until he leads justice to victory

νῖκος, ους, τό (Manetho, Apot. 1, 358; Orph., Argon. 587; Polemo 1, 12 p. 6, 16; Vett. Val. 358, 5; IG XII/5, 764, 2; BGU 1002, 14 [55 B.C.]; LXX; SibOr 14, 334; 339; Lob. on Phryn. p. 647) late form for ἡ νίκη (JWackernagel, Hellenistica 1907, 26f; EFraenkel, Glotta 4, 1913, 39ff; B-D-F §51, 1; Mlt-H. 126; 381).

① victory ποῦ σου θάνατε τὸ ν.; where, O Death, is your victory? 1 Cor 15:55a (after Hos 13:14, where our LXX mss. read ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου, θ. [s. WDittmar, V.T. in Novo 1903, 217 and s. on κέντρον 1], but Paul, influenced by vs. 54, substitutes νῖκος for δίκη; EEllis, Paul’s Use of the OT, ’57, 140). In κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος death is swallowed up in (or by) victory vs. 54, νῖκος agrees w. the improvement which Theod. made in the LXX wording of Is 25:8 (s. ARahlfs, ZNW 20, 1921, 183f; JZiegler, Is. ’39 ad loc.). Vss. 54 and 55 have the v.l. νεῖκος, q.v. διδόναι τινὶ τὸ ν. give someone the victory vs. 57 (cp. 1 Esdr 3:9; 2 Macc 10:38; Jos., Ant. 6, 145). ἕως ἂν ἐκβάλῃ εἰς ν. τὴν κρίσιν until he leads justice to victory Mt 12:20 (cp. 2 Km 2:26 and variants in Field, Hexapla and the Cambridge LXX; s. κρίσις, end).

② the prize of victory, abstr. for concr. (4 Macc 17, 12 τὸ νῖκος ἀφθαρσία) παραδοὺς αὐτῇ τὸ ν. ὸ̔ ἔλαβες give over to it the prize of victory you have won Hm 12, 2, 5 (perh. a phrase like νῖκος λαβών is to be supplied earlier in the sentence).—DELG s.v. νίκη. M-M. TW.

κρίσις, εως, ἡ (s. κρίνω; Aeschyl., Hdt.+).

① legal process of judgment, judging, judgment

ⓐ of the activity of God or the Messiah as judge, esp. on the Last Day (Bacchylides 3, 26 of judgment by Zeus).

α. ἡ δικαία κ. τοῦ θεοῦ God’s righteous judgment 2 Th 1:5. ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστίν J 5:30 (cp. δικαία περὶ πάντων κ. Orig., C. Cels. 4, 9, 10). θεία κ. 2 Cl 20:4. κρίσιν ποιεῖν execute judgment, act as judge (Aristoph., Ran. 778; 785; X., Hell. 4, 2, 6; 8; Dt 10:18.—Likew. κ. ποιεῖσθαι: 1 Macc 6:22; Jos., Ant. 6, 34; Just., A I, 2, 3; D. 124, 1; Iren. 1, 10, 1 [Harv. I 91, 10]) J 5:27. τ. κρίσιν διδόναι τινί commit judgment or judging to someone vs. 22 (TestAbr A 13 p. 92, 10 [Stone p. 32]). ἡ ἡμέρα (τῆς) κρίσεως the Day of Judgment (Jdth 16:17; Is 34:8; Pr 6:34; PsSol 15:12; GrBar 1:7; ApcEsdr 2:27 p. 26, 21 Tdf. al.; ApcMos 12:26; Just.) Mt 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:36; Mk 6:11 v.l.; 2 Pt 2:9; 3:7; 1J 4:17; 2 Cl 16:3; 17:6; B 19:10; 21:6.—ἡ κ. ἡ μέλλουσα the judgment to come 2 Cl 18:2; MPol 11:2. ἡ κ. ἡ ἐπερχομένη the approaching judgment Hv 3, 9, 5 (περὶ τῆς ἐσομένης κ. Orig., C. Cels. 1, 56, 7; cp. μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν καὶ κ. Theoph. Ant. 2, 26 [p. 164, 1]). Denial of the Last Judgment Pol 7:1. κ. μεγάλης ἡμέρας the judgment of the Great Day Jd 6. ἡ ὥρα τῆς κ. αὐτοῦ the hour when (God) is to judge Rv 14:7. οὐκ ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κ. the wicked will not rise in the judgment (or on the J. Day) B 11:7 (Ps 1:5); cp. Mt 12:41f; Lk 10:14; 11:31f. δικαιοσύνη κρίσεως ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος righteousness (on the part of the judge) is the beginning and end of judging B 1:6. Divine judgment (cp. Iambl., Vi. Pyth. 8, 40 τῶν ἀθανάτων κ.; Hierocles 11, 441 and 442 al. θεία κρίσις) is also mentioned 1 Ti 5:24; Hb 9:27 (cp. Diog. L. 3, 79 after Plato: one must fulfill the δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ, ἵνα μὴ καὶ μετὰ τὸν θάνατον δίκας ὑπόσχοιεν οἱ κακοῦργοι=so that after death they might not as evil-doers be subject to penalties); 2 Pt 2:4, 9; 2 Cl 20:4; D 11:11.

