1349. diké

Lexicon

diké: Justice, judgment, punishment, vengeance

Original Word: δίκη
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: diké
Pronunciation: dee-KAY
Phonetic Spelling: (dee'-kay)
Definition: Justice, judgment, punishment, vengeance
Meaning: (a) (originally: custom, usage) right, justice, (b) process of law, judicial hearing, (c) execution of sentence, punishment, penalty, (d) justice, vengeance.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

penalty, punishment

Probably from deiknuo; right (as self-evident), i.e. Justice (the principle, a decision, or its execution) -- judgment, punish, vengeance.

see GREEK deiknuo

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 1349 díkē – properly, right, especially a judicial verdict which declares someone approved or disapproved; a judgment (just finding) that regards someone (something) as "guilty" or "innocent." See 1343 (dikaiosynē).

[1349 (díkē) is used in classical Greek for a legal decision – a recompense (based on justice). In the LXX, dikē is used nine times to translate rî, the Hebrew term for "law-suit."]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
right (as self-evident), justice (the principle, a decision or its execution)
NASB Translation
justice (1), penalty (1), punishment (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1349: δίκη

δίκη, δίκης, ἡ (allied with δεικηυμι, Curtius, § 14), from Homer down;

1. custom, usage, (cf. Schmidt, chapter 18, 4 cf. 3).

2. right, justice.

3. a suit at law.

4. a judicial hearing, judicial decision, especially a sentence of condemnation; so in Acts 25:15 (L T Tr WH καταδίκην).

5. execution of the sentence, punishment, (Wis. 18:11; 2 Macc. 8:11): δίκην ὑπέχειν, Jude 1:7; δίκην (Sophocles El. 298; Aj. 113; Euripides, Or. 7), to suffer punishment, 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

6. the goddess Justice, avenging justice: Acts 28:4, as in Greek writings often from Hesiod theog. 902 on; (of the avenging justice of God, personified, Wis. 1:8, etc.; cf. Grimm at the passage and commentary on 4 Macc., p. 318, (he cites 4 Macc. 4:13, 21; 8:13, 21; 9:9; 11:3; 12:12; 18:22; Philo adv. Flacc. § 18; Eusebius, h. e. 2, 6, 8)).

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek root δέχομαι (dechomai), meaning "to receive" or "to accept."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • Strong's Hebrew 4941: מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) – Often translated as "judgment" or "justice," this term is used throughout the Old Testament to describe legal decisions, divine decrees, and the administration of justice.
• Strong's Hebrew 1779: דִּין (din) – Meaning "judgment" or "cause," this word is used to denote legal proceedings or the act of judging.

These Hebrew terms share thematic similarities with δίκη, reflecting the consistent biblical emphasis on justice and righteousness as foundational to God's dealings with humanity.

Usage: In the New Testament, δίκη is used to convey the idea of divine justice or retribution. It is often associated with the righteous judgment of God and the consequences that follow human actions.

Context: The Greek word δίκη appears in the New Testament to express the principle of justice, particularly in the context of divine judgment. It is used to describe the rightful administration of justice, whether through human or divine means. The term is found in several key passages, illustrating the biblical theme of God's righteous judgment and the moral order of the universe.

In Acts 28:4, the term is personified as "Justice" when the islanders of Malta interpret Paul's survival from a snake bite as a sign that "Justice" has not allowed him to live, implying a belief in a divine or cosmic order that ensures wrongdoing is punished. The Berean Standard Bible translates this passage as: "When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.'"

The concept of δίκη is also present in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, where it refers to the eternal punishment that awaits those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. The passage underscores the certainty and severity of divine retribution: "They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might."

The use of δίκη in the New Testament reflects a broader biblical understanding of justice as an essential attribute of God's character. It emphasizes the moral accountability of individuals and the ultimate vindication of righteousness.

Forms and Transliterations

δίκας δικη δίκη δικην δίκην δίκης dike dikē díke díkē diken dikēn díken díkēn

Englishman's Concordance

Acts 28:4 N-NFS
GRK: θαλάσσης ἡ δίκη ζῇν οὐκ
NAS: from the sea, justice has not allowed
KJV: the sea, yet vengeance suffereth
INT: sea Justice to live not

2 Thessalonians 1:9 N-AFS
GRK: οἵτινες δίκην τίσουσιν ὄλεθρον
NAS: will pay the penalty of eternal
KJV: Who shall be punished with everlasting
INT: who [the] penalty will suffer destruction

Jude 1:7 N-AFS
GRK: πυρὸς αἰωνίου δίκην ὑπέχουσαι
NAS: in undergoing the punishment of eternal
KJV: suffering the vengeance of eternal
INT: of fire eternal [the] penalty undergoing

Strong's Greek 1349
3 Occurrences

δίκη — 1 Occ.
δίκην — 2 Occ.