2 Chronicles 6:23

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex) 2 Chronicles 6:23 appears in the Hebrew Old Testament. The text above is from the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Each word links to its Strong’s number, a concise gloss, and parsing drawn from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible morphology. Click any word for its full Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) entry.
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2 Chronicles 6:23 (World English Bible). Public Domain. Lemma interlinear Bible study tool, https://lemma.gebible.app/v/2-chronicles/6/23.

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then hear from heaven, and do, and judge your servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way on his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
World English Bible · Public Domain
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Compare translations 3

The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.

Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.

Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.

  • World English Bible Public Domain
    then hear from heaven, and do, and judge your servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way on his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
  • King James Version Public Domain
    Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
    then you yourself hear from the heavens, and act, and judge your servants, to bring back the wicked, to put his way on his head, and to make righteous the righteous, to give to him according to his righteousness.

unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).

Versions to compare (up to 4)

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Show all 18 translations

Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.

  • World English Bible Public Domain
    then hear from heaven, and do, and judge your servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way on his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
  • Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
    then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
  • Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
    then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
  • King James Version Public Domain
    Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.
  • American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
    then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
  • Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
    then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
  • Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
    Then heare thou in heauen, and doe, and iudge thy seruants, in recompensing the wicked to bring his way vpon his head, and in iustifying the righteous, to giue him according to his righteousnes.
  • Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
    Then hear thou from heaven, and do justice to thy servants, so as to requite the wicked by making his wickedness fall upon his own head, and to revenge the just, rewarding him according to his justice.
  • Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
    then Thou dost hear from the heavens, and hast done, and hast judged Thy servants, to give back to the wicked, to put his way on his head, and to declare righteous the righteous, to give to him according to his righteousness.
  • Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
    then You hear from the heavens, and have done, and have judged Your servants, to give back to the wicked, to put his way on his head, and to declare righteous the righteous, to give to him according to his righteousness.
  • Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
    listen from the heavens and act. Judge your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing what he has done upon his own head. Declare the innocent not guilty and give to him according to his righteousness.
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
    then you yourself hear from the heavens, and act, and judge your servants, to bring back the wicked, to put his way on his head, and to make righteous the righteous, to give to him according to his righteousness.
  • Darby Bible Public Domain
    then hear thou from the heavens, and do, and judge thy servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, giving him according to his righteousness.
  • World Messianic Bible Public Domain
    then hear from heaven, act, and judge your servants, bringing retribution to the wicked, to bring his way on his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
  • Webster's Bible Public Domain
    Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.
  • Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
    listen from heaven, act and judge your servants. Pay back the guilty; vindicate and reward those who do right.
  • Bible in Basic English Public Domain
    Then let your ear be open in heaven, and be the judge of your servants, giving punishment to the wrongdoer, so that his sin may come on his head; and, by your decision, keeping from evil him who has done no wrong.
  • JPS Tanakh (1917) Public Domain
    then hear Thou from heaven, and do, and judge Thy servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).

Word by word

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וּלְהַצְדִּ֣יק
tsâdaq
H6663
“and · to be righteous”
Conjunction + Preposition + Verb, Hiphil, Infinitive Construct
Part of Speech
Conjunction + Preposition + Verb
Stem
Hiphil
Form
Infinitive Construct
Full BDB Definition

Origin: a primitive root

TWOT: 1879

to be just, be righteous - (Qal) - to have a just cause, be in the right - to be justified - to be just (of God) - to be just, be righteous (in conduct and character) - (Niphal) to be put or made right, be justified - (Piel) justify, make to appear righteous, make someone righteous - (Hiphil) - to do or bring justice (in administering law) - to declare righteous, justify - to justify, vindicate the cause of, save - to make righteous, turn to righteousness - (Hithpael) to justify oneself
  1. וְאַתָּ֣ה ʼattâh H859 “and · you” Conjunction + Pronoun, Personal, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular
  2. תִּשְׁמַ֣ע shâmaʻ H8085 “to hear” Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular
  3. מִן min H4480 “from” Preposition
  4. הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם shâmayim H8064 “the · heaven(s)” Particle, Definite Article + Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute
  5. וְעָשִׂ֨יתָ֙ ʻâsâh H6213 “and · to do” Conjunction + Verb, Qal, Sequential Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular
  6. וְשָׁפַטְתָּ֣ shâphaṭ H8199 “and · to judge” Conjunction + Verb, Qal, Sequential Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular
  7. אֶת ʼêth H853 “-” Particle, Direct Object
  8. עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ ʻebed H5650 “servants · your” Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Construct + Suffix, Personal, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular
  9. לְהָשִׁ֣יב shûwb H7725 “to return” Preposition + Verb, Hiphil, Infinitive Construct
  10. לְרָשָׁ֔ע râshâʻ H7563 “to/for · wicked” Preposition + Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute
  11. לָתֵ֥ת nâthan H5414 “to give” Preposition + Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct
  12. דַּרְכּ֖וֹ derek H1870 “way · his” Noun, Common, Both, Singular, Construct + Suffix, Personal, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular
  13. בְּרֹאשׁ֑וֹ rôʼsh H7218 “in/at · head · his” Preposition + Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct + Suffix, Personal, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular
  14. צַדִּ֔יק tsaddîyq H6662 “righteous” Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute
  15. לָ֥תֶת nâthan H5414 “to give” Preposition + Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct
  16. כְּצִדְקָתֽוֹ tsᵉdâqâh H6666 “like/as · righteousness · his” Preposition + Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Construct + Suffix, Personal, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

