Rightness (abstractly), subjectively ( rectitude ), objectively ( justice ), morally ( virtue ) or figuratively ( prosperity )
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through theConnect page. Screenshots are helpful.
צְדָקָה (ṣĕdāqāh) is a Hebrew noun whose range includes righteousness, rightness, just conduct, vindication, generous action, and saving intervention. Genesis 15:6 uses it when Abram’s trust in the LORD is credited to him as righteousness.
Reader summary
Full entry for צְדָקָה (H6666) · Open the biblical lexicon
צְדָקָה (ṣĕdāqāh) is a Hebrew noun whose range includes righteousness, rightness, just conduct, vindication, generous action, and saving intervention. Genesis 15:6 uses it when Abram’s trust in the LORD is credited to him as righteousness.
The BSB source-word alignment has 157 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and righteousness (20), righteousness (18), Your righteousness (9), and right (8), of righteousness (8).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 15:6. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (36), Psalms (34), Ezekiel (20), Proverbs (18).
צְדָקָה (ṣĕdāqāh) is a Hebrew noun whose range includes righteousness, rightness, just conduct, vindication, generous action, and saving intervention. Genesis 15:6 uses it when Abram’s trust in the Lord is credited to him as righteousness. Deuteronomy 24:13 uses it when returning a poor borrower’s cloak is credited as righteousness before God. These passages share accountability to what is right, but they do not describe the same event. One concerns trust in God’s promise, and the other concerns merciful obedience toward a neighbor. The noun’s possessor, verb, parallel terms, and covenant setting determine which part of its range is prominent.
Tsedaqah can describe human conduct made visible in economic, judicial, and communal life. Psalm 112:9 joins enduring righteousness to generous giving to the poor. Amos 5:24 pairs righteousness with justice in a prophetic demand that rejected worship give way to a sustained right order. Jeremiah 22:3 requires kings to administer justice and righteousness by rescuing victims of robbery and refusing violence against foreigners, orphans, and widows. Righteousness is therefore not only a private opinion about oneself. It reaches trust, money, power, neighbor treatment, and the willingness to do what God calls right.
The noun also describes God’s righteous acts, vindication, and saving faithfulness. Judges 5:11 recounts the Lord’s righteous acts in deliverance. Isaiah 46:13 brings God’s righteousness near in parallel with salvation. These texts do not redefine righteousness as rescue without moral truth; they show the righteous God acting to keep His word, judge what is wrong, save His people, and establish what is right. Later Scripture cites Genesis 15:6 in teaching about justification and Psalm 112:9 in teaching about generosity. Those inspired uses matter, but they do not make every occurrence a technical statement about one doctrine. Tsedaqah gathers credited standing, right conduct, generosity, public justice, vindication, and saving action into a coherent field that must still be interpreted one passage at a time.
Tsedaqah names righteousness as credited rightness, practiced conduct, generosity, justice, vindication, or God’s saving action. Torah, song, wisdom, prophecy, and later canonical citation keep these senses related to what is right before God while allowing each passage’s subject, verb, and setting to control the emphasis.
Abram believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Abram believes the Lord’s promise and righteousness is credited to him, making trust and divine reckoning central to this occurrence.
Be sure to return it to him by sunset, so that he may sleep in his own cloak and bless you, and this will be credited to you as righteousness before the Lord your God.
Returning a poor borrower’s cloak before nightfall is credited as righteousness, locating right conduct in a merciful economic obligation.
The voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates:
The victory song recounts the Lord’s righteous acts in deliverance and the deeds experienced among His people, emphasizing enacted faithfulness.
He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.
The righteous person’s scattered gifts to the poor stand beside enduring righteousness and honor, making generosity visible within faithful character.
I am bringing My righteousness near; it is not far away, and My salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion and adorn Israel with My splendor.
God brings His righteousness near in parallel with salvation for Zion, presenting righteousness as His imminent saving intervention.
But let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Righteousness must flow with justice after God rejects Israel’s worship, so communal rightness cannot be replaced by religious performance.
This is what the Lord says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.
Royal righteousness takes shape through rescue from oppression and protection of vulnerable residents, testing power by concrete neighbor responsibility.
The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.
The righteousness of the righteous person remains with that responsible person in a chapter that rejects transferred guilt and calls sinners to turn and live.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Righteousness as both relational right-standing with God and active justice toward others—covenantal wholeness.
Righteousness as both relational right-standing with God and active justice toward others—covenantal wholeness.
rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity) BDB: righteousness Usage: justice, moderately, right(-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 159 lexical occurrence verses.
צְדָקָה is built from this root:
Righteousness represents the path that leads to life and protection.Isaiah 32:9-20
Righteous living aligns a person with God's moral order and produces lasting reward.Isaiah 45:14-19
Righteousness represents alignment with God's moral order.Isaiah 46:12-13
Righteousness represents the only true protection against divine judgment.Isaiah 48:17-19
Righteousness determines the direction of a person's life.Isaiah 5:1-7
Righteousness functions as the protective moral alignment that brings deliverance.Isaiah 51:4-8
It highlights God’s moral integrity and faithful action throughout redemptive history.Micah 6:1-5
Identifies the moral transformation produced by the Spirit.Proverbs 10:2
Describes the moral integrity of God’s saving word.
Represents the saving righteousness God brings near.
Represents the moral fruit of heeding God’s commands.
Righteousness defines the character of covenant faithfulness and anticipates the need for a righteous Redeemer.
Affirms the moral and covenant integrity of God’s salvation.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Tsedaqah asks how what is right before God becomes visible in trust, action, and hope. Abram receives God’s promise by faith and righteousness is credited to him. A borrower receives a cloak back at sunset and that merciful obedience is credited as righteousness. A generous person gives to the poor. Prophets demand righteousness where worship, power, and public life have become corrupt.
Israel sings of the Lord’s righteous acts, and Isaiah announces God’s righteousness drawing near with salvation. These uses cannot be flattened into one formula, yet neither are they disconnected. God defines and establishes what is right; human boasting is excluded; neighbor-facing obedience matters; and divine salvation never becomes morally indifferent. The New Testament’s use of Genesis 15:6 and Psalm 112:9 confirms that credited righteousness and generous conduct both belong to the canonical field while remaining distinct claims.
Faithful teaching therefore holds grace, faith, repentance, justice, generosity, and hope together under the righteous God.
Gen.15.6
Tsedaqah is a feminine noun in the Hebrew righteousness word family. Possessive suffixes, verbs such as credit or bring near, parallel nouns such as mishpat, and the identity of the acting subject distinguish credited rightness, conduct, vindication, generosity, and saving action.
Romans 4 and Galatians 3 cite Genesis 15:6 when explaining faith and righteousness apart from human boasting. Second Corinthians 9 cites Psalm 112:9 in an appeal for generous giving. The New Testament also speaks of God’s righteousness in salvation and judgment through its own Greek vocabulary. These inspired connections relate standing, gift, and transformed conduct while preserving the argument of each cited passage.