Justice, Righteousness, and the Davidic Dispute in Jeremiah and Ezekiel

Abstract

The books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel both use the phrase עשׂה מִשְׁפָט וּצְדָקָה (“doing justice and righteousness”) to discuss the responsibilities of the Davidic king and the future of Judah in light of the disruptive events of the early sixth century BCE. The tradition of linking the terms מִשְׁפָט and צְדָקָה with kingship is widespread in the Hebrew Bible and has strong ancient Near Eastern parallels. Yet the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel employ the two words as part of an idiomatic phrase, reflecting their divergent interpretations of the role and identity of the future Davidic king and, relatedly, what עשׂה מִשְׁפָט וּצְדָקָה entails. While the two books’ disagreements can be explained to some extent by their different settings (Judah and Egypt versus Babylonia), their distinct preferences for one Davidic line over another are suggestive of opposing political allegiances that may have contributed to neither book acknowledging the other’s existence.