1349. diké
Lexical Summary
diké: Justice, judgment, punishment, vengeance

Original Word: δίκη
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: diké
Pronunciation: dee-KAY
Phonetic Spelling: (dee'-kay)
KJV: judgment, punish, vengeance
NASB: justice, penalty, punishment
Word Origin: [probably from G1166 (δεικνύω - show)]

1. right (as self-evident)
2. justice (the principle, a decision, or its execution)

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 , 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, (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
Semantic Scope and Conceptual Background

δίκη carries the idea of justice rendered—both in the positive sense of righteous order and in the negative sense of retributive penalty. In classical Greek it could indicate (1) the principle of right, (2) the legal process, or (3) the sentence handed down. When taken into the Septuagint it frequently translated Hebrew words for “judgment” or “vengeance,” thereby rooting it in the divine character as the One who “does no wrong” and whose “ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

Occurrences in the New Testament Record

1. Acts 28:4: The Maltese barbarians witness the snake fasten on Paul’s hand and conclude, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped the sea, Justice (δίκη) has not allowed him to live.” Here δίκη is personified, reflecting popular Greco-Roman thought that a goddess ensured moral recompense. Luke allows the term to stand, but the narrative overturns pagan fatalism when Paul suffers no harm, demonstrating the sovereignty of Israel’s God over misguided notions of karmic inevitability.
2. 2 Thessalonians 1:9: In describing the fate of those who persecute the church, Paul states, “They will suffer the penalty (δίκην) of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” The phrase moves δίκη from mythological personification to eschatological certainty. The justice disbelievers face is not blind fate but a deliberate act of the Lord Jesus “when He comes to be glorified in His saints” (2 Thessalonians 1:10).
3. Jude 1:7: Jude cites Sodom and Gomorrah as examples “undergoing the punishment (δίκην) of eternal fire.” The past event of fiery judgment stands as an abiding witness to future recompense. Jude anchors divine δίκη in historical precedent, reinforcing the consistent biblical motif that God’s penalties are never capricious but always measured against revealed righteousness.

Theological Trajectory

1. Divine Prerogative: Scripture consistently presents judgment as God’s exclusive domain. While human courts may reflect δίκη imperfectly, the ultimate dispensing of penalty belongs to the Lord (Romans 12:19).
2. Eschatological Assurance: δίκη guarantees moral accounting. The righteous can endure persecution knowing “there is laid up … a crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8) while wrongdoers will not evade divine review.
3. Christ-Centered Fulfillment: At the cross justice and mercy converge. Isaiah 53:5 anticipates a Servant “pierced for our transgressions,” satisfying δίκη so those united with Christ “will not come into judgment” (John 5:24).

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Preaching: δίκη provides a sobering counterbalance to cheap grace. Proclamation of the gospel must include both salvation and judgment (Acts 24:25).
• Counseling: Victims of injustice find solace in God’s promised recompense; wrongs unaddressed in earthly courts will be rectified in the heavenly tribunal (Revelation 6:10-11).
• Evangelism: Warning of impending δίκη undergirds the call to repentance (Acts 17:30-31).

Related Biblical Themes

Righteousness (δικαιοσύνη), Judgment (κρίσις), Vengeance (ἔκδικος), Wrath (ὀργή).

Synthesis

δίκη in the New Testament shifts the conversation from impersonal fate to personal, covenantal accountability before the living God. Each occurrence underscores that divine justice is inevitable, proportionate, and ultimately administered in and through Jesus Christ, inviting sober reflection and steadfast hope.

Forms and Transliterations
δίκας δικη δίκη δικην δίκην δίκης dike dikē díke díkē diken dikēn díken díkēn
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
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.

1348
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