-198. On the patristic usage see
Reithmayr, Galaterbrief, p. 177f;
Cremer, Wõrterbuch, 4te Aufl., p. 285;
Suicer, Thesaurus under the word].
In classic Greek
δικαιόω (Ionic
δικαιέω, Herodotus) is:
1. equivalent to
δίκαιον νομίζω,
to deem right or
fair:
τί, often followed by the infinitive;
to choose what is
right and fair, hence, universally,
to choose, desire, decide: Herodotus, Sophocles, Thucydides, others.
2. with the accusative of person,
τὸ δίκαιον ποιῶ τινα to do one justice, in a bad sense, viz.
to condemn, punish, one: Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, others; hence,
δικαιοῦσθαι,
to have justice done oneself, to suffer justice, be treated rightly, opposed to
ἀδικεῖσθαι, Aristotle, eth. Nic. 5, 9, 11, p. 1136
a, 18ff (In like manner the German
rechtfertigen in its early forensic use bore a bad sense, viz. to try judicially (so for
ἀνακρίνειν,
Acts 12:19 Luther), then
condemn; execute judgment, especially
put to death.)
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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