צָדַק (b. h.; reduplic. of זק; cmp. זָכָה) [to be clear, pure, sincere,] to be right, true, just; to be cleared. Y. Snh. IV, 22ᵇ top יכול אם צ׳ בדינך יִצְדַּק בדיני you may think, if he (the guilty) is cleared in thy court, he will also be cleared in my (God’s) court.
Pi. - צִדֵּק 1) (cmp. (cmp. זכה) to act in favor of a person; to be liberal. B. Bath. 88ᵇ (ref. to Deut. XXV, 15) צַדֵּק משלך ותן לו be liberal with what is thine own and give it to him, i.e. add overweight and overmeasure (גֵּירוּמִים); Ḥull. 134ᵃ (ref. to the poor man’s share). Num. R. s. 2 (ref. to ואתן צדק Job XXVI, 3) צי׳ עמהם שלא וכ׳ the Lord dealt kindly with them in not changing their arrangements. —2) to justify, declare or consider a person right; to defend. Gen. R. s. 49 (ref. to Ps. XLV, 8) אהבת לצַדֵּק את בריותי וכ׳ thou (Abraham) lovest to defend my creatures, and hatest to condemn them. Y. Snh. IV, beg. 22ᵃ צַדְּקֵיהוּ consider him to be right (a true witness), opp. חקריהו cross-examine him; Deut. R. s. 5.—Esp. צ׳ את הדין to justify God’s judgment, to submit to divine dispensation as just, to punishment as deserved. Sifra Sh’mini, introd. כיון ששמע אהרן כך צ׳ … ושתק when Aaron heard this, he submitted to divine judgment and kept his peace (Lev. X, 3). Ib. אברהם צי׳ עליו וכ׳ Abraham resigned himself to God’s will, for we read (Gen. XVIII, 27), ‘I am dust and ashes’. Ib. צִידְּקוּ עליהם וכ׳ they resigned themselves &c. Y. Sot. VIII, 22ᶜ bot. צ̇ד̇ק̇יהו שצ̇יר̇ק̇ עליו וכ׳. Shallum was surnamed Zedekiah (justifier of God), because he justified God’s judgment upon him. Ab. Zar. 18ᵃ בשעה שיצאו … צידקו עליהם וכ׳ all three of them, when they were taken out for execution, resigned themselves &c. (reciting an appropriate Bible verse); a. fr.—Part. pass. מְצוּדָּק; pl. מְצוּדָּקִים. Mekh. Mishp., s. 20 (ref. to Ex. XXIII, 8) שונא דברים המצ׳ וכ׳ he will hate the justified words (the exhortations to justice) spoken at Sinai; Yalk. Ex. 353 (not דברי).