18
words
16
distinct lemmas
Historical
section

Shared distinctive vocabulary

וּלְהַצְדִּ֣יק to be righteous H6663 occurs in 40 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

  • 7 verbs
  • 5 nouns
  • 2 adjectives
  • 1 pronoun
  • 2 prepositions
  • 1 particle

Verb forms

  • תִּשְׁמַ֣ע Qal · Imperfect
  • וְעָשִׂ֨יתָ֙ Qal · Sequential Perfect
  • וְשָׁפַטְתָּ֣ Qal · Sequential Perfect
  • לְהָשִׁ֣יב Hiphil · Infinitive Construct
  • לָתֵ֥ת Qal · Infinitive Construct
  • וּלְהַצְדִּ֣יק Hiphil · Infinitive Construct
  • לָ֥תֶת Qal · Infinitive Construct

Repetition

A word recurs within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:

  • לָתֵ֥ת to give H5414 ×2

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 32 words from the Hebrew and 37 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 18 Hebrew tokens and 34 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

11

Topical passages linked to 2 Chronicles 6:23 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

  • Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.
  • Isaiah 3:10–11 Tell the righteous "Good!" For they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.
  • Jeremiah 51:56 for the destroyer is come on her, even on Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, their bows are broken in pieces; for Yahweh is a God of recompenses, he will surely requite.
  • Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.
  • Romans 2:9–10 oppression and anguish, on every soul of man who works evil, on the Jew first, and also on the Greek.
  • Numbers 5:27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall happen, if she is defiled, and has committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causes the curse will enter into her and become bitter, and her body will swell, and her thigh will fall away: and the woman will be a curse among her people.
  • Deuteronomy 25:1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come to judgment, and [the judges] judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked;
  • 2 Kings 9:26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, says Yahweh; and I will requite you in this plat, says Yahweh. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat [of ground], according to the word of Yahweh.
  • Psalms 10:14 But you do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless.
  • Proverbs 1:31 Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own schemes.
  • Jeremiah 28:16–17 Therefore thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will send you away from off the surface of the earth: this year you shall die, because you have spoken rebellion against Yahweh.

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew 2 Chronicles 6:23 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

וְאַתָּ֣ה תִּשְׁמַ֣ע מִן הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וְעָשִׂ֨יתָ֙ וְשָׁפַטְתָּ֣ אֶת עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ לְהָשִׁ֣יב לְרָשָׁ֔ע לָתֵ֥ת דַּרְכּ֖וֹ בְּרֹאשׁ֑וֹ וּלְהַצְדִּ֣יק צַדִּ֔יק לָ֥תֶת ל֖וֹ כְּצִדְקָתֽוֹ

then hear from heaven, and do, and judge your servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way on his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX 2 Chronicles 6:23 Septuagint · lemma form

καί σύ εἰςἀκούω ἐκ ὁ οὐρανός καί ποιέω καί κρίνω ὁ δοῦλος σύ ὁ ἀποδίδωμι ὁ ἄνομος καί ἀποδίδωμι ὁδός αὐτός εἰς κεφαλή αὐτός ὁ δικαιόω δίκαιος ὁ ἀποδίδωμι αὐτός κατά ὁ δικαιοσύνη αὐτός

then shall you listen out of heaven, and do, and judge your servants, to recompense the transgressor, and to return his ways upon his head: and to justify the righteous, to recompense him according to his righteousness.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Commentary

Notes on 2 Chronicles 6:23 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

Meaning, to give him that which he hath deserved.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(23) From heaven.—In Kings we have not the preposition. Perhaps the meaning there is “to heaven,” as in 2Ch_6:30. The chronicler has substituted a more ordinary expression, which, indeed, is found in all the versions of Kings. Similarly in 2Ch_6:25; 2Ch_6:30; 2Ch_6:33; 2Ch_6:35; 2Ch_6:39.

By requiting the wicked.—So as to requite a wicked man. Kings, “so as to find guilty” (also the Syriac here). The latter is probably original. “To find guilty a guilty man” corresponds to “justifying a just one,” in the next clause.

By justifying.—So as to justify; or pronounce righteous.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

23. by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying tie righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness] R.V. requiting the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

The prayer is that God will command his blessing on the oath ordeal.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Rashi

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)

and to justify the righteous not to punish him for the oath, for he swore in truth. Tosefta of Sotah (1: 3) explains [this verse as referring to the rite of the sotah, the married woman accused of adultery Num. 5:11-30)]: If a man sins by being intimate with a married woman. and an oath be exacted of him and an oath makes him guilty, for just as the water tests her, so does the water test him. before Your altar - as it is written (Num. 5:18): “And the priest shall have the woman stand [before the Lord].”

to bring his way upon his head - as it is written (ibid. verse 27): “her belly will swell and her thigh will fall away.”

and to justify the righteous - (ibid. verse 28): “and she will be blessed with offspring.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

2 Chronicles, in the Historical, opens this verse with 18 words (16 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is tsâdaq (“to be righteous”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

  1. What does “to be righteous” (tsâdaq) contribute to the verse as a whole?
  2. How does Genesis 38:26, which shares the word «to be righteous», read alongside this verse?
  3. What does the repetition of “to give” (2× in this one verse) do in this verse?
  4. These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
  5. «תִּשְׁמַ֣ע» is a Qal Imperfect verb. How does that grammatical form shape the action described?
  6. Compare how Geneva Bible (1599) and Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

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English shown for the Greek Septuagint (in the Hebrew ↔ Greek comparison).

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