Justice

Despite its prevalence, there is no singular definition of justice in the Old Testament or New Testament. However, the Bible’s constant focus on justice provides a wealth of material with which to survey its various meanings.

Unlike the gods of other ancient Near Eastern cultures of the time, the God of the Old Testament exhibits deep concern for human beings and the issues they face. This God is a personal being, interested in justice, and often referred to as “just” and “righteous” in the Old Testament. God’s concern for humanity and justice manifests itself in several ways.

When Cain kills Abel, God exiles him and marks him (Gen 4:9–16). While the passage can be interpreted as exhibiting God’s compassion, it presents a strong focus on God’s justice; while Cain isn’t killed, he is punished for murdering his brother.

The laws in the Old Testament emphasize retributive justice—referred to technically as lex talionis (Exod 21:22–25). If someone takes an eye, an eye must be taken from the offender as retribution. As an equal and opposite reaction to the perpetrator’s action, lex talionis served to limit blood vengeance. It required that the punishment of a crime not exceed the crime itself, avoiding further damage to the community. While temperance results from lex talionis, justice represents its true focus. When actions cause harm to others, punishment must be exacted from the wrongdoer.

Major portions of the Old Testament illustrate how God’s people break covenant, undergo punishment, repent for their sins, and receive forgiveness and restoration from God—at both the individual and communal level. God’s righteousness requires that there be repercussions for disobedience. In 2 Samuel 12, after David commits adultery with Bathsheba and orchestrates the death of Uriah, God sends the prophet Nathan to confront him. The prophet focuses on David’s individual misdeeds.

In the prophetic texts, the community rises and falls as a collective. The message of Isaiah to Jerusalem primarily addresses social injustice, decrying the maltreatment of the poor, widowed, and orphaned (Isa 10:1–4). This message resembles other prophetic voices in the Old Testament. When Israel falls to Assyria, and Judah to the Babylonians, the prophets cast these defeats as the consequence of God’s justice. The entire community suffers punishment because of their failure to keep covenant with Yahweh. However, God’s steadfast love for the community—and the individuals within it—remains constant; after a period of punishment, the covenant relationship is restored.

The New Testament makes clear that justice has something to do with an attitude and inner transformation that moves beyond an individual or community’s action or inaction. The Sermon on the Mount illustrates this emphasis on heart attitude. There, Jesus revisits the Law and asks His listeners to do not just what it requires of them, but more. Not only must one not commit adultery, one should not even entertain the idea in thought by lusting in one’s heart (Matt 5:27–30). Obedience to God requires not only that one act in accordance with God’s will, but that one seek in their inmost self to put on the mind of Christ.

This charge to be transformed in thought and attitude does not diminish the duty to seek social justice. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus clearly demonstrates concern for the marginalized and downtrodden. Matthew 25:35–40 displays God’s concern for the poor, the stranger, and those who suffer from hunger. He enters into community with those society normally considered outcasts—the tax collector, the woman of ill repute, and the leper.

Throughout the biblical text, the theme of justice remains a constant presence. In some contexts, the pursuit of justice may require punishment for misdeeds or inaction that remind the people of God of their responsibilities to the covenant relationship. In other contexts, the notion of justice may require that the marginalized receive equitable treatment in the community. Whatever the case, it is undeniably clear that God is just and requires justice of His people.

Sally Holt

Further Reading

Justice DTIB

Justice NDTHEO