Bible Verses About the Righteous Judge: 12

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

— 2 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about the righteous judge want Scripture on 2 Timothy 4:8's ho dikaios kritēs — the Lord, the righteous Judge who awards the crown — not only the judge of the living and the dead inventory alone, and not Jesus alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about judge of the living and the dead, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about Christ, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about faith, Bible verses about God's love, Bible verses about worship, Bible verses about truth, and Bible verse of the day. Righteous Judge here means 2 Timothy 4:8's title for the Lord who awards the crown of righteousness — distinct from the broader living-and-dead judge inventory alone.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, δίκαιος dikaios (Strong's G1342; Bible Hub G1342) means righteous / just, and κριτής kritēs (Strong's G2923; Bible Hub G2923) means judge. 2 Timothy 4:8 joins them — ho dikaios kritēs — the righteous Judge who awards the crown on that day. This list tracks that righteous-Judge title and related "Judge of all / just judgment / crown of righteousness" language centered on Paul's farewell hope, not every living-and-dead judge verse alone.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Timothy 4 presses that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give Paul the crown of righteousness — and to all who love his appearing (Bible Hub MHC 2 Timothy 4; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on 2 Timothy 4). (Judge of the living and the dead lives on that page; this list centers 2 Timothy 4:8's righteous-Judge title.)

12 Bible verses about the righteous judge

1. 2 Timothy 4:8. "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." The Lord, the righteous Judge — the title itself. See Bible verses about hope.

2. Genesis 18:25. "Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? See Bible verses about truth.

3. Psalm 7:11. "God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day." God is a righteous judge. See Bible verses about worship.

4. Psalm 9:8. "He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity." He… judges the peoples with equity. See Bible verses about faith.

5. Psalm 96:13. "Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness." He will judge the world in righteousness. See Bible verses about worship.

6. Isaiah 11:4. "but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked." With righteousness he will judge the needy. See Bible verses about Christ.

7. Jeremiah 11:20. "But you, LORD Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause." You… who judge righteously. See Bible verses about faith.

8. John 5:30. "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." My judgment is just. See Bible verses about jesus.

9. Acts 17:31. "For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead." He will judge the world with justice. See Bible verses about judge of the living and the dead.

10. Romans 2:5. "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed." His righteous judgment will be revealed. See Bible verses about hope.

11. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6. "All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you" God is just: He will pay back… See Bible verses about God's love.

12. Revelation 19:11. "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war." With justice he judges and wages war. See Bible verses about christ.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need the righteous Judge — not twelve as a grind. If you need 2 Timothy 4:8's title itself and the crown, start at 2 Timothy 4:8. If you need Abraham's Judge of all the earth, open Genesis 18:25. If you need Psalm language for a righteous judge, open Psalm 7:11. For the living-and-dead judge inventory, open Bible verses about judge of the living and the dead. For Jesus broadly, open Bible verses about Jesus. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about the righteous judge?

2 Timothy 4:8 (the Lord, the righteous Judge) is the clear starting place; Genesis 18:25 and Psalm 7:11 press the same just-Judge hope.

How do Bible verses about the righteous judge differ from judge of the living and the dead alone?

Judge of the living and the dead tracks Acts 10:42 / 2 Timothy 4:1's scope of who is judged. This list centers 2 Timothy 4:8's dikaios kritēs title and the crown of righteousness.

What Greek words sit under righteous judge?

Dikaios (G1342) — righteous — and kritēs (G2923) — judge — in 2 Timothy 4:8's ho dikaios kritēs.

Does the righteous Judge only mean judgment against the wicked?

No — 2 Timothy 4:8 pairs the righteous Judge with awarding the crown to those who love his appearing.

Where should I start if I only read one page?

Start here for the righteous-Judge title; open judge of the living and the dead for the broader scope; open Jesus for the wider inventory.