Quick Definition
to judge
Strong's Definition
to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication, to vindicate or punish; by extenssion, to govern; passively, to litigate (literally or figuratively)
Derivation: a primitive root;
KJV Usage: [phrase] avenge, [idiom] that condemn, contend, defend, execute (judgment), (be a) judge(-ment), [idiom] needs, plead, reason, rule.
TWOT Reference: 2443
Outline of Biblical Usage
Septuagint (LXX) Greek Equivalents
This Hebrew word is translated by the following Greek words in the Septuagint:
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Hebrew Lexicon
שָׁפַט (sha.phat) — to judge. 1) to judge, govern, vindicate, punish 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to act as law-giver or judge or governor (of God, man) 1a1a) to rule, govern, judge 1a2) to decide controversy (of God, man) 1a3) to execute judgment 1a3a) discriminating (of man) 1a3b) vindicating 1a3c) condemning and punishing 1a3d) at theophanic advent for final judgment 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to enter into controversy, plead, have controversy together 1b2) to be judged 1c) (Poel) judge, opponent-at-law (participle)
UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew
verb · מִשְׁפָּט · שְׁפֹוט · שֶׁפֶט · שָׁפָט · שְׁפַטְיָה · שְׁפַטְיָהוּ · שִׁפְטָן
Judge | verb qal, verb nif | ≈ דבר · דין · יכח
to judge, to pronounce judgement, to administer justice, to decide (a case) = action by which humans or deities render a decision which is to settle a dispute
GEN 16:5 · GEN 31:53 · EXO 5:21 · EXO 18:13 · EXO 18:16 · EXO 18:22 · EXO 18:22 · EXO 18:26 · EXO 18:26 · LEV 19:15 · NUM 35:24 · DEU 1:16 · DEU 16:18 · DEU 25:1 · JDG 11:27 · 1SA 24:13 · 1SA 24:16 · 1KI 3:28 · 1KI 7:7 · 1KI 8:32 · 1CH 16:33 · 2CH 6:23 · 2CH 19:6 · JOB 21:22 · JOB 22:13 · PSA 9:5 · PSA 9:9 · PSA 9:20 · PSA 51:6 · PSA 58:2 · PSA 58:12 · PSA 67:5 · PSA 75:3 · PSA 82:1 · PSA 82:2 · PSA 82:8 · PSA 96:13 · PSA 96:13 · PSA 98:9 · PSA 98:9 · PRO 31:9 · ECC 3:17 · ISA 2:4 · ISA 5:3 · ISA 11:3 · ISA 16:5 · JER 5:28 · JER 11:20 · EZK 18:30 · EZK 23:24 · EZK 23:45 · EZK 33:20 · EZK 34:17 · EZK 34:20 · EZK 34:22 · EZK 36:19 · EZK 44:24 · JOL 4:12 · MIC 3:11 · MIC 4:3 · ZEC 7:9 · ZEC 8:16
Judge | verb qal
Collocation: שׁפט שָׁפֹוט
to play the judge, to play the ruler = action by which humans act like a person who settles disputes without the authority to do so
Judge | Relief | Safe | verb qal | ≈ דין · יכח · ישׁע · פלט · צדק · ריב | ≠ דכא
to judge, to vindicate, to deliver, to defend, to do justice = action by which humans and deities settle a dispute by rendering a decision that acquits the party that is innocent
1SA 24:16 · 2SA 18:19 · 2SA 18:31 · PSA 7:9 · PSA 10:18 · PSA 26:1 · PSA 35:24 · PSA 43:1 · PSA 72:4 · PSA 82:3 · PRO 29:14 · ISA 1:17 · ISA 1:23 · ISA 11:4 · LAM 3:59 · EZK 24:14
Judge | Chastise | verb qal, verb nif
to judge, to condemn, to punish = action by which humans or deities settle a dispute by rendering a decision that condemns the party that is guilty
1SA 3:13 · 2CH 20:12 · 2CH 22:8 · PSA 109:31 · JER 2:35 · EZK 7:3 · EZK 7:8 · EZK 7:27 · EZK 11:10 · EZK 11:11 · EZK 16:38 · EZK 20:4 · EZK 20:4 · EZK 21:35 · EZK 22:2 · EZK 22:2 · EZK 23:36 · EZK 35:11
Control | verb qal
to judge, to rule, to govern = action by which humans settle disputes found among a group of people, which often is a metonym for exercising leadership over that group
JDG 3:10 · JDG 4:4 · JDG 10:2 · JDG 10:3 · JDG 12:7 · JDG 12:8 · JDG 12:9 · JDG 12:11 · JDG 12:11 · JDG 12:13 · JDG 12:14 · JDG 15:20 · JDG 16:31 · RUT 1:1 · 1SA 4:18 · 1SA 7:6 · 1SA 7:15 · 1SA 7:16 · 1SA 7:17 · 1SA 8:5 · 1SA 8:6 · 1SA 8:20 · 1KI 3:9 · 1KI 3:9 · 2KI 15:5 · 2KI 23:22 · 2CH 1:10 · 2CH 1:11 · 2CH 26:21 · ISA 51:5 · DAN 9:12 · OBA 1:21
Leaders | verb qal, verb pe'al, verb po'el
judge, ruler = person who settles disputes found among a group of people, which often is a metonym for the person who exercises leadership over that group
GEN 18:25 · EXO 2:14 · NUM 25:5 · DEU 1:16 · DEU 16:18 · DEU 17:9 · DEU 17:12 · DEU 19:17 · DEU 19:18 · DEU 21:2 · DEU 25:2 · JOS 8:33 · JOS 23:2 · JOS 24:1 · JDG 2:16 · JDG 2:17 · JDG 2:18 · JDG 2:18 · JDG 2:18 · JDG 2:19 · JDG 11:27 · RUT 1:1 · 1SA 8:1 · 1SA 8:2 · 2SA 7:11 · 2SA 15:4 · 2KI 23:22 · 1CH 17:6 · 1CH 17:10 · 1CH 23:4 · 1CH 26:29 · 2CH 1:2 · 2CH 19:5 · 2CH 19:6 · EZR 7:25 · EZR 10:14 · JOB 9:15 · JOB 9:24 · JOB 12:17 · JOB 23:7 · PSA 2:10 · PSA 7:12 · PSA 50:6 · PSA 75:8 · PSA 94:2 · PSA 141:6 · PSA 148:11 · PRO 8:16 · ISA 1:26 · ISA 3:2 · ISA 33:22 · ISA 40:23 · DAN 9:12 · HOS 7:7 · HOS 13:10 · AMO 2:3 · MIC 4:14 · MIC 7:3 · ZEP 3:3
Conflict | verb nif | ≈ קרא · רִיב
to enter into judgement = action by which humans or deities engage in a dispute which is to be decided by a judge; the party starting the dispute may be the judge himself
1SA 12:7 · PRO 29:9 · ISA 43:26 · ISA 59:4 · ISA 66:16 · JER 25:31 · EZK 17:20 · EZK 20:35 · EZK 20:36 · EZK 20:36 · EZK 38:22 · JOL 4:2
1 EZK 44:24 MT-K לשׁפט | MT-Q מִשְׁפָּט 2 EZK 44:24 MT-K ושׁפטהו | MT-Q יִשְׁפְּטֻהוּ
UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon
שָׁפַט 185 vb. judge, govern Qal act as law-giver, judge, governor
specif. decide controversy, discriminate betw. persons, in civil, political, domestic and religious questions
execute judgment
Niph. recipr., enter into controversy, plead
pass. be judged
Pô‛el = my opponent-at-law
base