β. The word oft. means judgment that goes against a person, condemnation, and the sentence that follows (TestAbr A 14 p. 93, 24 [Stone p. 34]; ApcEsdr 1:24 p. 25, 19 Tdf.; SibOr 3, 670; Just., D. 56, 1; 60, 2 κ. τῶν Σοδόμων) GPt 7:25. δισσὴν ἕξουσιν τὴν κ. they will receive double punishment 2 Cl 10:5. ἡ κ. σου your judgment Rv 18:10. κἀκείνοις κ. ἐστίν judgment comes upon them, too ISm 6:1. φοβερά τις ἐκδοχὴ κρίσεως a fearful prospect of judgment Hb 10:27 (Iambl., Vi. Pyth. 30, 179 a reference to the κ. τῶν ψυχῶν serves to arouse φόβος τ. ἀδικίας). ἡ κ. αὐτοῦ ἤρθη his punishment was taken away Ac 8:33; 1 Cl 16:7 (both Is 53:8). ὑπὸ κρίσιν πίπτειν come under judgment Js 5:12; cp. 2:13ab. ἡ κ. τῆς γεέννης being punished in hell Mt 23:33 (gen. as Diod S 1, 82, 3 θανάτου κ.=punishment by death; πυρὸς κ. Hippol. Ref. 10, 34, 2; cp. 9, 10, 7). ἔνοχός ἐστιν αἰωνίου κ. liable for eternal punishment Mk 3:29 v.l. κ. κατά τινος upon, against someone (Aelian, VH 2, 6) ποιῆσαι κρίσιν κατὰ πάντων execute judgment upon all Jd 15 (En 1:9).—(Opp. ζωή) ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ εἰς κ. οὐκ ἔρχεται J 5:24 (cp. Philip [=Demosth. 12, 16] εἰς κ. ἐλθεῖν; ApcSed 11:16 [134, 36 Ja.] τὸ σῶμα … ἀπέρχεται εἰς κρίσιν). ἀνάστασις ζωῆς … ἀνάστασις κρίσεως vs. 29. κρίσις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου judgment of (or upon) this world 12:31; cp. 16:8, interpreted as a judgment on the prince of this world 16:11 (cp. 12:31b; 1QM 1, 5; but s. also LLutkemeyer, CBQ 8, ’46, 225f ‘good judgment’, and BNoack, Satanas u. Soteria ’48, 79; also s. δικαιοσύνη 3a end).—Some interpreters see in 3:19 a double sense for κ., containing in addition to the senses ‘judgment’ and ‘condemnation’ the clear connotation of ‘separation, division’ (Hecataeus [320 B.C.]: 264 Fgm. 6, 1 Jac. [in Diod S 40, 3, 2 Dind. w. the ms. trad.] κρίσις τῶν κακῶν=‘separation fr. the evils’. A double sense as in J is found in Artem. 5, 5 κριτής=‘judge’ and ‘divider’). The ‘judgment’, which is operative here and now, is said to consist in the fact that people divide themselves into two groups, those who accept Christ and those who reject him (Hdb.; Bultmann). But it is also prob. that κ. in this vs. simply refers to the judicial process, which includes a statement of rationale or basis for the adverse verdict, here expressed in the clause ὅτι … τὰ ἔργα.—Pl. judgments, punishments (Diod S 1, 75, 2; Appian, Bell. Civ. 1, 96 §446 κρίσεις πικραί=severe punishments) ἀληθιναὶ καὶ δίκαιαι αἱ κρίσεις σου Rv 16:7; 19:2.—Bousset, Rel.³ 257ff; LRuhl, De Mortuorum Judicio 1903; JBlank, Krisis (J), diss. Freiburg, ’64.

