Deuteronomy 32:4

32:4 As for the Rock, ¹  his work is perfect,

for all his ways are just.

He is a reliable God who is never unjust,

he is fair ²  and upright.

Psalms 99:3-4

99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!

He ³  is holy!

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. ⁴ 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; ⁵ 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Psalms 145:17

145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions, ⁶ 

and exhibits love in all he does. ⁷ 

Ecclesiastes 3:16-17

The Problem of Injustice and Oppression

3:16 I saw something else on earth: ⁸ 

In the place of justice, there was wickedness,

and in the place of fairness, ⁹  there was wickedness.

3:17 I thought to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked;

for there is an appropriate time for every activity,

and there is a time of judgment ¹⁰  for every deed.

Isaiah 45:21

45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! ¹¹ 

Let them consult with one another!

Who predicted this in the past?

Who announced it beforehand?

Was it not I, the Lord?

I have no peer, there is no God but me,

a God who vindicates and delivers; ¹² 

there is none but me.

Habakkuk 1:3

1:3 Why do you force me to witness injustice? ¹³ 

Why do you put up with wrongdoing? ¹⁴ 

Destruction and violence confront ¹⁵  me;

conflict is present and one must endure strife. ¹⁶ 

Zechariah 9:9

9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!

Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!

Look! Your king is coming to you:

he is legitimate ¹⁷  and victorious, ¹⁸ 

humble and riding on a donkey ¹⁹  –

on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.

Romans 3:26

3:26 This was ²⁰  also to demonstrate ²¹  his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just ²²  and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness. ²³ 

Romans 3:1

3:1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision?

Romans 1:17

1:17 For the righteousness ²⁴  of God is revealed in the gospel ²⁵  from faith to faith, ²⁶  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” ²⁷ 

[32:4]  ¹ tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”

[32:4]  ² tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).

[99:3]  ³ tn The pronoun refers to the Lord himself (see vv. 5, 9).

[99:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

[99:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

[145:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “in all his ways.”

[145:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”

[3:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[3:16]  ⁹ tn Or “righteousness.”

[3:17]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase “a time of judgment” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[45:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.

[45:21]  ¹² tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”

[1:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “Why do you make me see injustice?”

[1:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Why do you look at wrongdoing?”

[1:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “are before.”

[1:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and there is conflict and strife he lifts up.” The present translation takes the verb יִשָּׂא (yisa’) in the sense of “carry, bear,” and understands the subject to be indefinite (“one”).

[9:9]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew term צַדִּיק (tsadiq) ordinarily translated “righteous,” frequently occurs, as here, with the idea of conforming to a standard or meeting certain criteria. The Messianic king riding into Jerusalem is fully qualified to take the Davidic throne (cf. 1 Sam 23:3; Isa 9:5-6; 11:4; 16:5; Jer 22:1-5; 23:5-6).

[9:9]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew term נוֹשָׁע (nosha’) a Niphal participle of יָשַׁע (yasha’, “to save”) could mean “one delivered” or, if viewed as active, “one bringing salvation” (similar KJV, NIV, NKJV). It is preferable to take the normal passive use of the Niphal and understand that the king, having been delivered, is as a result “victorious” (so also NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[9:9]  ¹⁹ sn The NT understands this verse to be a prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and properly so (cf. Matt 21:5; John 12:15), but reference to the universal rule of the king in v. 10 reveals that this is a “split prophecy,” that is, it has a two-stage fulfillment. Verse 9 was fulfilled in Jesus’ earthly ministry but v. 10 awaits a millennial consummation (cf. Rev 19:11-16).

[3:26]  ²⁰ tn The words “This was” have been repeated from the previous verse to clarify that this is a continuation of that thought. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:26]  ²¹ tn Grk “toward a demonstration,” repeating and expanding the purpose of God’s action in v. 25a.

[3:26]  ²² tn Or “righteous.”

[3:26]  ²³ tn Or “of the one who has faith in Jesus.” See note on “faithfulness of Jesus Christ” in v. 22 for the rationale behind the translation “Jesus’ faithfulness.”

[1:17]  ²⁴ tn The nature of the “righteousness” described here and the force of the genitive θεοῦ (“of God”) which follows have been much debated. (1) Some (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:98) understand “righteousness” to refer to the righteous status given to believers as a result of God’s justifying activity, and see the genitive “of God” as a genitive of source (= “from God”). (2) Others see the “righteousness” as God’s act or declaration that makes righteous (i.e., justifies) those who turn to him in faith, taking the genitive “of God” as a subjective genitive (see E. Käsemann, Romans, 25-30). (3) Still others see the “righteousness of God” mentioned here as the attribute of God himself, understanding the genitive “of God” as a possessive genitive (“God’s righteousness”).

[1:17]  ²⁵ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the gospel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ²⁶ tn Or “by faith for faith,” or “by faith to faith.” There are many interpretations of the phrase ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν (ek pistew" ei" pistin). It may have the idea that this righteousness is obtained by faith (ἐκ πίστεως) because it was designed for faith (εἰς πίστιν). For a summary see J. Murray, Romans (NICNT), 1:363-74.

[1:17]  ²⁷ sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.