ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA HEBREA
Mishpat (H4941) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט, H4941) is a Hebrew noun denoting a verdict, sentence, decree, or ordained custom — both the act of judging and the standard by which judgment is made.
Significado de la palabra
Properly, mishpat refers to a verdict pronounced judicially — whether favorable or unfavorable. It covers the full range of a legal proceeding: the act of judging, the place where judgment occurs, the suit being heard, the crime in question, and the penalty imposed. The word is not limited to criminal matters but extends to any formal ruling or settled decree.
Abstractly, mishpat denotes justice itself — the right or privilege belonging to a person under either divine or customary law. It can describe a style or manner of doing something when it indicates an established norm, and it embraces collective as well as individual claims. The King James translators rendered it variously as judgment, justice, ordinance, custom, manner, and right.
Uso en las Escrituras
In the Torah, mishpat often names the statutes and ordinances God gives Israel — Exodus 21:1 introduces 'the ordinances' set before the people, and Exodus 24:3 likewise records Moses telling the people 'all the ordinances.' These are the binding decrees of covenant life, not merely courtroom rulings.
Beyond law-giving, mishpat describes the social pattern or custom behind an action, as in Genesis 40:13 ('the former manner') and Exodus 21:9 ('the manner of daughters'). It also attaches itself to sacred objects such as the 'breastplate of judgment' (Exodus 28:15, 28:29), worn by the high priest to bear the names of Israel before the Lord. Combined with divine justice (Genesis 18:19, 18:25; Exodus 23:6), the word frames God's expectation that rulers and people defend the right of the poor and the righteous.
La palabra en detalle
- H4941 Mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט) is a masculine noun meaning a judicial verdict or formal decree, including the act of judging, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty. It extends abstractly to justice and to one's right or due under divine or customary law, and even to an established manner or style.
Versículos de ejemplo
- Genesis 18:19 Here mishpat is paired with righteousness (tsedaqah) as the dual duty Abraham is to teach his household, describing the just verdict and right order that mark covenant faithfulness.
- Exodus 21:1 Mishpat introduces the body of case-law rulings God commands Moses to set before Israel, framing them as binding ordinances rather than mere suggestions.
- Exodus 28:15 Mishpat names the breastplate of judgment worn by the high priest, indicating that the engraved stones function as an oracle for rendering verdicts before the Lord.
- Exodus 23:6 Mishpat here is the justice due to the poor in his cause, highlighting mishpat as the right owed to a person under the law that must not be perverted.
Preguntas frecuentes
What does mishpat (H4941) mean?
It means a verdict or formal decree pronounced in judgment — covering the act of judging, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty — and more broadly, justice or the right due to a person under divine or customary law.
Is mishpat only about courtroom verdicts?
No. While its core sense is judicial, mishpat also names the statutes and ordinances God gives (Exodus 21:1), an established custom or manner (Genesis 40:13; Exodus 21:9), and the abstract concept of justice itself (Exodus 23:6).
How is mishpat different from tsedaqah (righteousness)?
Mishpat centers on the verdict, decree, or due order by which a right is established and enforced, while tsedaqah centers on the conformity to God's standard that motivates such verdicts. Scripture often pairs them (Genesis 18:19) because righteous verdicts flow from righteousness and embody it socially.