Prepared for Advanced Old Testament Theology I on November 17, 2003.
The noun מִשְׁפָּט occurs 421 times in the Hebrew OT. The verb שׁפט occurs an additional 227 times. The KJV translates the noun a number of different ways, but the most common gloss is “judgment” (296×). The semantic range of מִשְׁפָּט is much broader than that of “judgment,” a fact which results in numerous misunderstood passages. In the LXX κρίμα (“the result of judging”) and κρίσις (“the act of judging”) are the two most common translations of מִשְׁפָּט. The basic meaning of מִשְׁפָּט is conformity to specifications. It is essentially judicial in nature, although some of its nuances move outside the judicial realm. It has four primary senses. The first sense is the act of deciding what is just. The second is the result of that decision (i.e., punishment for unjust activity). The third equates the English word “justice.” And the fourth conveys the idea of a custom, norm, or standard. Consequently, “judgment” is not broad enough to encompass the variety expressed by מִשְׁפָּט.
The first sense has to do with a decision of what is right. Israel was not to show partiality when judging a dispute between two people (Deut. 1:17). The Lord decides what He wants to happen in His universe (Pr. 16:33). It can also refer metonymically to the place where the decision takes place (i.e., the court; Dt. 25:1). The second sense is the result of the decision of sense one (i.e., punishment). God brings His sword upon Edom for judgment (Is. 34:5). The Lord punished Babylon and vindicated His people (Jer. 51:9; cf. Hab. 1:12). The third sense conveys the idea of justice or equity. As such it often occurs in conjunction with צְדָקָה or צֶדֶק. As king, David administered justice in his kingdom (1 Chr. 18:14). God’s desire for people is that they do righteousness and justice (Pr. 21:3). The fourth sense is a manner or pattern of behavior (i.e., a custom). David had the custom or practice of destroying both man and woman while he lived among the Philistines (1 Sam. 27:11). On the seventh day, the people marched around Jericho as had been their pattern of behavior for the last six days (Josh. 6:15). God’s regulations fall into this sense in that they are the norm or set standard of behavior that He has laid down for His people (e.g., Ezek. 20:11). This point is further established by the fact that מִשְׁפָּט is often used in conjunction with חֻקָּה (36×), חֹק (36×), מִצְוָה (23×), and תּוֹרָה (22×).
A proper understanding of the range of meanings of מִשְׁפָּט can be quite beneficial for accurately exegeting many passages of Scripture where מִשְׁפָּט is not communicating the idea of punishment or a judicial sentence of condemnation. For example, Ps. 33:5 says that the Lord loves judgment (cf. Ps. 37:28). But the idea is clearly that He loves justice, not necessarily the carrying out of the punishment, for elsewhere in Scripture God says that He does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:32; 33:11). The psalmist speaks of the comfort that he receives from thinking on God’s judgments (119:52; cf. 20, 43). But it is God’s laws or regulations (metonymies for God’s self-revelation) that bring him comfort. God also commands His people to do or keep his “judgments” (Lev. 18:4, 5, 26; 20:22; 25:18). This has nothing to do with His judicial activity, but it refers to God’s customs or standards that He has set up for His people. This understanding of מִשְׁפָּט also helps to interpret the NT as well, because the meaning of מִשְׁפָּט underlies much of the NT authors’ understanding of κρίσις. For example, Jesus condemns the Pharisees for neglecting judgment (κρίσις; Mat. 23:23).
Sources: BDB, HALOT, ISBE, NDBT, NIDOTTE, Oehler, TWOT