ⓑ of the judgment of one person upon or against another, in the nature of an evaluation

α. of one human being toward another κ. δικαία B 20:2; D 5:2. κ. ἄδικος unjust judgment Pol 6:1; ἀπότομος ἐν κ. relentless in judgment ibid. τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν κρίνετε J 7:24 (κρίνω 2a). Cp. ἡ κ. ἡ ἐμὴ ἀληθινή ἐστιν 8:16.

β. of archangel against the devil οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν κρίσιν ἐπενεγκεῖν βλασφημίας he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment Jd 9. Cp. the corresp. pass. in 2 Pt 2:11 ἄγγελοι οὐ φέρουσιν κατʼ αὐτῶν παρὰ κυρίου βλάσφημον κρίσιν angels do not pronounce a reviling judgment against them from the Lord.

② a board of judges, court, specif. a local court (s. Schürer II 187f; Diod S 17, 80, 2; Aesop, Fab. 190 H.=459 P.; Theod. Prodr. 1, 402 H.) ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κ. he will have to answer to a (local) court Mt 5:21f.—RGuelich, ZNW 64, ’73, 44ff.

③ administration of what is right and fair, right in the sense of justice/ righteousness (Michel 542, 6 [II B.C.] πίστιν ἔχοντα καὶ κρίσιν ὑγιῆ; OGI 383, 207 [I B.C.]; LXX; cp. מִשְׁפָּט) ἀφήκατε τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὸ ἔλεος καὶ τὴν πίστιν Mt 23:23; cp. Lk 11:42. ἐκζητεῖν κ. seek out justice 1 Cl 8:4 (Is 1:17). κρίσιν τ. ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγελεῖ he will proclaim justice for the gentiles Mt 12:18 (Is 42:1). ἕως ἃν ἐκβάλῃ εἰς νῖκος τ. κρίσιν until he leads justice to victory vs. 20 (cp. Is 42:3.—Other prob. renderings are legal action, trial, case [X., An. 1, 6, 5; Diod S 2, 42, 4 αἱ κρίσεις=legal suits, transactions; En 9:3 εἰσαγάγετε τὴν κρίσιν ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν ὕψιστον], and, influenced by νῖκος, a [military] decision [Dionys. Hal. 9, 35; 2 Macc 14:18]). The rendering right, justice may also be valid for such passages as J 7:24; 12:31; 16:8, 11; Ac 8:33 [so NRSV] and perh. others.—GWetter, s.v. κρίμα 4b near end; HBraun, Gerichtsgedanke u. Rechtfertigungslehre b. Pls 1930; FFilson, St. Paul’s Conception of Recompense ’31.—For add. reff. to the theme of justice in antiquity s. PvanderHorst, The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides 78, 117–28.—DELG s.v. κρίνω. M-M. TW.