Question 1

What does "Justify" mean in the King James Bible?

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Justify" means "make excuses for." The divine declaration. Dikaioo was a courtroom word: the Judge pronouncing the verdict 'righteous.' The stunning theological claim was that the guilty defendant was declared righteous -- not because the evidence showed innocence but because another bore the penalty. This was a legal revolution, not a moral excuse.

Question 2

Why did the word "Justify" disappear from modern English?

Accepted Answer

Greek dikaioo ('to declare righteous/pronounce a legal verdict of righteousness/acquit and positively declare right-standing') was inverted into 'make excuses for yourself.' The divine courtroom verdict became self-serving rationalization. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by still used but inverted (~1800).

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Justify"?

Accepted Answer

"Justify" was replaced by: "excuse" (though this self-serving rationalization; justification was god's authoritative legal declaration of righteousness); "defend" (though this self-protection; justification was something done to you by the judge, not by you for yourself); "prove right" (though this evidential; justification was a judicial decree that created a new legal status regardless of evidence).

What Does “Justify” Mean in the Bible?

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