Righteousness that Stands Straight

‘Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever.’

The word ‘righteous’ points to what is straight, true, and rightly ordered. In Scripture it describes God’s own character and the life he calls his people to share. The Hebrew ‘tsedeq’ paints the picture of staying on the straight path, living in line with God’s standards rather than our own. Old English kept the same idea in ‘rihtwis’, the right way or upright way of life. Across European Bible traditions the meaning stays steady: what is just, fair, and shaped by God’s good rule. Isaiah’s promise of a kingdom upheld with justice and righteousness comes to its fulfilment in Christ, the one who establishes and restores what is right.

Each word card set begins with an image that captures the theme of the word. The following cards trace its story: a main word card (or two, if extended), a junior version with a paler border, an etymological breakdown showing how the word travelled through time, and a list of sources. Some sets also include cards for related words or translations across other languages. Together they show where each word came from, how it changed, and what it still carries with it.