Lexical Summary shephot: Judgment, decision, justice Original Word: שְׁפוֹט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance judgment Or shphuwt {shef-oot'}; from shaphat; a judicial sentence, i.e. Punishment -- judgment. see HEBREW shaphat NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shaphat Definition judgment, act of judgment NASB Translation judgment (1), judgments (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs שְׁפוֺט noun masculine si vera lectio judgment, act of judgment; — absolute ׳שׁ2Chronicles 20:9 (so ᵐ5 ᵑ9, but dubious); plural שְׁפוּטִים Ezekiel 23:10 (Toy שְׁפָטִיס, Co strike out). Topical Lexicon Root and Semantic Field שְׁפוֹט (shephet) derives from the verb שָׁפַט (shaphat, to judge). Unlike the common noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, judicial verdict or ordinance), shephet focuses on the executed act of judgment—usually a destructive visitation that settles a moral score. English versions render it “judgment” or “punishment,” and the Berean Standard Bible reflects this nuance in both occurrences. Occurrences and Narrative Context 1. 2 Chronicles 20:9 situates shephet within King Jehoshaphat’s temple prayer. Anticipating covenant curses (“sword or judgment, or plague or famine”), Judah’s king confesses that even lethal judgment can become an occasion for faith: “We will stand in Your presence … and cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.” The word thus appears in a liturgical setting that affirms both divine severity and divine mercy. Covenant Sanctions and Divine Judgment Both passages treat shephet as a covenant sanction. In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, the sword and pestilence are covenantal warnings. 2 Chronicles 20:9 echoes those texts verbatim, revealing Jehoshaphat’s awareness that any outbreak of shephet would be covenantally deserved. Ezekiel 23:10 shows the sanction fulfilled: the northern kingdom’s idolatry invites the promised retribution. Thus shephet functions as a theological marker that God’s covenant is not merely hortatory but enforceable in real history. Temple Theology and Intercessory Prayer Shephet in 2 Chronicles 20:9 stands beside Solomon’s earlier dedication prayer (2 Chronicles 6:28–30). The Chronicler portrays the temple as the place where even the most fearsome judgments can be reversed through humble petition. The logic is covenantal: the same God who sends shephet also hears repentance and grants salvation. This balance guards against fatalism; divine judgment is never detached from divine invitation. Prophetic Justice and Exile Ezekiel’s use of shephet anticipates the Babylonian catastrophe that will soon engulf Jerusalem (Oholibah). By recounting Samaria’s fate, Ezekiel warns Judah that shephet is not theoretical. The prophet frames Assyrian cruelty as God’s own judicial act, reinforcing that international politics lie within divine sovereignty. The exile, therefore, is not a triumph of pagan gods but a courtroom scene in which YHWH’s verdict is carried out. Christological and Eschatological Dimensions The New Testament picks up the judicial thread: Romans 2:5–6 speaks of a “day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,” and Revelation 19:2 rejoices that the Lord’s “judgments are true and just.” Shephet foreshadows this final reckoning. Yet in the cross, the ultimate judgment falls upon the sinless Substitute (Isaiah 53:5–6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus believers find refuge from shephet not by denying its reality but by fleeing to the One who bore it for them. Application for Ministry Today • Preaching: Shephet warns against trivializing sin. Congregations must grasp that divine judgment is historically verifiable, not merely theoretical. Related Terms and Concepts mishpat (judgment/justice), din (legal case), negaʿ (plague), ḥerev (sword), berith (covenant), yom YHWH (Day of the Lord). Forms and Transliterations וּשְׁפוּטִ֖ים ושפוטים שְׁפוֹט֮ שפוט šə·p̄ō·wṭ šəp̄ōwṭ shefOt ū·šə·p̄ū·ṭîm ūšəp̄ūṭîm ushefuTimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Chronicles 20:9 HEB: רָעָ֗ה חֶרֶב֮ שְׁפוֹט֮ וְדֶ֣בֶר וְרָעָב֒ NAS: upon us, the sword, [or] judgment, or pestilence, KJV: upon us, [as] the sword, judgment, or pestilence, INT: If evil the sword judgment pestilence famine Ezekiel 23:10 2 Occurrences |
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