אֲדֹנִי־צֶדֶק
𐤀𐤃𐤍𐤉־𐤑𐤃𐤒
Adoni Tsedeq
H139 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name meaning 'my lord is righteousness' or 'my lord is just.' In the Hebrew Bible, it refers specifically to a king of Jerusalem at the time of Israelite entry into Canaan. The name expresses allegiance to, or reverence for, a deity or sovereign characterized by righteousness or justice. The structure of the name reflects a common West Semitic practice of forming theophoric personal names.
Semantic Range
personal name denoting allegiance to a lord or deity of justice/righteousness; title expressing veneration for just authority; royal theophoric name; proper noun for a Canaanite king
Root / Etymology
From the noun אָדוֹן (ʼadon, 'lord, master') and the noun צֶדֶק (tsedeq, 'righteousness, justice'). The compounded form אֲדֹנִי ('my lord') is followed by צֶדֶק, functioning as a nominal attribute. The name thus literally means 'my lord is (or embodies) righteousness/justice.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The name אֲדֹנִי־צֶדֶק appears in Joshua 10 as the king of Jerusalem during the early Israelite incursion into Canaan. The formation mirrors similar West Semitic theophoric names, possibly invoking a deity whose epithet or aspect is 'righteousness'—in the Canaanite context, this is parallel to the later Melchizedek (מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק, 'My king is righteousness'). Some scholars suggest 'tsedeq' here could refer to an ancient West Semitic deity or divine attribute, possibly linked to astronomical deities. Later translation traditions render the name as 'Adonizedec,' but this form obscures the original Hebrew meaning. English renderings like 'lord of justice' or 'lord is righteousness' do not capture the nuance of the theophoric construction and may anachronistically abstract the notion of 'lord.' The figure is presented as a Canaanite ruler, and there is no Israelite or Judahite identity implied by the name. The use of 'Adoni' as a title of respect for deities or rulers is widespread but not exclusively Israelite.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָדוֹן and צֶדֶק; lord of justice; Adoni-Tsedek, a Canaanitish king; Adonizedec.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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אדן (ʾ-d-n) — to be lord, to rule, to exercise authority, to be master
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H113 | אָדוֹן | master of |
| H114 | אַדּוֹן | lord of |
| H134 | אֶדֶן | his support-bases |
| H135 | אַדָּן | Addan (Firm-Foundation) |
| H136 | אֲדֹנָי | lord |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H139-02 |
צֶ֜דֶק | tsedeq | HNp |
Zedek | righteousness | 2 |
H139-01 |
אֲדֹֽנִי | adoni | HNp |
Adoni | my lord | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H139-01 |
Joshua 10:1 | אֲדֹֽנִי | adoni | HNp |
Adoni | my lord |
H139-02 |
Joshua 10:1 | צֶ֜דֶק | tsedeq | HNp |
Zedek | righteousness |
H139-01 |
Joshua 10:3 | אֲדֹנִי | adoni | HNp |
Adoni | my lord |
H139-02 |
Joshua 10:3 | צֶ֜דֶק | tsedeq | HNp |
Zedek | righteousness |