מִשְׁפָּט

“Justice” in Hebrew is Mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט), pronounced “mish-PAT.” Mishpat comes from the root שׁ-פ-ט (shin-pe-tet), the same root as shofet (judge). It means 'judgment, justice, ordinance, what is right.' Mishpat is both the act of judging and the just standard by which judgments are made.

Mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט) means “Justice, judgment, ordinance” in Biblical Hebrew. Mishpat appears over 420 times in the Hebrew Bible. It describes God's righteous standards (Psalm 119:7), the prophetic cry for social justice (Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8), legal ordinances (Exodus 21:1), and the judgment-seat of God (Psalm 9:7).

Mishpat is pronounced “mish-PAT.” The word comes from the Hebrew root שׁ-פ-ט.

Micah 6:8 summarizes God's entire ethical demand in three actions: (1) Do mishpat — pursue justice, especially for the vulnerable; (2) Love chesed — be devoted to covenant loyalty and kindness; (3) Walk humbly with God — maintain a posture of dependence and reverence. It is the Hebrew Bible's most concise statement of what God requires.

Modern Western justice emphasizes equal treatment regardless of status. Biblical mishpat goes further — it is inherently protective of the powerless. God's justice doesn't just treat everyone equally; it actively advocates for widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor. Mishpat is restorative, not merely punitive — it aims to make things right, not just punish wrongs.

In Amos 5:24, the prophet uses a flood metaphor: mishpat should roll down like a wadi's winter torrent — unstoppable, cleansing, reaching every corner. It's a demand for pervasive, powerful, transformative justice that cannot be dammed up by human corruption or indifference.